Community Led Plans
A Community Led Plan, formerly known as a Parish Plan, is a step by step structured process of creating a vision for the future of your community or neighbourhood. The process and outcomes are owned by the whole community; each and every citizen can participate in improving the quality of life within their locality
The vision covers the social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of the community and all those who live and work there, thus it is not just about land use planning, although that will no doubt be an issue to disucuss.Because it is led by local people, a wide range of issues are addressed in ways that are meaningful to the community itself. This can include; housing needs, transport, youth provision, community facilities and the environment to name but a few. This forms a blueprint for use by Town/Parish Councils and other local bodies, as well as providing evidence for funding bids to enable the actions identified to be completed.
Dialogue within the community increases local people's understanding of the needs of all residents, particularly those disadvantaged or suffering social exclusion. This process in itself can bring communities together and aid community cohesion.
Engagement with Local Authority Officers, Public Service providers and elected members happens throughout the process, enhancing the relationship between parties and a connection with wider community engagement strategies.
The Actions from Community Led Plans can influence strategic bodies at a local level. Local Authorities can use the information in their planning and policy delivery, thus providing services to rural communities that have been highlighted as needs from across the area. Communities taking part in the process should ensure that their local authorities are fully aware that they are producing a Community Led Plan and keep in regular contact with updates to specific departments that may be of help to them once the plan is complete.
There is now a dedicated member of staff within Humber & Wolds RCC to help with Community Led Plans. This will provide tailored support to each individual community, to ensure they get the right amount of assistance. The RCC makes considerable use of the ACRE/RCC Community Led Planning Toolkit which provides a step by step guide through the process and can highlight any training needs required.
A new website for Community Led Planning has been produced by ACRE for use by its member organisations, the RCC's in England and all those involved in the Community Led Planning process.
You can access the new website from www.communityledplanning.com
The website is broken down into several pages. It explains what Community Led Planning is, the benefits it can bring to both communities and local government and who should be contacted for further assistance
The website also makes use of CLP case studies that have been submitted from SWAN and SERCC RCC Networks (regional bodies for the South West and South East respectively) and Community Lincs and Action in Rural Sussex.
Community Development Officer, Peter Hirschfeld, is taking the lead on this community engagement initiative and will be happy to come and talk to Parish Councils or other interested groups on how they can take this concept forward.
To find out more about the Community Led Plan process, interested parishes or community groups should contact Peter on 01430 434047 or 07730 661753, or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Download a copy of our Community Led Planning leaflet
Humbrella article - Community Led Planning Q&A
Useful Links:
Project funded by CapacityBuilders.