Update at 13 May 2005
This is the first draft of the outcome of work to date. These major programme and project themes will be owned by the Swanage Town and Community Partnership Steering Group who will further define and develop them in liaison with statutory partners and others. They will then be actioned.
When practical community action is initiated this draft plan can be finalised and published, and a summary of the projects can be distributed to every household.
All of this fundamentally rests on whether the ‘Partnership’ and its Steering Committee can be developed into a strong community organisation that has ambition and commitment to work with local communities to plan and implement regenerative initiatives embracing social, environmental and economic issues affecting the daily lives of people in Swanage. This Partnership will rely upon the full support and co-operation of the Town Council and upon the absence of individuals pursuing their own agendas. It would seem that before community plan projects can be started or before MCTi plans can be progressed, there is a need to set a clear vision and mission for the ‘Partnership’ and then expand and deepen it whilst creating a strong and motivated Steering Committee.
FIRST DRAFT
Contents
1/ Acknowledgements
2/ Summary - to be completed
3/ Background - to be completed
3.1 Short History of Swanage
3.2 Swanage Today
4/ Purpose
5/ Method
5.1 How Opinions were Collected, Collated and Interpreted
5.2 How project Plans were developed – to be completed
5.3 The Validity of our Findings
5.4 Main Gaps in the Opinions Gathered - to be completed
6/ Action Plan Development
6.1 Summary of Major Programme and Project titles
6.2 Project Action Plans – to be completed
7/ Other Recommendations – to be completed
8/ Appendices
8.1 The ‘Post-it’ Note Report
8.2 The Questionnaire Report
8.3 The Youth Questionnaire Report
8.4 The MBA Students Report
8.5 The Purbeck Society Meeting Report
8.6 A literal record of the issues and project ideas raised at the Public Meetings in March 2005.
1/ Acknowledgements to Task Group Members and Supporters
This Community Plan would not have been developed without the wonderful commitment and voluntary efforts of all these people.
Alan Aldridge, Cherry Bartlett, Dennis and Valerie Barton, Graham Baume, Pat Bizley, Jo Brennan, Colin Brixton, Moira Cross, Karen Delahay, Jackie East, June Farrow, Sylvia Garrett, Amis Goldingham, Suzanne Goodwin, Mike Hadley, Lorna Haines, Tony Jordan, Ivor Lloyd, Alan Marriott, Gloria Marsh, Tony Millar, Diana Morgan, Mr and Mrs Charles Musselwhite, Ruth Newton, Hilary O’Donovan, David Price-Hughes, Yasmin Seaman, Ann Squires, Moira Walker and Andy Weeks.
Additional thanks are gratefully extended to the following people who provided vital support in their official capacities.
Jeff Andrews, Paul Freedman, Richard Jeffrey, Tim Huxley, Alan Leeson, Tracey Moore, Mark Pembrok, Pat Ratcliffe and Richard Wilson.
2/ Summary - to be completed
A stand-alone section that could be published and sent to all households. Will include a list of key projects and who owns them (from Partnership steering group); next step; a communication strategy – e.g. quarterly newsletter.
3/ Background – to be completed … OR suggest leaving this section out as not essential and will be covered in MCTi work.
3.1 Short History of Swanage
3.2 Swanage Today– (e.g. if required, deprivation indices; other community projects underway; profile of Swanage – lift from Questionnaire Report; the Town Partnership and links to other bodies and pertinent local govt policy.)
4/ Purpose
The Swanage Town and Community Partnership set up a task group in late 2003 to organise the preparation of the Community Plan. This Group was made up of local residents, Councillors, the Town Clerk, and a Dorset Community Action worker. Our aim was to create a plan of community led activities that would help make Swanage a better place to live, work and visit.
It was felt that the Community Plan should be based upon the opinions of the people of Swanage and some of our visitors. It was also felt that any successful community action, arising from this Plan, would depend upon the support of local volunteers.
We envisaged that the Plan would set out short, medium and long-term priority actions, from small projects, achievable with local resources, to very large ones that would need additional support from our local authorities and possibly national funding bodies.
The objectives of the Community Plan Task Group were to;
® To identify ideas and needs and things that are valued, as well as concerns, by asking everyone in our community to contribute their thoughts and feelings.
