Parish Councillor Mary Trevallion, with significant contributions from her lifetime and professional partner Professor Bernard Trevallion, presented an exemplary first stage Parish Plan for the people of Taplow to John Kennedy, Chairman of the Taplow Parish Plan (TPP) Steering Group at a meeting of the Group on March 21st.
It was agreed unanimously by the Taplow Parish Council on March 29th to submit this first stage Plan to the South Bucks District Council as a consultation document in the preparation of its Local Development Framework.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has said that Parish Plans should provide the ‘bedrock’ for Local Development Frameworks. To date Taplow is the only Parish to submit a Plan to South Bucks District Council.
The Plan analyses the reports of the several Group sub-committees, the comments of the 80 visitors to the TPP Exhibition, and the 234 respondents to the TPP Questionnaire which was distributed to every household in the Parish. It distills a statement of proposals and actions to meet the aspirations and priorities of the Taplow community.
The Government’s Rural White Paper Our Countryside – The Future defined the purpose of a Parish Plan to be “to identify key facilities and services, set out the problems that need to be tackled and demonstrate how distinctive character and features can be preserved”. With this clear objective, consultation with residents was key to the TPP Steering Group effort.
Working Groups were recruited to report on the current situation and the future needs of the three main areas of the Parish – the Woodland Plateau to the North, the Village at the centre and the Thames and Jubilee Riversides – and to identify specific topics for wide consultation.
Meetings were held with 15 organisations representing a wide spectrum of interests within the Parish.
A four day Exhibition was held in the Village Centre introducing visitors to the concept of a Parish Plan and displaying a series of annotated maps and photographs showing the range of concerns highlighted in the reports of the Working Groups plus additional photographs and notes outlining current situations and possible remedies augmented by a listing of all the comments from the various organisations of specific interests. Visitors were invited to express their views in the form of post-it notes on notice boards.
All residents were polled through a questionnaire compiled from all the issues raised. The questionnaire comprised tick box requests and invitations for comment to open-ended questions. Responses came from 35% of households in the Parish.
Conservation and enhancement of the natural and built environment represent the major concern of Taplow people over all other issues. This is the main thrust of the actions proposed in the Plan. Traffic issues feature in all phases of the consultation process and the Plan addresses the problems of heavy vehicle movements, speed controls, and traffic flow. Other action areas proposed in the Plan include housing, public transport and community facilities.
A Summary will be distributed to all households in the Parish prior to further consultations in the on-going process of developing and implementing the Taplow Parish Plan. Copies of the full Plan will be available at the Village Centre for residents who wish to have access to it.
