“THE GOLDEN THREAD”
Our vision is for Fairlight Parish Council and the local Community to work together to protect and improve the social, recreational and environmental well-being of Fairlight and the lives of all who live, visit and work here.
This Five-Year Plan has been produced as a statement of Fairlight Parish Council’s vision, values, objectives and key priorities for Fairlight. This Plan will be a live, ongoing and updated document that sets out what the Parish Council believes they can achieve by directly involving the residents. The aim is to provide Fairlight residents with clear insight of what the Parish Council is trying to achieve and how it expects to deliver these aims. The Plan will identify what the Parish Council plans to focus on for the next five years and will be used as a guide each year to set the budget for the next financial year.
Fairlight Parish sits in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and includes Sites of Special Scientific interest (SSSI). It sits within East Sussex and borders Kent. There has been an established Church – St Andrews – in Fairlight since the Norman times.
VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
The survey showed that there was a commitment from the residents, 72% ,who were willing to help in a volunteering capacity within the Parish.
We propose to compile a list of villagers willing to assist in a certain volunteering capacity. Areas that assistance can be used are;
• Creating and maintain community spaces
• Transport for the isolated who are unable to use either private or public transport – Car sharing
• Speed Watch
• Parking Angels
• Litter Picking
• Helping Hands
• Footpaths and Pathways
• Community activities such as various clubs and sporting activities
• >Neighbourhood Watch
PLANNING AND HOUSING
The Parish Survey and discussions with residents have indicated that an appreciation is needed to develop and sustain economic and social growth. There needs to be some small scale development, particularly for those elderly residents who currently live in the village, that will enable them to continue to live in an environment that they love, but in housing that makes it easier for them to continue to live here.
• The Parish will continue to engage with Rother District Council to protect green spaces and community assets.
• The Parish is behind the proposed Neighbourhood Watch scheme that will help protect the residents and property within the village.
• The Parish Planning group are aware of the requirements from Rother District Council to meet the need for more housing within the area. We are working closely with them to make sure the need is not excessively met.
HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORT
The Parish Council will continue to work with ESCC and other partners to achieve a better service . In doing so it will;
• Explore cost effective solutions for highway related projects
• Seek to decrease the speed limits within the village and surrounding areas
• Encourage better use of the bus infrastructure and the community bus services
• Work with the bus operators to provide better information
• Work with the volunteers and Rights of Way. Committee to keep footpaths in the Parishclear and walkable
YOUNG AND ELDERLY
The young and elderly in the Parish are affected by social isolation due to distance to shopping centres, schools and clubs in the outlining towns and by the poor transport infrastructure.
The Parish Council, with the help of volunteers propose to;
• Set up a community cafe in the Parish that can be used by the whole Parish
• Encouraging both new and existing clubs and societies with possible funding assistance. The Parish Council aims to increase members and equipment at all clubs for use by Parish residents.
• Explore better provision of youth club facilities across the Parish.
CRIME AND POLICING
The community is likely to see the increase of Police presence in the village due to the allocation of a new PCSO dedicated to the village.
To ensure the Parish is resilient to crime the Parish Council will;
• Help with the Neighbourhood Watch scheme
• Monitor parking issues and distribute education leaflets appropriate to the parking issue
• Promote and encourage Speed Watch
• Pro actively engage with the Police service
PARISH WIDE ASSETS AND SERVICES
The Parish encompasses a wealth of groups who hold resources, both tangible (objects)and intangible (skills and interests). These resources exist within the Parish, village hall, churches, organisations and associations. They have equipment, space and associated flora and fauna which could be shared to avoid duplication.
The Parish Council will;
• Work pro-actively with other groups who hold assets to identify opportunities to share
• Develop and publish a list of these assets
• Establish an Asset group
• Identify how we protect assets, TPO and Assets of Community Value e.g Open spaces and play areas.
In early 2020, the Parish Council hand delivered a survey to every household in Fairlight. This formed the ‘Five Year Plan’ .
This Five Year plan has been produced as a statement of Fairlight Parish Council’s vision, values, objectives and key priorities for Fairlight.
The survey results which formed the Five year plan were hand delivered to every household in Fairlight. These results enabled the Parish Council to form an Action Plan for delivery from 2020 – 2022.
This is an easy to understand format. The Golden Thread is a one page document and shows the areas the Parish Council are concentrating on, following the production of the Five-Year Plan document.