® To promote voluntary activity within our community.
® To attract funding and support from government agencies and trust funds for community projects.
® To promote and develop Swanage Town and Community Partnership.
® To feed into the Purbeck Community Partnership and Purbeck District Council strategy and planning.
A grant of £5000 was received from the Countryside Agency to fund the creation of a Community Plan for Swanage.
5/ Method
5.1 How Opinions were Collected, Collated and Interpreted
Task Group volunteers set out a stand to invite comments on post-it notes at a variety of locations (e.g. outside the Co-op, Select and Save, the Railway and the Tourist Information Centre) and at club events and meetings (e.g. Hospital League of Friends Xmas Fair, Youth Club, Mothers and Toddlers groups).
Questionnaires were distributed widely through the Purbeck Gazette, via a Household and Business Survey, at the post-it stands, and in the Middle School.
Opinions gathered were recorded on a database, holding over 1200 ‘post-it’ note comments and over 2500 lines of comments from the questionnaires.
The Task Group volunteers analysed the post-it note comments, structuring summary reports around ten topic areas – e.g. community facilities, local environment, transport issues etc. Bournemouth University was employed to carry out an independent analysis of the questionnaire data. Three other Reports were produced; from the Purbeck Society, by some University MBA students, and from the Middle School.
Details of the full programme of work carried out to gather opinions and ideas from residents and visitors are given in the in Appendices 8.1-8.5 below.
5.2 How Project Plans were developed – to be completed
One hundred and fifty two residents of Swanage came to public meetings held in March 2005. Round tables were laid out for each of the major topics distilled from the opinions gathered and summarised in the Reports. These summaries were tabled for discussion. These discussions confirmed and tested the findings thus far and generated lists of issues and projects ideas that it was felt the community should address. All the people who came to these public meetings were invited to vote on which issues were of priority.
Next a half day workshop was run by the Swanage Town and Community Partnership on 22nd April 2005 in the Town Hall. This workshop looked at all the issues and ideas generated at the three public meetings and grouped them under major programme and project themes as shown below in section 6.1.
5.3 The Validity of our Findings
Whilst the opinions that have been gathered are not statistically representative of everyone in Swanage, they have been taken from a random and extensive sample that has been fully documented in the following five Reports (shown in full in Appendix 8);
® The Post-it Note Report compiled by local volunteers.
® The Questionnaire Report by Bournemouth University (derived from some 250 short questionnaires that were collected from a variety of sources simultaneously with the collection of the post-it note comments.)
® A report of an inquiry with forty members of the Purbeck Society.
® A report of an inquiry by two teams of Bournemouth University MBA students.
® A Questionnaire Report by Bournemouth University on the responses of children at Swanage Middle School.
The extent to which of all of this data aligns reasonably well with widely held views may be tested by a comparison of all the above Reports. That the views collected are valid is borne out by the commonality of findings shown across all of these five Reports. This is not to say that there may not be gaps in the ideas and opinions collected.
5.4 Main Gaps in the Opinions Gathered – to be completed but in essence more needs to be done in the near future with disabled groups, with pupils and their families at the Purbeck School and with neighbouring villages.
6/ Action Plan Development
6.1 Summary of Major Programme and Project titles
[N.B. More work is needed to review the detailed comments from the Public meetings in order to confirm and further define programmes and projects listed below. This will include checking the original meeting flip charts to clearly establish initial views on priorities. The following summary is very much a ‘work in progress’. It can only be undertaken as the ‘Partnership’ develops – see comment in Section 7 below.]
Theme: Access to Health
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAMME
Project 1; Encourage Preventative Health Care
Project 2; Simplify Hospital Car system
Project 3; Identify need and location for First Aid Post then establish it
Project 4; Improve dissemination of services available
Project 5; Review need for additional ambulance cover
Project 6; Ease access for emergency vehicles at Church Hill – (see also Transport Road Usage Programme)
Theme: Crime and Safety
Project 1; Extend and develop Neighbourhood Watch
Project 2; Improve management of drinking related disturbances
Theme: Community Facilities
PROGRAMME TO CREATE/ IMPROVE INDOOR ARTS FACILITIES;
To include -
Working with Mowlem Trustees and Town Council to change terms of Trust to engage community in supporting Mowlem development.
