April 2024

The overarching theme of Plan B is to develop Bledington further as a flourishing and sustainable community in which to live, work and visit. This ambition is based on the secure foundations of community spirit which is the bedrock of the village. Whilst we all know this, it is reassuring to hear others think the same. Examples are glowing comments reported back from a water sampling course, presenting our emergency flood response plan to other villages, praise for the Care Committee, involvement in CDC Forums on community led projects…...the list goes on. We can, rightly, pat ourselves on the back and the Parish Plan aims to safeguard that ethos and address the topics and concerns we face.

To meet those expectations, the theme groups of Housing, Transport, Environment, Facilities and Foundations are now beginning to prioritise the topics and ideas in their respective areas. The individua groups continue to meet regularly and combine to report back monthly.  The environment group are auditing the land around the village, including a trip to Gloucestershire Archives where, apparently, there is a box marked 'Bledington'.  The group will also help inform the Parish Council on the Government's guidelines on 'Complying with the biodiversity duty'.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complying-with-the-biodiversity-duty.

Facilities have embarked on a thorough look at all the various village entities and how Plan B might support and possibly enhance. As mentioned in last month’s report, Foundations and Housing combined in Inviting James Brain, Interim Head of Planning Services Cotswold District Council (CDC) to talk to us about the Local Plan consultation and its relevance to Bledington. 17 settlements have been identified for development, with Moreton-in-Marsh the major focus but also including Stow, Upper Rissington and Bourton nearest to us. One interesting statistic, 20% of new housing stock comes from 'windfall' developments; smaller developments like Pippins where two houses replace one and Tally-Ho cottage where two new properties are proposed. James also gave us a number of people within CDC to expand our network of contacts.

We hope to draw the main themes together by August in the form of draft submissions from theme groups and confirm the direction of the Parish Plan by September. This will take the form of a consultation document to the Parish Council. We will also make sure we are speaking with one voice with a village open meeting. Provisionally a draft document will be produced over the late autumn months for discussion before final approval by the PC by Christmas.

March 2024

One of the main features of a Parish Plan is its collaborative nature. Primarily this revolves around village matters and the wishes and concerns of our community. A further valuable component is reaching out to the wider community, and a good example is our fantastic school where children are welcomed from a catchment wider than just the confines of our parish. Last month's article touched on Cotswold District Council's review and consultation of its Local Plan which put simply, sets out planning policies and proposals for new development, and the infrastructure to support that.

Public consultation on the Local Plan closes on the 7th of April, and everyone can have a voice by putting forward their views and opinions. As part of the consultation, Bledington was represented at a forum hosted by the CDC back in February. It has a number of policies which inform the development of the Local Plan (environment, affordable housing, climate mitigation, flood risk, green transport, services and facilities etc). Some of the key points that came out of the meeting are:

• A target of 7,400 new homes within the planning period, of which some 5,150 already identified.
• 17 settlements have been identified as having some infrastructure in place. Of these some 5 or 6 have been identified as most likely sites for substantial development (which include Moreton-in-Marsh and Cirencester).
• Importance of Integrated Impact Assessment, including the impact of any plans on neighbouring and distant communities. For example, this should include mitigating the impact on flooding and sewage in Bledington, and traffic for all local communities.
• Concern over lack of affordable and appropriate housing for a wide range of members of the community, including younger people looking for their first home, and downsizers looking to stay in their community.
• Local Plan to include Biodiversity Sites under Green Infrastructure Policies.

To ensure our views are heard, Plan B and the Parish Council will be meeting with James Brain, Interim Head of Planning at CDC, to look at some of the issues the village has raised  at our open meetings. Further information about the Local Plan can be found at https://your.cotswold.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/lp-background-to-the-consultation.

February 2024

As we head towards Spring, the theme groups of Housing, Transport, Environment, Facilities and Foundations continue to build on the body of work already completed. Each group is meeting regularly, with inter -group meetings now a feature to ensure continuity on ideas and themes. There are a number of areas which are relevant to more than one group. 

For example, an important component of the work being undertaken is to examine the dynamics of the population of Bledington. The Foundations Group and Housing have looked at the changes comparing the censuses of 2001 and 2021. We have declined to 458 souls from 506, with more over 65's. There have been only minor changes in composition of the housing stock although in 2001 no households were identified as second or holiday homes. Not surprisingly given the change in employment practices, of those economically active nearly a half work from home resulting in a third less vehicle journeys to workplaces.

The Housing group themselves are sensitive to the current and future needs of the village with a “Local First” approach within local planning confines. The District Council have recently embarked on a review of the Local Plan which put simply, sets out planning policies and proposals for new development. The Parish Council are consultees on the review whose comments will in large part be informed by the Housing group. Bledington has been designated a Non-Principal Settlement so there is no external pressure to build houses to meet quotas.

The Environment group have been focusing on the concerns and ideas expressed by the village, one area currently being explored are possible answers to the sewage crisis in our rivers through contacts with leading experts in the field. Of course, biodiversity and climate are also a central themes. 

We hope to draw these threads together to produce a coherent submission for approval by the village and then the Parish Council by the end of the year. Parish plans are community-led plans. We aim for Plan Bledington to be comprehensive in scope and set out a vision for how the community wants to develop and identify the action needed to achieve it. 

December 2023 -January 2024

As 2023 draws to a close, it is worth pausing to reflect on the really encouraging progress made by Plan B so far and look forward to continuing our work in developing a meaningful, valuable, and long-lasting contribution to our village. 

This time last year, having consulted widely with the community, the Parish Council endorsed the recommendation to draw up a Parish Plan. A parish plan is an in-depth survey of a community undertaken by that community itself for its own benefit. It provides an opportunity for people to take stock of their community and to decide which aspects of their community they like and wish to preserve, and perhaps enhance, and which aspects they do not like and want to change. It includes an action plan to make sure that this happens.

Bledington can again pat itself on the back as the village was used as an example of community led initiatives in a recent open forum in Cheltenham held jointly by GRCC (Gloucestershire Rural Community Council) and FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group). The momentum has been maintained with the Theme Groups (covering Housing, Transport, Environment, Facilities, Foundations) reporting their progress at a joint meeting In October. The groups comprise of a total of 38 villagers (at the last count), and meetings are ongoing in preparation for our next joint update on the 29th of November.   

If you feel you could contribute in any way there are contact details, together with a wealth of Information, on the village website Bledington.com. We’d be delighted to welcome you to help make Bledington an even more wonderful place to live.

November 2023

The inaugural meeting in September saw the launch of the five Theme Groups addressing the consensus of village concerns covering: Housing; Transport; Environment; Facilities; Foundations. The Theme Groups have made a tremendous start to their work in beginning to draw together the many ideas, concerns and topics which emerged from the village open meetings.

Each group have held a number of meetings already. Whilst each group has its own discrete area of interest, there is inevitably, considerable cross-over with other groups. Some of these will be complimentary whilst others may be contradictory. The Theme Groups came together on the 18th of October to give an update and to compare progress so far, addressing any common or competing issues.  As reported last month, the Theme Groups will be meeting regularly and consulting widely with everyone connected to Bledington, with the aim of presenting a final Parish Plan by winter 2024. 

We are continually updating the village website bledington.com on our progress with articles, reports and updates for you to read. If you feel you could contribute in any way there are contact details, we would be delighted if you would like to become involved.

Come and help make Bledington an even more wonderful place to be.