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SHENLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

  1. To maintain the Green Belt surrounding our village, avoiding the creep of urban sprawl.
  2. To maintain and improve the beautiful green appearance of our surroundings and the character of our village. To retain our village status. To maintain identified green spaces in the village
  3. To ensure that all residents have access to community green and open spaces for leisure and recreation.
  4. To minimise the impact of development on the natural and built environment.
  5. To protect the biodiversity of our area, our local wildlife and its habitat and our trees.
  6. To retain the sites in our area which currently provide jobs in their present use and provide sustainable employment opportunities for those who live within and outside it. Where possible to improve and enhance retail facilities offered to the community
  7. To encourage and facilitate the development of identified buildings in the village to provide better facilities for the community.
  8. To promote an active community within the village with desired community and cultural facilities for residents young and old.
  9. To implement design standards which maintain the character of the village and enhance the aesthetic qualities of the buildings in the village.
  10. To meet new housing demand in a way that is sympathetic to the area, that ensures that the right type of housing is built in the right locations and that a mix of housing types is delivered, to especially include smaller homes available to younger people/families and for older people to downsize to.
  11. Have a meaningful opportunity to engage with developers and their design teams in the early stages of designing proposals for strategic sites and any other significant development.
  12. To seek ways to improve traffic flow and congestion in the village and tackle growing parking issues.
  13. To ensure our roads and streets provide safer and more accessible routes, better balancing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

 SHENLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

AIMS & OBJECTIVES  – Questionnaire evidence

Showing evidence (direct quotes from questionnaires, % relates to those who responded)

  1. To maintain the Green Belt surrounding our village, avoiding the creep of urban sprawl.

EVIDENCE

97% wish to retain the green belt

QUOTES

It is vital the green nature and surrounding Green Belt of Shenley be preserved (Q6)

Imperative we keep Green Belt around Village to maintain the feel of a village. (Q32)

I would like the Green Belt area to stay the same (Q68)

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE SHENLEY TO BE IN THE NEXT 5,10,15 YEARS?  –

Still surrounded by Green Belt. (Q14)

Retain its rural identity & Green belt/countryside between surrounding towns & villages.(Q198)

Still enclosed/protected by green belt (Q76)

We must retain Green Belt and green space. (Q166)

  1. To maintain and improve the beautiful green appearance of our surroundings and the character of our village. To retain our village status. To maintain identified green spaces in the village

EVIDENCE

98% wish to retain the green nature of the village

QUOTES

Must retain the village `feel’. (Q10), Keep the village feel. (Q10), Keep as a village. (Q43), The village that everyone would like to live in because of it’s charm.(Q73), Retaining it’s existing character (Q94), Nice friendly residential village feel. (Q32), We would like to keep the village atmosphere (Q42), Still having the village atmosphere (Q9), The village that everyone would like to live in because of it’s charm (Q73), Still maintaining its village appeal (Q103), A pleasant place to live(Q139), love its village character (Q17)

It is a village and we should not encourage anything bigger (Q96), To stay a `Village’ not to converge with i.e. London (Q9), To be kept as a village. Not as a suburb of a town. (Q127), Retain its village feel so that it is not just a suburb of outer London. (Q207),

Very much the same please! (Q22), Similar to now – actually it’s a haven of peace and quiet, green neighbourhood with lovely park areas. (Q25), retaining its rural character.(Q88)

Shenley is a beautiful old village(Q37)

  1. To ensure that all residents have access to community green and open spaces for leisure and recreation

EVIDENCE

QUOTES

To retain the woods and open spaces that we have now. (Q177)

  1. To minimise the impact of development on the natural and built environment.

EVIDENCE

  1. To protect the biodiversity of our area, our local wildlife and its habitat and our trees.

EVIDENCE

  1. To retain the sites in our area which currently provide jobs in their present use and provide sustainable employment opportunities for those who live within and outside it. Where possible to improve and enhance retail facilities offered to the community

EVIDENCE

QUOTES

No more conversions of commercial premises (pubs etc) to residential land (Q82)

another doctors surgery, affordable dental care, a café or deli. (Q6)

  1. To encourage and facilitate the development of identified buildings in the village to provide better facilities for the community

EVIDENCE

Community right to build is in place for various buildings

QUOTES

Shenley Park tennis Courts subsiding and in bad repair.. Fantastic amenity and setting. Don’t want to lose this facility due to no funding for repairs/upkeep. (Q5)