Project 1; Communications Plan for Community Plan/MCTi Plan
Project 2; Establish a local community lottery (as in Ch Islands)
Project 3; Set up advertising for parents groups (believe this exists)
Project 4; Improve Toilet facilities in Town
Project 5; Set up educational facilities (early years/ based in school out of hours/ outdoor ed classroom)
Project 6; Build more sheltered seating on sea front
Project 7; Ice rink and Xmas market at Prince Albert Gardens
Project 8; Build a combined sports and community centre for all ages.
Theme: Housing and Jobs
Project 1; Set up a micro credit scheme
Project 2; Strengthen Planning Controls to retain the character of Swanage
Project 3; Strengthen Planning Controls to;
- reduce spread of flats
- loss of old peoples homes
- prevent dilapidation
Project 3; Lobby to retain second home council tax in Purbeck
Project 4; Establish programme to encourage small business development
Project 5; Project to regain ownership of old grammar school and develop it
Project 6; Create more affordable housing
Project 7; Co-ordinate development of Commercial Road area and publicise work
Project 8; Open Local Job Centre
Project 9; General Regeneration initiatives e.g.
- local food schemes, especially fish
- attract a Bournemouth University Annexe
Theme: Local Environment
PRIDE IN SWANAGE PROGRAMME – set vision, define strategy and objectives
Part 1; ‘Manage Better’
To look at;
- pollution (steam train, coach exhaust)
- litter
- stone pavement maintenance
- parking (see Transport)
- recycling
Part 2; ‘New Initiatives’
To look at;
- more tree planting
- street signage
- art displays
- task force to clean up lanes
- task force to clean up dog mess
- multi-purpose waste/rubbish bins
- involve schools/young in projects
Part 3’; ‘Modelling’ –
Benchmark good examples in other towns e.g.
- shuttle bus
- discount cards for visitors
- multi-purpose waste bins/collection
Part 4; ‘Planning’
General;
- preserve green areas
- involve locals
- no new build without parking
- review Shore Road Pedestrianisation
- encourage alternative power
Specific;
- sort out Mowlem
- sort out Pier Head
Theme: Older People
Project; Build a Community Centre – see Community Facilities Theme
- A place where young and old can drop in and mix and share facilities such as IT training.
Theme: Tourism
Project1; To review and improve publicity
Project2; Sea Issues, e.g.
- Planning gain from Pier Head to fund Pier
- Swimming raft for children
- Ban/control jet skis
- Safe anchorage to promote Jurassic coast trips from Swanage
- Build breakwater
Project 3; Visitor facilities e.g.
- open smugglers passage
Theme: Transport and Traffic
Programme: To review and improve parking in Swanage
e.g. level of charges; Ocean bay situation; residents scheme; holiday expansion; Station Road –one side?
Programme: To review and improve public transport
e.g. free transport for under 18’s; bring Jurassic Bus to Swanage; around town hopper to complement revised parking scheme; disability access on buses.
Programme: To review and assess need for alteration to aspects of road usage
e.g. close seafront year round; other pedestrianisation; traffic calming; review/adjust one way system; lower speed limits.
Theme: Young People
Project 1; Build/develop more Indoor facilities
e.g. Indoor play area; quiet rooms at Youth centre and Middle School
Project 2; Build self managed youth café and recording studio at King George’s Pavilion
Project 3; Build Children and family centre and nursery
Project 4; Lobby for no change of status for Middle School
Project 5; Organise regular one day events for youth, especially at Prince Albert Gardens
Project 6; Organise activities for little ones in library
Project 7; Build youth shelter at Herston
See also Community and Sports Centre project under Community Facilities.
Workshop Participation
The following people participated in the workshop held in the Town Hall on 22nd April 2005 to create the above programme and project titles.
David Bale, Colin Brixton, Moira Cross, June Farrow, Ann Faulkner, Mike Hadley, Tim Huxley, Tony Jordan, Ivor Lloyd, David Palmer, David Price-Hughes, Roger Seaman, Andy Weeks and Richard Wilson.
6.2 Project Action Plans – to be completed
7/ Other Recommendations –(if any?) – to be completed
e.g. – how to make this a ‘living’ document; how to sustain communication and information ‘feedback’; how a ‘strategy’ for Swanage might be developed.
