Update 01/12/2024
A critical part of the planning to create the Occold Neighbourhood Plan is to canvass the residents and ask how they feel about living here, what they think are the good bits and the less good bits and what they would like to see in the future in respect of development and amenities. To acheive this a questionnaire was posted through every letterbox in the parish and the results were gathered together. The results have been summarised in a document which you can read here.
Don’t be put off by the 45 pages, there are some interesting results. Over 60% of the people who answered the questionnaire have lived in Occold for 11 years or more, 20% for less than 5 years. Most households own a car, almost 20% of respondents run a business from home. There is almost an equal split between those who want more housing and those who don’t with quite a few people unsure. Remember, there are around 250 residences in the village and there were around 110 responses.
Neighbourhood plans are:
– Concerned only with land use and development issues
– Optional, not compulsory
About shaping new development – not stopping it
Every household in the village will have received a survey about the plan and an invitation to complete it. The survey consists of 28 questions which cover;
- Village Life
- The Environment and Green Spaces
- Amenities, Leisure and Tourism
- Housing in Occold
- About You and Your Household.
Occold Parish Council is inviting you to get involved with a Neighbourhood Plan for the village
Following the initial meeting of the Working Group, an application was made to Mid Suffolk District Council to designate the Parish of Occold as a Neighbourhood Plan Area.
The notice that Mid Suffolk Distritct Council has designated the parish of Occold as a Neighbourhood Plan Area can be found below. This notice allows the Parish Council to begin the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan.
The first meeting of the Working Group was held in the Beaconsfield Arms on Tues 13th June 2023. The meeting lasted about an hour and was attended by around 14 people. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss and understand the importance of a Neighbourhood Plan and how it can be used to provide a flexible approach to local planning that aims to ensure planning takes place at the appropriate level to reflect local needs and community ambitions.
Neighbourhood plans are:
– Concerned only with land use and development issues
– Optional, not compulsory
About shaping new development – not stopping it
Every household in the village will have received a leaflet about the plan.
The section of the website will develop over the next months and give more details about the benefits of a plan, what steps we have to go through to make sure we gather enoough information and most importantly what benefits Occold will see when the plan is in place.