The village has previously completed and issued its Parish Plan in 2010. These pages will explain why it was done, how we got there, and how we’re moving it forward.

Why Do One?

It is Government policy to increase individual participation in public life and for public bodies to consult communities about the delivery of services. As part of this policy of “active citizenship” the Government wants to give more power to parishes to decide what’s best for their own communities.

If the parish can show it is taking its future seriously, a Parish Plan might increase the chances of getting local authority support to enhance the parish’s economic, social and environmental well-being.

It will give the parish the evidence to help inform policy-making by a range of organisations, from the local planning authority to police and health services. It will also help to develop and maintain effective working relationships with all those outside bodies who provide services to the community, now or in the future.

Local authorities are continuously involved in drawing up and reviewing land use plans as well as deciding individual planning applications. A Parish Plan can potentially influence both these processes. It might try to do this by:

  • Identifying local needs for affordable housing or community facilities
  • Producing a design statement for new development
  • Identifying which open spaces are needed and valued for community use
  • In the longer term, in line with Government proposals for a reformed planning system, there could be an opportunity to feed into the new Local Development Frameworks

Local authorities are also required to draw up “community strategies” to promote or improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area. This is usually achieved through parish councils, involving representatives from public, private, voluntary and community bodies. The main aims of a community strategy are:

  • to identify what sort of services, activities and support are needed
  • to make links between services and organise them better to avoid overlaps
  • to promote local people’s involvement in planning and improving services in the areas where they live

In addition, most county and unitary authorities have signed up to negotiate a Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) with central Government, comprising a dozen or so specific targets to improve local services such as health and police. LPSA authorities are encouraged to i8nvolve local partners, particularly through the parishes and the community strategies.

These are structures which exist to help deliver social and community services at ground level.

A Parish Plan can help feed into these processes and give the village a real voice and influence in the wider community.

Guidance notes for the entire process are available here.

Parish Plan Questionnaire, October 2008

The Sutton cum Lound Parish Plan Questionnaire was launched in October 2008. Its purpose was to gauge the feelings of all village residents on a number of areas of village life and facilities.

You can read or download a copy of the Sutton cum Lound Parish Plan Questionnaire here.

Parish Plan Issue, February 2010

The Sutton cum Lound Parish Plan was completed and issued in February 2010. Congratulations to David Wilson (Chair) and the members of the Parish Plan Steering Committee for a concise and informative document.

You can read or download a copy of the Sutton cum Lound parish Plan here.

Parish Plan Steering Group

Following the successful issue of the Sutton cum Lound Parish Plan, the original Parish Plan Steering Committee was disbanded, as their job had been completed. Original members of the committee were invited to form a sub-committee of the Parish Council in order to continue the monitoring and implementation of the plan.

However, it was felt that since the Parish Plan had a wider remit than simply the Parish Council, a sub-committee would be an inappropriate mechanism to take the plan forward. As a result, many members of the original committee instead formed the independent Parish Plan Steering Committee in 2010 which interacts with all the bodies and groups within the village.

It has its own constitution, modest funds available, representatives from many of the village groups, and meets monthly at the Village Hall.

Technically its name is the Parish Plan Steering Committee, as shown in its constitution, but in practice it seems to have become known as the Parish Plan Steering Group, or PPSG.

If you would like to be involved with the Parish Plan Steering Group, or find out more about what they do, please email:

parishplanchair@suttoncumlound.net

All agendas and minutes of the Sutton cum Lound Parish Plan Steering Group are published here.