When practical community action is initiated this draft plan can be finalised and published, and a summary of the projects can be distributed to every household.
All of this fundamentally rests on whether the ‘Partnership’ and its Steering Committee can be developed into a strong community organisation that has ambition and commitment to work with local communities to plan and implement regenerative initiatives embracing social, environmental and economic issues affecting the daily lives of people in Swanage. This Partnership will rely upon the full support and co-operation of the Town Council and upon the absence of individuals pursuing their own agendas. It would seem that before community plan projects can be started or before MCTi plans can be progressed, there is a need to set a clear vision and mission for the ‘Partnership’ and then expand and deepen it whilst creating a strong and motivated Steering Committee.
FIRST DRAFT
Contents
1/ Acknowledgements
2/ Summary - to be completed
3/ Background - to be completed
3.1 Short History of Swanage
3.2 Swanage Today
4/ Purpose
5/ Method
5.1 How Opinions were Collected, Collated and Interpreted
5.2 How project Plans were developed – to be completed
5.3 The Validity of our Findings
5.4 Main Gaps in the Opinions Gathered - to be completed
6/ Action Plan Development
6.1 Summary of Major Programme and Project titles
6.2 Project Action Plans – to be completed
7/ Other Recommendations – to be completed
8/ Appendices
8.1 The ‘Post-it’ Note Report
8.2 The Questionnaire Report
8.3 The Youth Questionnaire Report
8.4 The MBA Students Report
8.5 The Purbeck Society Meeting Report
8.6 A literal record of the issues and project ideas raised at the Public Meetings in March 2005.
1/ Acknowledgements to Task Group Members and Supporters
This Community Plan would not have been developed without the wonderful commitment and voluntary efforts of all these people.
Alan Aldridge, Cherry Bartlett, Dennis and Valerie Barton, Graham Baume, Pat Bizley, Jo Brennan, Colin Brixton, Moira Cross, Karen Delahay, Jackie East, June Farrow, Sylvia Garrett, Amis Goldingham, Suzanne Goodwin, Mike Hadley, Lorna Haines, Tony Jordan, Ivor Lloyd, Alan Marriott, Gloria Marsh, Tony Millar, Diana Morgan, Mr and Mrs Charles Musselwhite, Ruth Newton, Hilary O’Donovan, David Price-Hughes, Yasmin Seaman, Ann Squires, Moira Walker and Andy Weeks.
Additional thanks are gratefully extended to the following people who provided vital support in their official capacities.
Jeff Andrews, Paul Freedman, Richard Jeffrey, Tim Huxley, Alan Leeson, Tracey Moore, Mark Pembrok, Pat Ratcliffe and Richard Wilson.
2/ Summary - to be completed
A stand-alone section that could be published and sent to all households. Will include a list of key projects and who owns them (from Partnership steering group); next step; a communication strategy – e.g. quarterly newsletter.
3/ Background – to be completed … OR suggest leaving this section out as not essential and will be covered in MCTi work.
3.1 Short History of Swanage
3.2 Swanage Today– (e.g. if required, deprivation indices; other community projects underway; profile of Swanage – lift from Questionnaire Report; the Town Partnership and links to other bodies and pertinent local govt policy.)
4/ Purpose
The Swanage Town and Community Partnership set up a task group in late 2003 to organise the preparation of the Community Plan. This Group was made up of local residents, Councillors, the Town Clerk, and a Dorset Community Action worker. Our aim was to create a plan of community led activities that would help make Swanage a better place to live, work and visit.
It was felt that the Community Plan should be based upon the opinions of the people of Swanage and some of our visitors. It was also felt that any successful community action, arising from this Plan, would depend upon the support of local volunteers.
We envisaged that the Plan would set out short, medium and long-term priority actions, from small projects, achievable with local resources, to very large ones that would need additional support from our local authorities and possibly national funding bodies.
The objectives of the Community Plan Task Group were to;
® To identify ideas and needs and things that are valued, as well as concerns, by asking everyone in our community to contribute their thoughts and feelings.
® To promote voluntary activity within our community.
® To attract funding and support from government agencies and trust funds for community projects.
