Parish Plan Myth Buster
A Parish Plan is a non-statutory document that sets out a vision for the future of the Parish*. It outlines the areas the Parish should and would like to work on in the future. Someone not familiar with the village should be able to read the Parish Plan and quickly get a sense of what happens in the village and what aspects of village life are important to the community.
Questions and Answers
1. Is the Parish Plan all about building new houses?
In short No. It may include concerns about demographic, housing and development but is not itself designed to resolve housing issues.
2. I am happy with my life in Eastleach, and I am not interested in any change. Is the Parish Plan relevant for me?
Yes. There are some things people would like to change but others we might want to keep the same or preserve. The Parish Plan is about both. We want to hear what you like, what you would like to preserve as well as what you think could improve.
3. The Eastleach Parish Council is responsible for carrying out all the actions on the Parish Plan, right?
No. The Parish Council might have to liaise with statutory bodies such as Highways, the Environment agency, CDC and landowners/ECT to advocate for certain issues.
There will be resource constraints for any suggestions.
Volunteers may need to step up to carry out some of the actions identified and/or fundraise.
4. How does a Parish Plan differ from a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Neighbourhood Plan sits alongside the Local Plan prepared by the Cotswold District Council (CDC) Planning authority. It gets adopted as statutory document that informs development. Neighbourhood Plans can take years to put together at significant cost. Central government has recently published plans to reorganise Local government across England. This will affect the future of CDC.
The Eastleach Parish Council decided that currently, the Parish does not have the resources and level of interest to pursue a Neighbourhood Plan. It felt that a Parish Plan would be more appropriate for our Parish’s needs.
5. Eastleach is a second/holiday home for me. Can I have my say?
YES. Everyone’s view is important to us
6. How will the Parish Council decide what goes in the Parish Plan?
The Parish Council has put together a Project Plan for the Parish Plan which is available to see if you are interested.
We will be gathering information from the following sources.
•The village survey carried out in 2023 by then Councillor Baskin.
•The Housing Needs Survey Spring 2024 carried out by GRCC on behalf of CDC
•The Open Community meeting
Saturday 15th March 2025
Drop in any time between 10-12pm
Eastleach Village Hall
Come and have a coffee and discuss with your neighbours
Share your thoughts for the Eastleach Parish Plan
What do you like about the Village?
What do you value most about living here?
What can we do as a community to improve our village for the future?
Looking forward to seeing you.
* Eastleach Parish includes the areas of Fyfield, Macaroni Farm and Woods. Eastleach Folly, Sheepbridge, Macaroni Downs, Eastleach Downs Farm, Sheep house Farm Cottage and Beer Furlong.