Balcombe Parish Plan Action Group

The steering committee held its fourth monthly meeting on 22nd August and is due to meet again on 26th September.

The work of producing the Parish Plan is on schedule; publication date of the final Plan remains February 2007.

The questionnaires had been printed and met with general approval. A group of volunteers met on 25th August and stuffed 800 envelopes in half an hour. Phew! The questionnaires were distributed from 29th August. More questionnaires were placed in Threads, including large-print copies.

The village has been flooded with posters encouraging residents to complete their questionnaires; these will be taken down shortly.

Arrangements for volunteers to collect the completed questionnaires were finalised; these include identity cards for collectors and calling cards to be left when there is no reply when collectors call.

Michael Noble has been asked to design the front cover of the Parish Plan.

It is intended that the Plan will include a number of photographs of Balcombe. If you have a good village photo that could be included in the Plan, please place it in an envelope bearing your name and address and give it to Roger Bell in Balcombe Stores; it will be returned in due course.

Several committee members will talk to pupils of the village school on 25th September It was also agreed that a separate questionnaire would be designed for 11-15 year olds.

Organisations and clubs will be consulted using a letter with approximately six questions.

The Chairman reminded members that the Parish Plan is intended to be an action document. It should indicate how each of the residents' wishes can be taken forward and by whom. These "actions" will be discussed and agreed at a later meeting.