® To promote and develop Swanage Town and Community Partnership.
® To feed into the Purbeck Community Partnership and Purbeck District Council strategy and planning.
A grant of £5000 was received from the Countryside Agency to fund the creation of a Community Plan for Swanage.
5/ Method
5.1 How Opinions were Collected, Collated and Interpreted
Task Group volunteers set out a stand to invite comments on post-it notes at a variety of locations (e.g. outside the Co-op, Select and Save, the Railway and the Tourist Information Centre) and at club events and meetings (e.g. Hospital League of Friends Xmas Fair, Youth Club, Mothers and Toddlers groups).
Questionnaires were distributed widely through the Purbeck Gazette, via a Household and Business Survey, at the post-it stands, and in the Middle School.
Opinions gathered were recorded on a database, holding over 1200 ‘post-it’ note comments and over 2500 lines of comments from the questionnaires.
The Task Group volunteers analysed the post-it note comments, structuring summary reports around ten topic areas – e.g. community facilities, local environment, transport issues etc. Bournemouth University was employed to carry out an independent analysis of the questionnaire data. Three other Reports were produced; from the Purbeck Society, by some University MBA students, and from the Middle School.
Details of the full programme of work carried out to gather opinions and ideas from residents and visitors are given in the in Appendices 8.1-8.5 below.
5.2 How Project Plans were developed – to be completed
One hundred and fifty two residents of Swanage came to public meetings held in March 2005. Round tables were laid out for each of the major topics distilled from the opinions gathered and summarised in the Reports. These summaries were tabled for discussion. These discussions confirmed and tested the findings thus far and generated lists of issues and projects ideas that it was felt the community should address. All the people who came to these public meetings were invited to vote on which issues were of priority.
Next a half day workshop was run by the Swanage Town and Community Partnership on 22nd April 2005 in the Town Hall. This workshop looked at all the issues and ideas generated at the three public meetings and grouped them under major programme and project themes as shown below in section 6.1.
5.3 The Validity of our Findings
Whilst the opinions that have been gathered are not statistically representative of everyone in Swanage, they have been taken from a random and extensive sample that has been fully documented in the following five Reports (shown in full in Appendix 8);
® The Post-it Note Report compiled by local volunteers.
® The Questionnaire Report by Bournemouth University (derived from some 250 short questionnaires that were collected from a variety of sources simultaneously with the collection of the post-it note comments.)
® A report of an inquiry with forty members of the Purbeck Society.
® A report of an inquiry by two teams of Bournemouth University MBA students.
® A Questionnaire Report by Bournemouth University on the responses of children at Swanage Middle School.
The extent to which of all of this data aligns reasonably well with widely held views may be tested by a comparison of all the above Reports. That the views collected are valid is borne out by the commonality of findings shown across all of these five Reports. This is not to say that there may not be gaps in the ideas and opinions collected.
5.4 Main Gaps in the Opinions Gathered – to be completed but in essence more needs to be done in the near future with disabled groups, with pupils and their families at the Purbeck School and with neighbouring villages.
6/ Action Plan Development
6.1 Summary of Major Programme and Project titles
[N.B. More work is needed to review the detailed comments from the Public meetings in order to confirm and further define programmes and projects listed below. This will include checking the original meeting flip charts to clearly establish initial views on priorities. The following summary is very much a ‘work in progress’. It can only be undertaken as the ‘Partnership’ develops – see comment in Section 7 below.]
Theme: Access to Health
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAMME
Project 1; Encourage Preventative Health Care
Project 2; Simplify Hospital Car system
Project 3; Identify need and location for First Aid Post then establish it
Project 4; Improve dissemination of services available
Project 5; Review need for additional ambulance cover
Project 6; Ease access for emergency vehicles at Church Hill – (see also Transport Road Usage Programme)
Theme: Crime and Safety
Project 1; Extend and develop Neighbourhood Watch
Project 2; Improve management of drinking related disturbances
Theme: Community Facilities
PROGRAMME TO CREATE/ IMPROVE INDOOR ARTS FACILITIES;
To include -
Working with Mowlem Trustees and Town Council to change terms of Trust to engage community in supporting Mowlem development.
