Implementation of Aldermaston Parish Plan is 85% complete

To view a summary of progress click here .

What is a Parish Plan?

A Parish Plan sets out a vision for how a community wants to develop, and identifies and assists the actions needed to achieve it. The plan can be very broad and may include economic, social and environmental issues such as healthcare, local shops and facilities, highways, community safety, local democracy and public services. They are useful as a tool to complement and help deliver local planning policies and frameworks, but they cannot override adopted planning policy. They can also be a positive influence on local housing and land management strategies. They should also contribute to the way local services are managed and delivered.

Aldermaston Parish Plan

Aldermaston’s Parish Plan was approved by the Parish Council in July 2005 and by the local Area Forum of West Berkshire Council in October 2005. A copy may be downloaded by clicking on the link above. On page 2 of the Parish Plan the process by which it was prepared is described. The questionnaires used to seek local opinion may also be accessed here:

Questionnaire for individual residents

Questionnaire for local businesses

The preparation of the Parish Plan was undertaken by a steering group composed of a wide cross-section of local people, including young people, representatives of local businesses, and Parish Councillors. After publication of the Parish Plan the Parish Council accepted responsibility for implementation of the action plans.

Action Plans

The Action Plans are set out in pages 35-38 of the Parish Plans. The updated versions of these and their current status can be reviewed by clicking on the following links:

Planning and the Environment

Traffic and Public Transport

Parish Amenities

Health and Community Services

Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

Each of these has a working group responsible for progressing implementation of the action plans. Each working group is chaired by a Parish Councillor and also comprises other representatives of the local community, including (where appropriate) representatives of the business community. A steering group comprising the chairs of the five working groups meets quarterly to review overall progress towards implementation of the action plans, and reports in turn to the Parish Council.

Many of the actions lie within the powers of the Parish Council, and funding for some of these has been obtained from the West Berkshire Partnership and Awards for All. Several actions are the responsibility of other statutory bodies (for example, West Berkshire Council, Thames Valley Police, and others), where the working groups must engage with them and persuade them to incorporate these actions into their own funded programmes.

Progress report

To view the progress report presented at the 2008 Annual Parish Meeting please click here .