In July last year the Alderley Edge Parish Plan (AEPP) was published, which is a 42 page document intended to set the direction for Alderley Edge, but since its publication nothing much has happened.
The plan was put together by a group of 45 volunteers, who worked on the project for a long period of time. The process started over 4 years ago and in November 2007 2,600 questionnaires were sent out to homes and businesses in the parish to collate their opinions and attitudes.
The 817 responses were then analysed and the keys areas of concern were identified, which the working groups converted in to the action plans that appear at the end of the document.
This week I caught up with Nicholas Ridings, Chairman of the Alderley Edge Parish Plan, to find out what the Parish Plan Committee had been doing for the past year and what action had been taken since the Parish Plan was published.
Nicholas Ridings told me "The spark for the May Fair was kicked off by the Parish Plan because Christine Munro was in one of the working groups but Christine organised that herself. That's about all that has come out of the Parish Plan and very indirectly.
"We have all taken a breather. Everyone was very tired, very happy with what we did but we needed a break. We thought maybe a few other people would come forward and do a bit but that was wishful thinking.
"We've had a plan for 12 months now so let's start implementing it, otherwise its just a pretty document. Now it's about time we energise it.
"I have set up a meeting with the Chairman of the Parish Council, we need to have a heart to heart about what the Parish Council are going to do with it. There is quite a lot which we need the Parish Council to get behind, to help and work through."
Speaking about the priorities moving forward, Nicholas said "Rather than adopting a scatter gun approach we need to take a small number of key areas where people want to do something.
"The first of which is the Village Design Statement which is a huge job and because it becomes part of planning law it has to be very formalised. We need people in the team with a planning background. It is at least a 2 year job, but a very worthwhile job to do so we are going to need to find a Chair who is really going to drive this through and we need 5 or 6 people who are really keen on doing something.
"The next big area is youth, the questionnaire totally and utterly failed to address the needs and desires of the younger members of the community but we had a working group and they have developed a really great framework to build on. Again we need to get a small team and I will be directing my attention to a few people I know."
Other areas identified as priorities which need to be addressed include the park and parking.
Nicholas said "We've already got Friends of the Park but I want to see them do more than they've done, we need to energise them and help them realise their action plan which is a lot more that just a cafe in the park, which was just one of their ideas.
"We need to have facilities in the park for all ages. The park is a great facility it just needs a bit more."
Nicholas added "One project we definitely need to do is parking. We have a detailed action plan which will go a long way to creating a concerted parking strategy it just needs pulling together and co-ordinating. This is definitely one the Parish Council need to get involved in but the job has been half done for us by the working party who looked at parking.
"Another idea is to create a Friends of the Railway Station Group. It is a good little station and very well used but it needs a bit of TLC. There are some facilities which can easily be brought in without using vast amounts of cash. If there is anybody who would like to be involved in a station group then again there is a detailed action plan in the Parish Plan."
The 45 volunteers who put together the Parish Plan were split in to working groups who then put together these action plans, having completed the plans the working groups are now disbanded.
Nicholas explained "Their role was to take the issues and solutions suggested by the questionnaire and investigate, debate and put together action plans. They were deliberately told to ignore the practicality of finance, forget how we are going to do it from a financial point of view and just get the solutions - then we'll work out how we're going to do it."
"The focus for me and the steering group is about energising these areas and seeing where we can get the Parish Council to come on board as they're critical to it."
The Alderley Edge Parish Plan can be downloaded here. Should you wish to simply review the action plans these start at page 27.
If you are interested in getting involved in any of the groups and action plans mentioned above email Nicholas Ridings or contact him on 07795 223501.
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