Project 1; Communications Plan for Community Plan/MCTi Plan
Project 2; Establish a local community lottery (as in Ch Islands)
Project 3; Set up advertising for parents groups (believe this exists)
Project 4; Improve Toilet facilities in Town
Project 5; Set up educational facilities (early years/ based in school out of hours/ outdoor ed classroom)
Project 6; Build more sheltered seating on sea front
Project 7; Ice rink and Xmas market at Prince Albert Gardens
Project 8; Build a combined sports and community centre for all ages.
Theme: Housing and Jobs
Project 1; Set up a micro credit scheme
Project 2; Strengthen Planning Controls to retain the character of Swanage
Project 3; Strengthen Planning Controls to;
- reduce spread of flats
- loss of old peoples homes
- prevent dilapidation
Project 3; Lobby to retain second home council tax in Purbeck
Project 4; Establish programme to encourage small business development
Project 5; Project to regain ownership of old grammar school and develop it
Project 6; Create more affordable housing
Project 7; Co-ordinate development of Commercial Road area and publicise work
Project 8; Open Local Job Centre
Project 9; General Regeneration initiatives e.g.
- local food schemes, especially fish
- attract a Bournemouth University Annexe
Theme: Local Environment
PRIDE IN SWANAGE PROGRAMME – set vision, define strategy and objectives
Part 1; ‘Manage Better’
To look at;
- pollution (steam train, coach exhaust)
- litter
- stone pavement maintenance
- parking (see Transport)
- recycling
Part 2; ‘New Initiatives’
To look at;
- more tree planting
- street signage
- art displays
- task force to clean up lanes
- task force to clean up dog mess
- multi-purpose waste/rubbish bins
- involve schools/young in projects
Part 3’; ‘Modelling’ –
Benchmark good examples in other towns e.g.
- shuttle bus
- discount cards for visitors
- multi-purpose waste bins/collection
Part 4; ‘Planning’
General;
- preserve green areas
- involve locals
- no new build without parking
- review Shore Road Pedestrianisation
- encourage alternative power
Specific;
- sort out Mowlem
- sort out Pier Head
Theme: Older People
Project; Build a Community Centre – see Community Facilities Theme
- A place where young and old can drop in and mix and share facilities such as IT training.
Theme: Tourism
Project1; To review and improve publicity
Project2; Sea Issues, e.g.
- Planning gain from Pier Head to fund Pier
- Swimming raft for children
- Ban/control jet skis
- Safe anchorage to promote Jurassic coast trips from Swanage
- Build breakwater
Project 3; Visitor facilities e.g.
- open smugglers passage
Theme: Transport and Traffic
Programme: To review and improve parking in Swanage
e.g. level of charges; Ocean bay situation; residents scheme; holiday expansion; Station Road –one side?
Programme: To review and improve public transport
e.g. free transport for under 18’s; bring Jurassic Bus to Swanage; around town hopper to complement revised parking scheme; disability access on buses.
Programme: To review and assess need for alteration to aspects of road usage
e.g. close seafront year round; other pedestrianisation; traffic calming; review/adjust one way system; lower speed limits.
Theme: Young People
Project 1; Build/develop more Indoor facilities
e.g. Indoor play area; quiet rooms at Youth centre and Middle School
Project 2; Build self managed youth café and recording studio at King George’s Pavilion
Project 3; Build Children and family centre and nursery
Project 4; Lobby for no change of status for Middle School
Project 5; Organise regular one day events for youth, especially at Prince Albert Gardens
Project 6; Organise activities for little ones in library
Project 7; Build youth shelter at Herston
See also Community and Sports Centre project under Community Facilities.
Workshop Participation
The following people participated in the workshop held in the Town Hall on 22nd April 2005 to create the above programme and project titles.
David Bale, Colin Brixton, Moira Cross, June Farrow, Ann Faulkner, Mike Hadley, Tim Huxley, Tony Jordan, Ivor Lloyd, David Palmer, David Price-Hughes, Roger Seaman, Andy Weeks and Richard Wilson.
6.2 Project Action Plans – to be completed
7/ Other Recommendations –(if any?) – to be completed
e.g. – how to make this a ‘living’ document; how to sustain communication and information ‘feedback’; how a ‘strategy’ for Swanage might be developed.
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