Ashwell Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 16 Submission

Housing

The Local Plan is currently under review and the ANP will need to reflect the strategic context once it is made.

Monitor progress and consider implications for the ANP

PC, NHDC

Review available information so that it continues to accurately reflect the views of local people

Repeat the Ashwell Village Survey 2015 at regular intervals

PC

Design and heritage

Need to identify and protect buildings that are not listed, but which are important assets.

Work with partners to identify and catalogue relevant non-designated heritage assets, with a view to adding these to the Local List.

PC, NHDC, local heritage groups, Historic England

Some historic assets are at risk, or may become at risk.

Monitor the Heritage at Risk Register. The Parish Council to work in partnership with others to develop an action plan to support the improvement of assets at risk and seek funding for this.

PC, NHDC, Ashwell Museum, Historic England

Enabling better access to Arbury Banks, while ensuring it is appropriately conserved.

Encourage appropriate access and seek opportunities to monitor and improve the conservation of Arbury Banks.

PC, landowner, local heritage groups, Historic England

Extend the Ashwell Conservation Area

Look into whether extending the Ashwell Conservation Area is appropriate and possible

PC, NHDC

Natural environment

Desire to maintain and expand local biodiversity opportunities.

Commission a regular audit of wildlife and seek opportunities to improve diversity within Parish Council-owned land holdings.

An Environmental Audit of the village should be conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses and threats to the Green Infrastructure. An improvement scheme should be implemented to address any actions necessary.

Seek opportunities to acquire additional land for the benefit of improving biodiversity for the benefit of the parish.

Work to encourage greater wildlife awareness within the local community and promote the parish's natural diversity.

Seek opportunities to support and encourage farmers, land owners and residents to look at ways of helping and supporting wildlife.

PC, NHDC, local landowners, school/pre-schools, Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust

Enabling better access to Ashwell Springs, while ensuring it is appropriately conserved.

Continue to monitor Ashwell Springs to ensure that public use does not have a detrimental effect on this delicate habitat.

PC

Lack of maintenance of grass verges and banks and infiltration of non-native plant species.

Adopt mowing regimes for verges and banks designed to conserve wild flowers (in particular on the chalkier soils over Newnham Hill, along Claybush Road, Hinxworth Road, Kingsland Way and Slip End Road).

Discourage garden plants being introduced onto these verges.

PC, HCC

Business and economy

Lack of local business support group in the village.

Establish a mechanism by which to maintain a dialogue with local businesses for the purpose of providing support.

Investigate, and consult on, additional strategies to support commercially struggling retailers.

Local businesses, supported by PC

Need to maintain a thriving village centre and enable other employment opportunities in the parish.

Commission a report to investigate ways to attract new businesses to Ashwell and encourage local business initiatives.

PC

Maintain community involvement in community life.

Explore ways of increasing awareness of parish events and parish-based services.

PC

The post office does not offer a full range of services.

Support the relocation of the part-time post office to a permanent location where it could provide a full range of services, provided this is in an appropriate and accessible location that is suited to the needs of all parishioners.

PC, local businesses

Sport. Leisure and recreation

Need to ensure that existing provision for sports and recreation is accessible and of a high quality.

Undertake a periodic review of recreation and sports facilities and meeting places to ensure they are accessible to older and less mobile people

PC, NHDC, Sport England

As the community grows, need to ensure that adequate facilities are available to them.

Consult on a strategic plan for better sporting facilities in the parish. This will include:

 identifying land suitable for new pitches;

 considering a new pavilion and /or a multi-functional hall for indoor sports;

 encouraging integrated use of all sporting facilities, especially between the school and the community;

 ensuring the facilities cater for an active older age group.

PC

Loss of public houses and other valued space/buildings

Consider listing important, locally valued buildings and spaces as Assets of Community Value.

PC, local community groups

Health and education

Maintain and improve existing service levels at the doctors surgery

Regular liaison between the Parish Council and local health services

PC, patients group, doctors surgery

Support Ashwell School in delivering its educational objectives.

s.106 Contributions from new major development in the neighbourhood area will be used to provide additional educational provision in the parish.

PC, school, local community

Continue to work with the school to embed it into community life.

Take the School into consideration when making Parish decisions and ensure that school related issues are given due weight in the planning process.

Be aware of issues affecting the School and to provide appropriate support where needed.

PC, school, local community

Transport and movement

Need to ensure that the parish is well-served by public transport.

Seek opportunities to work with the providers of public transport to retain, and where possible, improve levels of service.

PC, local transport providers

Address concern about increased congestion, and associated air pollution, in the village centre relating to developments both within and beyond the parish.

Work with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to undertake an up-to-date traffic census of key roads in and around the village in order to have a clear and independent baseline on which to model the impact of new development proposals.

Work with HCC to identify physical measures, for instance planting, that would reduce congestion and ease traffic movement in the village at peak times.

Develop projects to encourage walking and cycling within and around the village, for instance walking maps, signposting etc.

PC, HCC

Application of design policy to all structures, including bus shelters.

Ensure that new bus shelters erected in the village are appropriate to their setting, especially if sited within the Conservation Area.

PC, NHDC (as planning authority), local transport providers

Roads, footpaths and bridleways need to be well maintained and accessible.

Undertake a periodic review of local footpaths and bridleways to ensure they are properly maintained, signposted and accessible. Footpaths should be well maintained and signposted and should be managed in a wildlife friendly way (encourage wildflowers / no weed killers) to increase and encourage residents to exercise more.

PC, local walking group, Greening Ashwell. NHDC, HCC

New routes should be identified and developed where this would encourage walking and cycling.

Seek opportunities to create new footpaths and permissive paths to improve the footpath network, create more circular routes around the village, and enhance access, tourism and leisure activity.

Work with HCC to ensure the adopted roads within the parish are properly maintained and that defects are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

PC, local walking group, NHDC, HCC

Complete a footpath / Cycle path between Ashwell and the Station

Consultation with HCC, Cambridgeshire Council and relevant landowners

PC, HCC, Cambridgeshire CC, relevant landowner(s)

Inconsiderate parking on pavements.

Discourage cars and delivery vehicles from parking on pavements. This will make them safe for all, including the less mobile and wheelchair/ mobility scooter users.

Investigate options for off-street parking in the centre of the village to reduce on-street parking in areas suffering the greatest congestion.

PC, NHDC

Lack of public electric car charging points

Explore suitable ways of providing charging points and locations

PC, HCC