The Process - How to do it
The Process - How to do it
Every village is different Experience of several Village Design Groups has been that every programme of work has been different, to suit the local circumstances - very much in tune with the concept of "distinctiveness" - no one solution will suit every village. Every place will have different reasons for needing a VDS - Local Plan review; allocations of housing in the Plan; many proposals for additions to buildings (porches/dormers/double glazing), sub-division of plots; do-it-yourself fencing and planting; vacant shop or garage sites; former MOD land; changes in farming activity. A VDS by local people may also complement a Conservation Area Appraisal or Countryside Design Summary undertaken by the Planning Authority. Time and cost A VDS could take 8 - 12 months to complete to the stage of submission to the Planning Authority for adoption as Supplementary Planning Guidance - most VDS have taken over a year. Costs may include the hire of a Village Hall, refreshments for workshops / public meetings, paper and pens, film and photographs, maps, photocopying, printing of newsletters and posters, as well as costs of printing of the final document - a full colour glossy could be over £3,000. Grants Some planning authorities offer grants of £500 - £1000 for each VDS group as start-up funds. Grants from local businesses, Shell Better Britain and other sources should be considered, especially for the printing of the final document. The Lottery Community Fund "Awards for All" is open to applications from groups which have a bank account, or from Parish Councils. For an application pack ring 0845 600 20 40 (Minicom: 0845 755 6656) VDS and Parish Appraisal projects often qualify as they support community activity, extending access and participation, improving the quality of life" to create a lasting benefit for the community. One example is the well produced and illustrated booklet for the VDS (now adopted) of East Meon, in Hampshire. (See the article by Michael Blakstad, published in the December 1999 issue of South Talk, the newsletter of the Southern Branch of the Royal Town Planning Institute). Facilitators Few local planing authorities have enough staff time available to give constant support to each VDS team of volunteers throughout a year or so. Some councils appoint a facilitator on a fee basis. A facilitator does not do the survey of landscape and buildings or write the VDS - that is the job of local people. However, an independent and experienced enabler can explain the benefits and how to do a VDS, can help to make meetings and workshops meet objectives and can take the pressure from Local Authority staff during all but the final stages of the process. A facilitator may charge from £250 a day to over £350 a day (£33 - £47 + per hour) plus car travel, say 39.5 p per mile. Some villages have found facilitators from among the residents or workers in a parish. A teacher, trainer, personnel / human resources manager, public relations specialist may have the skills. The skills of an architect or planner may be particularly useful, and many villages have found one of these, or a landscape architect or surveyor, within their midst. A farmer who understands how to describe the landscape could be an invaluable volunteer. Alternatively, a Rural Community Council may be able to offer support , or the Planning Aid service of the local branch of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI - for telephone and e mail contacts see the web pages on http://www.rtpi.org.uk) might be able to offer a facilitator, either for modest fee to cover costs, request a substantial donation to provide further resources for the running of the Planning Aid advice service (the normal service is offered free to those who cannot afford the fees of consultants). First steps A first step is to set up a Steering Group of say 8 - 10 local volunteers, of which 1 or 2 may be parish councillors. It is important that elected members of local authorities do not dominate a project. The support of the Parish Council is essential. Spending on publicity may start with the preparations for a PUBLIC MEETING which aims to launch the project, begin the involvement of everyone in the village, and recruit volunteers. Village Fetes, local history days, quizzes with prizes for adults and children (where is this building / place / space?) and Internet web sites have been among the publicity methods used. After the PUBLIC MEETING to agree the project, An example of a VDS workshop is to be found on the Marden, Kent web site: http://www.marden.org.uk and click on to Marden 2000. Their VDS is now adopted as SPG. Inclusive It is important that as many people as possible are involved, and feel that they are playing an active part from the outset. Every opportunity should be taken during the project to continue that involvement. One way of ensuring that all people in the area are aware of the opportunity to be involved is to alert local groups and organisations, from the Women's Institute to the Mother and Toddler Circle, from the churches to the Youth Club, sports clubs and pub clientele and remembering to make a specific approach to the local schools, even if the secondary school is in another parish, and any private schools - pupil and teacher activity can become a resource for survey work and publicity, and children will tell their parents about the VDS and encourage them to attend workshops. Do not forget local key workers who are involved in public service - the police, postal workers, medical staff. Butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, if you have them. Essential