What is a community plan?

A community plan can be produced by a parish, town, village or neighbourhood.

It’s a living document produced by the community that sets out its shared vision for the future.
It identifies key issues that need to be addressed within the local area.
It contains a series of community objectives also known as an action plan.

To see an example of a community plan click here

How are plans produced?

The parish council usually starts the process by holding a public event to talk about producing a plan. They will ask for volunteers from the community to form a steering group to carry the parish plan forwards. Sometimes, it can be members of the local community who approach the parish council first about producing a community plan.
A series of community consultations will be organised by the steering group to find out what issues the community has.
Once the issues have been identified, a household questionnaire is compiled and sent out to every home in the parish. An analysis of the results are then produced.
An action plan is produced to address issues raised from the community consultation and research.
A draft copy of the action plan is then taken back out to the community for feedback. Other agencies such as the parish and district council should also be given the opportunity to make comments.
After taking the feedback on board, the plan can be finalised.
The plan can then be put forwards for adoption by the parish council and then endorsement by East Hampshire District Council.

For more information click here

Why produce a community plan?

Central Government wants local people to have more power to decide what’s best for their own communities.
East Hampshire District Council use parish plans to influence planning, policies and delivery of services
A parish plan will help to strengthen the relationship between the parish council and local community.
It will help parishes to gain funding for local initiatives.