  1. To promote an active community within the village with desired community and cultural facilities for residents young and old

EVIDENCE

75% agree we need more activities for teenagers

58% agree we need more activities for the older generation

QUOTES

A village with even more community spirit. Similar to how it is now but we do need to have more activities for children, particularly teenagers and the older generation.  We need to do more for our elderly residents particularly those on their own, some must be very lonely (Q35)

More community groups (Q81)

More activities for teenagers to inspire them (Q83)

Strengthen sense of community (Q165)

  1. To implement design standards which maintain the character of the village and enhance the aesthetic qualities of the buildings in the village

EVIDENCE

List of locally important buildings already in place as part of the Shenley Conservation Area report

QUOTES

To retain its `villageness’ if possible.  If it must grow bigger please continue to do it sympathetically (Q66)

  1. To meet new housing demand in a way that is sympathetic to the area, that ensures that the right type of housing is built in the right locations, and that a mix of housing types is delivered, to especially include smaller homes available to younger people/families and for older people to downsize to

EVIDENCE

90% agree we do not need more large homes

45% agree that we need more affordable starter housing i.e. first time buyers

QUOTES

Mostly downsizing, properties.  Bungalows, affordable so we don’t have to move out the area. Shenley residents are getting old and need to down size instead of moving away (Q141)

Similar size and `feel’ but with options for youngsters to afford housing (Q83)

There is already too much housing development in Shenley.  Too many new builds are over large and dominate the area around them (see Garden Nursery development) (Q33)

Less luxury houses – more small houses or maisonettes for young people and young families: affordable starter homes (Q41)

More smaller affordable housing would be nice for extended families already living in the Village (Q32)

  1. Have a meaningful opportunity to engage with developers and their design teams in the early stages of designing proposals for strategic sites and any other significant development

EVIDENCE

QUOTE

More consideration by developers & planning dept of the impact on neighbours of new & extending building works (Q168)

  1. To seek ways to improve traffic flow and congestion in the village and tackle growing parking issues

EVIDENCE

64% believe there are parking issues

QUOTES

School run time makes passing on London Road dangerous (Q1), Parking problems are caused by Shenley School next to the King William.(Q15), Parking – issues around the Primary School in village. (Q21)

Parking at Shenley School is horrendous.  Driveways are blocked and children can’t see when crossing the road next to King William pub – very dangerous!  Parking around Porters Park blocking visibility at corners (Nell Gwyn & King Charles) – 1 car driveways – extra cars have to park mounting the pavement. (Q3)

Selfish parking continues in residential roads on Porters Park where people have bought houses with insufficient parking and park up on the pavement.  Parking outside Shenley Primary school is still very bad – on pavements and double yellow lines. (Q7)

King Charles road is very tight to get through at times.  I wonder if a fire engine could pass through?  Cars often up on the pavement which makes it difficult for buggies or disability scooters.(Q9)

More needs to be done for traffic calming and stop people parking on the pavements, and the zebra crossing at the London Road (White Horse).  Harris Lane is impassable at school times. (Q13)

We need more parking.  The streets are narrow and people park on pavements causing pedestrians to have to walk in the road. (Q17)

Parking – Outside St Martin’s and school in London Rd – need off-road parking – King Charles Road etc – conversion of garages means off street parking lost. (Q23)

Speeding in Porters Park Drive must be stopped.(Q26)

Have noticed that people have started parking again on pavement opposite school.  Need speed cameras along Porters Park, seems many people use it like it is a race track.(Q34)

Due to the number of cars households have these days parking is a problem and not an easy one to solve.  There is a real problem outside our schools – in the mornings and afternoons.  Our drive is continually blocked by inconsiderate parents.  It is very annoying when cars block pavements.(Q35)

Parking – insufficient space set aside by new buildings.  Over use of cars to take children to school. (Q39)

There are parking issues outside the Chapel in Porters Park Drive (Q42).

  1. To ensure our roads and streets provide safer and more accessible routes, better balancing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers

EVIDENCE

52% agree that better transport links are an important issue.

QUOTE

Less development, more traffic control.  Less cyclists and horse riders using the footpaths.  More enforcement of weight limits on very large lorries going through London Road and Green Street/Woodhall Lane.(Q33)