are farmers and landowners, who hold the keys to landscape management and change. A questionnaire to all households, focusing on design issues of landscape and building form, has been found by several villages to be most successful in publicising the advent of VDS workshops. East Meon, Hampshire, attracted all sectors of the village to their workshops by this means, and volunteers calling to collect the completed forms ensured a very high response rate. At the beginning of each workshop meeting a short activity involving everyone could identify their personal views on the unique character of the parish and their vision for the future. For larger parishes, a "personal map" exercise can break the ice, and also help to define different perceptions on the "boundaries" of the settlements, or parts of the village, which may need to be tackled by small teams within the overall VDS. Records should be kept of the number of people involved at every event in the process, and of their views and ideas. Planning authorities will ask for that before they submit a VDS for approval of the Council as SPG. This reflects the statements of community participation which the government Planning Green Paper proposes for the statutory plans - the Local Development Framework. At every meeting a separate list should be made of comments made. A good idea is to have two flip charts - one for the VDS and one for other points. Many topics will be raised which may not be capable of inclusion in the VDS - a document concerned with design. Some aspects of traffic, litter, affordable housing management, village facilities and community activity are more properly addressed to the Parish Council, which will refer some of them towards another responsible body such as the highway authority, environmental health, housing or social services. These issues may not be new to the Parish Council, but the strength of feeling of residents, and their particular perceptions, will be important. Issues such as local facilities, such public transport, as shops, pubs, post offices, education, health and care provision, and youth recreation opportunities, can be assessed in the formation of the local authorities' Community Strategies. Some Parishes have resolved to tackle the future of the village by undertaking a Village Appraisal, leading to a Parish Action Plan. Examples of separate action projects, emerging from a VDS process, have included: river environment enhancement; water meadow management; relocation of Open meetings The first meeting would be followed in a month or so by facilitating a half day or full day Workshop, again open to all people of the village, when the teams formed at the first meeting could present their findings. This could be heralded by a newsheet. Some villages have even conducted a short questionnaire survey to all householders, based on the issues raised at the first meeting. Villages which are near to towns offering 1 hour photo develop and print facilities might combine the first stage of the Survey and the Workshop on one Saturday, with the photo prints returning over lunch. Those in more remote villages with computers and digital cameras, Polaroids / scanners, or video cameras, might also be able to do likewise. Whichever method is chosen, the weeks that follow will be taken up with a more complete survey. After that, some villages have preferred to have an Event, again open to all people of the village, when the teams meet together to pull together their survey work on a Saturday morning, with the facilitator moving around from team to team, giving advice. Then each team would present results to everyone present, and agree the next steps. Drafting After that, teams may complete any remaining gaps in their survey information and begin work on drafting the wording of the Village Design Statement. Some weeks later a further Workshop could be facilitated to refine the wording. A planning officer from the District Council could be invited to attend this public event to explain the policies in the Local Plan and how a VDS should complement those, not conflict with them. Teams will then work in their own time on drafting. It is best to divide up the work into sections and topics. Leaving all the wording to one person can be a great burden for them, and one village was worried about what would happen if "they fell under a bus". Other villages would welcome a bus service to fall under! During the drafting period, the facilitator may be contacted by post, phone or fax for comments or guidance. When a full draft is available the District Planning Officer could be asked to comment informally, as well as any facilitator. Approval of all When the draft is ready, a Public Meeting should invite as any people as possible to see the document and illustrations, perhaps with an exhibition for a week beforehand in the hall or church, copies of the draft in the Public Library, Shop or Post Office (if you are fortunate enough to have such facilities with enough space). A news sheet could be widely circulated in the Parish. After necessary redrafting, the document may then be ready to submit to the Planning Authority. Some projects have had to face a further stage of drafting and a further Public Meeting. This process can also be used for Parish/Village Plans. One community, Angmering, in West Sussex, has used the VDS technique to devise a Development Brief (adopted as SPG) for the land released from former glasshouses / horticultural use which had the potential of increasing the size of the settlement by one third. Facilitator, consultant to village groups and to: [A pack and video may be obtained from the Countryside Agency at: |
