The plan is being written by volunteers commissioned by Wivenhoe Town Council under the direction of a Steering Group & organised into Working Groups which change as needed. All meetings are open to the public and new members are welcome.
The Steering Group’s role is to organise and oversee working groups to deliver the range of activities needed to develop the NP including:
- define the vision and objectives for the Neighbourhood Plan
- define the scope of work needed to develop the NP
- develop a project plan and communications plan for delivery of the NP
- identify and enlist volunteers to staff the working groups
- manage resources and budget to deliver the NP; apply for grant support as appropriate
- resolve conflicting views across working group areas of interest
- report on progress to Wivenhoe Town Council
- maintain communications and collaboration with Colchester Borough Council planners
- identify external resources, if required, to assist or advise on NP presentation
The Steering Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month, 7.30 pm in the Council Chamber of the Wivenhoe Town Council offices, 77 High Street.
Current Membership of the Steering Group
Wivenhoe Town Councillors
Robert Needham (chair)
Neil Lodge
Residents
David Allen
Jane Black
Marika Footring (secretary to the steering group)
Peter Hill
Giles Job
Ruth Melville
Richard Polom
Mark Norrington
Rosalind Scott
Graeme Willis
The Communication and Community Engagement (C&CE) Group’s role is to:
Devise and oversee a strategy for communication and community engagement which finds ways to:
- Promote transparency
- Recruit members of groups and maintain an open door to public observers and potential new members
- Consult and engage the full range of residents in the process
Current Membership of the C&CE group
Rosalind Scott (facilitator)
Lesley Jones
Jean McNeil
Ruth Melville
The C&CE group meets monthly or as needed. For information on meeting dates or to get involved email Rosalind on: communitywivenhoe[at]hotmail.com
The Land Use and Zoning (LUZ) Group’s role is to:
Investigate competing demands for land use, and use this information along with the NP Vision and Objectives to:
- Research and investigate potential purposes for all landin the Wivenhoe NP area
- Develop site allocation criteria and housing needs criteria
- Develop Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) scoping
- Recommend locations for residential development, number of houses and type of properties
- Consider the potential for community benefits from changing land use designation.
Current membership of the LUZ Group
Peter Hill (facilitator)
David Allen
Jane Black
Val Endean
Pat Lean
Cllr Neil Lodge
Cllr Robert Needham
Mark Norrington
The LUZ meets weekly on Mondays 10-12am at Wivenhoe Town Hall
The Writing Group’s role is to:
Pull together the various contributions to the plan, check for coherence and adherence with Neighbourhood Planning regulations. This group is not the originator of the WNP’s contents, but acts to collate and co-ordinate the plan’s compilation.
Current membership of the Writing Group
Peter Hill (facilitator)
Jane Black
Cllr Robert Needham
Mark Norrington
Cllr Rosalind Scott
The drafting group meets regularly according to need, for information about the next meeting please contact the facilitator via ‘feedback’
The Planning Group’s role is to:
Maintain a strategic overview of the process, monitoring to ensuring that it is completed on time. The planning group comprises as a minimum one member of each working group, as well as the Steering Group. The planning group meets quarterly to review progress and assess risks to the progress of the plan.
Current membership of the Planning Group
Richard Polom (facilitator)
Marika Footring (NG Secretary)
Peter Hill (LUZ)
Ruth Melville (project plan assistance)
Robert Needham (SG)
Rosalind Scott (C&CE)
Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the work of one of these Working Groups is welcome to contact the Steering Group using the contact form below.
Previous Working Groups
The groups’ initial task was to help form the Vision for Wivenhoe. This is one of the requirements of the neighbourhood plan. The working groups’ work resulted in proposals to the steering group from which the Vision statement could be prepared. Their proposals also formed the basis for the November 2014 public consultation.
Titles and indicative scope were as follows:
- Countryside, river and environment issues including: Biodiversity, different uses of outdoor green spaces and water for leisure, maintenance and preservation of green areas.
- Heritage and Townscape including: History, development, character, conservation and preservation needs.
- Community, facilities and or leisure activities including: Sports, Allotments, Cemeteries, Playing Fields, Health Centre, Schools and Adult Education.
- Traffic and transport including: Roads, Parking, Bus, Train, Cycling on highways.
- Residential development and land use including: Housing generally, Green Areas within Development, Types of Building, Locations, Ownership/Renting options.
- Economic and business development including: Retail Outlets, Business Premises and Sites, Needs of Self Employed, Homeworkers, Employment Opportunities.
- Infrastructure needs including: Utilities in general e.g. Communications, Power Supply, Water, Waste Disposal, Alternative Energy.
- The University including: Employment, Community Engagement and Facilities, Expansion Plans.
The Working Groups finished work on these eight categories in December 2014 and were re-configured for the next phase of the work, co-creating a draft Plan.