Blewbury Parish Plan Project
	Terms of Reference Archive Page The Parish Plan was completed in 2004. This page has not been updated since then. For current information on Blewbury go to the main Blewbury site.

1. Reporting from the Blewbury Parish Plan Steering Committee

Blewbury Parish Council and its co-sponsoring organisation, the BVS Environment Group, require the production of a Parish Plan for Blewbury, and have appointed a co-ordinator and will appoint a steering committee to manage its creation.

1.1 Reporting to the Parish Council

A member of the Steering Committee is to report to the Parish Council on the progress of the project each month, and the committee will seek input from the Parish Council both in general and on specific issues. The aim is to produce a plan which is owned and adopted by the Parish Council. To achieve this the Parish Council can:

• specify areas or issues to be covered by the plan,
• specify actions to be included to tackle specific issues, and
• require proposals they do not agree with to be omitted from the final plan.

1.2 Reporting to the BCS Environment Group

The Steering Committee will keep the Environment Group informed of its progress, and seek input from the group both in general and on specific issues.

2. The Plan

The Plan is to be a comprehensive document covering all the issues that are currently important to the Village, and covering the future up to 2011. The plan will contain as a minimum:

1. The content of a village design statement as defined by the countryside commission, including
   • a description of the distinctive character of the village and the surrounding countryside.
   • Information on the character of the village can be identified at three levels:
     • The landscape setting
     • The shape of the settlement
     • the nature of the buildings themselves
   • design principles based on the distinctive local character

   The statement is to be produced in partnership with the local planning authority in the context of existing local planning policy, and influencing future policies.

2. An Action Plan to list the proposals arising from the planning process.

The plan is to be an attractive, illustrated and printed document of not more than 20 A4 sides. When adopted it is to be distributed to every household in the Parish, and to all other organisations that may be interested or affected. Additional copies are to be available for sale.

3. Timescale

The plan is to be completed for approval by the end of September 2003.

4. The Development of the Plan

The development of the Parish Plan is to follow the Guidance for Parish Plans issued by the Countryside Commission. It is also to be within the context of the Vale of White Horse local Plan 2011.

A steering committee will oversee the development of the plan. They are expected to devolve sections of the work to interested working groups. The areas and issues to be tackled in the plan are to be determined after consultation with people and groups in the Parish, representing a wide range of ages and interests.

After initial consultations, the issues it is proposed to tackle will be published for comment, and there is to be scope for people in the Parish to comment. The proposals in the draft plan will be published for comment in the community before the plan is submitted the approval.

5. Powers of the Steering Committee

The membership of the initial steering committee is has been ratified by the Parish Council:

nthony Stiff, Audrey Long, Catherine Howard, Christina Duckett, Dru Spork, Hilary Savage, Hugh Osborn, John Richards, Keith Ifould, Mike Marshall, Peter Willison.

The steering committee can co-opt additional members, and submit them for ratification.

The Steering Committee is empowered by the Parish Council to hold discussions with planning authorities, neighbouring communities, the Countryside Agency, Rural Community Councils and others towards the creation of the plan, as the Committee sees fit. However any significant decisions arising from these negotiations must be subject to ratification by the Parish Council.

The Steering Committee is empowered to liaise with the Countryside Commission and discuss funding towards the project from the Countryside Commission. A budget will be agreed with the Parish Council before any significant expenses are incurred, and this budget might be dependent on a grant from the Countryside Commission.

After a budget is agreed with the Parish Council, the Steering Committee is empowered to spend within this budget without requiring individual approval of each expense.

The accounts of the Steering Committee are to be audited annually and on completion of the project.

6. Appendix A - An Acceptable Plan

The following is a suggestion for the structure of the final document. It is not intended as a firm proposal but is a possible framework to seek views on the appropriate form of the plan. The framework should not be fixed until the topics to be covered have been determined by consultation. Topics should only be included in the final plan if there are issues to be tackled and actions arising.

6.1 INTRODUCTION

Who produced the plan, how and for what purpose, and how it relates to the Village Appraisal, the Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2001 and other planning documents.

6.2 SUMMARY

The main conclusions.

6.3 A NUMBER OF SECTIONS

Each section should cover the current state, where we would like to be in 5 to 10 years time, current issues and concerns and the recommended actions. A section should not exceed 4 sides.

6.4 CONCLUSIONS

6.5 MAPS

This Project is sponsored by Blewbury Parish Council and the Blewbury Village Society Environmental Group.
If you have any comments or are prepared to take part in the initiative please contact the co-ordinator
John Richards, Brookside, Westbrook Street OX11 9QA (01235-850218).