Village Action Plan

Angmering Parish Plan:   An Action Plan for the future  (Autumn 2003)

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 Acknowledgements                       

Angmering Parish Council, on behalf of the Parish, wish to acknowledge the work of the Angmering Village Action Plan Steering Group for their help in devising and delivering the questionnaires.     

Our particular thanks go to Mr Peter French (who retired as a Parish Councillor in May 2003) who led the Steering Group and the Project. 

The Council is also grateful to Mrs Sue Broad, Deputy Headteacher of The Angmering School, for her help with the questionnaire for young people, and to The Angmering Society for their input. 

The Parish Council expresses its appreciation to Action in Rural Sussex for their help and guidance in the production of the Plan. 

The Council also thanks the Countryside Agency for granting the funds to carry out the Project.

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Introduction 

In the autumn of 2002, the Parish Council applied for, and was awarded, a grant of £5,000 from the Countryside Agency, as a part of its Vital Villages Programme, to carry out the necessary research to produce a Parish Action Plan.   

Two public meetings were held in November 2002 to launch the Project, one at the Village Hall and one at Angmering Social Club.   The meetings were extremely well attended and many constructive views were expressed. 

The Steering Group was formed from volunteers who attended the meetings and the Group met several times under the Chairmanship of Councillor Peter French.   The Group put together the draft questionnaire for adults for consideration by the Parish Council.      

Councillor Peter French also met with the Deputy Headteacher of The Angmering School in order to draft the questionnaire for young people. 

2600 adult questionnaires were distributed by hand, one to each household in the Parish. 400 questionnaires for young people were distributed to the over 12’s via the schools in Angmering.  The questionnaires were returned to various collection points in the Parish. 

The response rate for both questionnaires was approximately 32% and this gives the Parish Council a good indication of what parishioners wish for the future of the Parish. *

In general, the responses stated that Angmering is an excellent place to live but that everything should be done to maintain the village atmosphere and also improve facilities for young people. 

The Action Plan reflects the commitment of the Parish Council to this overall objective.  It is based on the responses from both the Adult and Youth Questionnaires and it will guide the work of the Council over the next ten years.

 *a copy of the statistical analyses of the responses  may be purchased from the Parish Council Office for £2.00

 Parish Profile 

Angmering, West Sussex, is situated roughly halfway between the towns of Worthing and Littlehampton.  The Parish covers approximately 1900 hectares. Although its population has shown continual expansion, particularly since the 1930’s, Angmering has retained its rural nature, principally due to the preservation of its Village square and the designated Conservation Area which contains many old buildings of brick and flints, with the oldest dating back to the 14th Century.  

Settlements within the present Parish boundary are recorded from the Roman/Romano-British period.   

Today’s Parish of Angmering originally comprised three separate parishes, all with 12th Century churches.   Following the Reformation, the three Parishes amalgamated into one in approximately 1573.  The Village itself grew slowly from the 17th to 19th centuries and principally supported the local agricultural community.  The Industrial Revolution brought a railway to its southern boundary in 1846.   The population showed a modest growth until World War Two after which it expanded at a far greater rate and then between 1961 and 1971 it rose from 2850 to 4816.  The population in 1991 was 5595 but this could well reach 7500 by 2010 with the current building at Bramley Green of over 600 houses. 

The Village has various shops mainly located around the Village Green.   These include a small supermarket/PO, newsagent, café, 2 estate agents,  3 hairdressers and fish and chip shop.  Other businesses include a chemist and florist, plus specialist garden machinery and bicycle shops.  There is also a Fine Art/Picture Framing Gallery which has numerous lines including haberdashery, craft items and greeting cards.

The Village has: two churches (one Church of England and one Baptist); three schools (two Primary and one Secondary); a doctor’s surgery; a vet’s practice, public houses; various playgroups, social/sports clubs and a library.

There is an existing Village Hall with another planned at Bramley Green (funded partly by a Planning Agreement). 

Traffic is a particular concern for the Village.  A new Bypass was opened in Spring 2003 (again with funding associated with the new housing development) which has alleviated some of the problems. 

Traffic management and the integration of the new development at Bramley Green (whilst preserving the ‘villageness’ of Angmering)  are considered as major challenges for the future. 

The Parish Council has an Office adjacent to the Village Green.

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Angmering Parish Plan 

PREAMBLE 

Areas for action were chosen from the responses received: 

where a significant number of respondents expressed interest or concern through the questionnaires or other consultation; 

where there is a good possibility of improving a service, even if the responses to the questionnaires suggested reasonable satisfaction; 

where the action would contribute to the integration/’ villageness’ of the north and south of the Village, including Bramley Green and the part of the Parish south of the A259; 

where the precept or grant-aid can provide funding (given that extra funds will be available from recent house building in the Parish) 

Action Points

 1.        Future Housing Development

2.         Life in the Parish

3.         The New Community Centre and Bramley Green

4.         The Leisure Strategy

5.         Traffic Issues

6.         The Bus Service

7.         Roads, Lanes and Paths

8.         Law and Order

9.         Parish Council Communication/Publicity

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Conclusion 

This is the Plan for the whole Parish based on what parishioners, young and old, have told the Parish Council. 

It is intended that this Plan will form the working strategy for the Parish Council for the next decade, determining its priorities and financial commitments. 

The Parish Council will review progress on the Action Points from the Plan annually for five years.   This will provide opportunities for making any necessary modifications or adjustments which might be needed in the light of the initial stages of the operation of the Plan.   

The Parish Council thanks all those who returned the questionnaires and it hopes that all Parishioners find this Plan of interest. 

The Council now needs everyone’s support to ensure the success of its implementation of the Plan. 

Angmering Parish Council

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