Woodhouse Parish Plan - draft questionnaire for 19 April 2004

Design, Land Use and the Environment 
In recent years, several local campaign groups have formed to address, for example, the issues of GM crops, oil exploration, and heavy goods vehicle traffic.  This section addresses some of the common issues in our villages. 

1.	Planning applications are displayed at Charnwood Borough Council offices, in the Loughborough Echo and outside adjacent properties.  Would you like to see future planning applications for the Parish more readily available to all residents here? [say where and how you would like to see them]

	Tick one	Where to view? e.g. website, notice board, by email	
No			
Yes			

2.	Which of the following really concerns you about the local environment in the parish?

	No problem	Yes	Where and when?	
Traffic noise				
Traffic volume				
Litter				
Fly-tipping 				
Street lighting				
Aircraft noise				
Graffiti				
Other 				

3.	What are your preferences on future residential development in the parish?  Should development:

		Tick one	
[a] Planning	Be limited to future development within the existing boundaries		
	Be permitted to extend development beyond the villages onto green sites		
			
[b] Type of home	Focus on detached houses		
	Focus on terraced houses		
	Focus on single storey homes		
	Focus on flats		
	Focus on affordable homes		
			
[c] Type of development	Focus on single dwellings
		
	Focus on small groups of up to 5
		
	Focus on small groups of up to 10

[d] Design	Ensure housing blends in	Yes	No	
				
Other comments 		

4.	Do you think any of the local landscape features need to be more protected?

	Yes
	No
	
Existing open spaces between 2 villages			
Groups of trees			
Farmland			
Hedgerows			
Dry stone walls			
Other 			

5.	Are you satisfied with the following waste management services?  If there are any problems, please indicate where

	Yes	No	Where?	
Street cleaning				
Verge litter picking 				
Weekly refuse collection				
Recycling facilities				
Fly-tipping clearance				
Provision of litter bins 				
Provision of dog bins				

6.	Please rank the general adequacy, appearance and maintenance of the following features [Good; Indifferent; Poor]

	Good	Indifferent	Poor	
Pavements				
Public Footpaths				
Cycle-ways				
Bridleways				
Hedgerows 				
Verges				

7.	We would value any further comments you may wish to make (in addition to the above) to help towards a future village plan.

Employment 
Some villages suffer from dwindling local employment opportunities, while others have shortages of staff for local businesses.  This section looks at some of the local business issues.

8.	Is there anything that stops you from meeting your shopping/leisure needs from our village businesses?

	Delivery	Price	Transport	Physical facilities e.g. steps	Store loyalty cards	Parking	Opening hours	None/
Other reason 	
Grocer 									
Butcher 									
Post Office									
Pharmacy									
Newsagent 									
Gift shop 									
Hairdressers									
Clothes shop 									
Home interiors shop 									
Garage 									
Public Houses 									
Restaurants									

9.	Are there any shops missing?

	

10.	How far do you travel to work? 

	Tick	
Not employed		
0-2 miles		
2 - 4 miles		
4 - 6 miles		
6 - 10 miles		
10 - 15 miles		
Over 15 miles		

11.	Do you usually rely on public transport to get to work?

Yes	No	

12.	There are at least two magazines in the parish: Roundabout, given out to St Paul's School children and left in shops, and The Woodhouses Parish Magazine, delivered to subscribers.  There are Parish Council notice boards in both villages.  We also have two websites,* one is specifically for Parish Council matters, the other covers local features and facilities.  There is also a regular column in the Loughborough Echo.  Do you feel that you are sufficiently made aware of or involved in what's going on here? 

	Not aware	Aware but not involved	Aware and involved	
In general				
About Parish Council matters				
About Borough Council matters				
About County Council matters				
About local events				
About local societies				
About local sports				
About local farming matters				

* hyperlink http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org and hyperlink http://www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk http://www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk 

13.	Do you regularly look at any of the following?

	Tick one or more	
Roundabout		
Parish Magazine		
L'boro Echo village news section		
Village Directory		
PC notice board		
Village website		
PC website		
None		

Facilities, recreation and community involvement
We are fortunate in already having quite a wide range of these, but there may still be needs which are not being met, and we may need to see improvements in others.  This section looks at local facilities.

14.	We would like to know if you have any concerns or views about the allotments in Woodhouse Eaves.

	Tick one	
I don't use them		
I don't know about them		
I don't know how to get one		
I might use them if … what?
		
They are OK		
They would be better if someone did something about … what?

15.	Is your family/household linked with a church congregation?  

	Tick one	
Baptist Church Woodhouse Eaves 		
Church of England St Paul's Woodhouse Eaves 		
Methodist Church Woodhouse Eaves 		
Church of England St Mary's Old Woodhouse 		
Roman Catholic Church St Mary's Old Woodhouse 		
Other (please name)		

16.	If you or anyone in your household has attended any activity or function in the village hall in the past year please give your opinion on the facilities.

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Seating					
Tables					
Lighting					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Stage					
Basement					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

17.	If you or any of your household have used St Paul's school community centre in the past year please give your opinion on the facilities

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Seating					
Tables					
Lighting					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

18.	If you or anyone in your household has attended any activity or function in the village hall Annexe [formerly the Youth Club] in the past year please give your opinion on the facilities.

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Seating					
Tables					
Lighting					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

19.	If you or anyone in your household has attended any activity or function in the Scout hut in the past year please give your opinion on the facilities.

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Seating					
Tables					
Lighting					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

20.	If you or anyone in your household has used any of the play/sports facilities in the last year, please give your opinion on the facilities.

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Football pitch					
Cricket pitch					
Tennis courts					
Quarter pipe					
Children's play area					
Other					

21.	If your household has used the children's play area during the past year, please give your opinion on the facilities for each age group.

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Under 5s					
5 - 8 year olds					
8 - 11 year olds					
11 - 14 year olds					

22.	Do you think that there should be a separate play area for the under 5s?  If so, what sort of equipment should it contain?

No	Don't know	Yes	Equipment it should contain	

23.	Would anyone in your family use a children’s play area in Old Woodhouse?  Please give an age range

No	Yes	Age range	

24.	It is proposed to develop a village meeting room and toilet facilities at St Mary's Church, Old Woodhouse.  Do you support this?

No	Yes	

25.	If a meeting room was available in Old Woodhouse please indicate how your household would use the facility.

	Tick one or more	
For social gatherings such as coffee mornings		
For education or hobby society meetings		
For mother and toddler groups		
Day centre for senior citizens		
Private functions		
Religious activities		
Unlikely to use it		
Other 		

26.	Do you consider that it would be good use of Parish Council funds to employ a ‘village handy person’ ?
Yes	No	

27.	This is a popular tourist area, attracting visitors and traffic in both Woodhouse villages throughout the year but especially in the summer and on fine weekends.  The Upper and Lower Beacon Hill car parks now charge for admission and there are some traffic problems as a result.  Have these attractions benefited anyone in your household in the past year?

	Tick one or more	
Beacon Hill		
Jubilee Wood		
Outwoods		
Swithland Wood		
Permissive footpath		
Great Central Railway		
Bradgate Park		
Broombriggs Farm/Windmill Hill		
Beaumanor Hall		
None		

28.	What improvements would you like to see to make them more accessible to village residents? [e.g. reduced car park fees]

Public Services
Our location in Charnwood Borough means that we enjoy generally good public services.  This section seeks your views on what's available and accessible.

29.	There are several ways in which you can access education from here.  St Paul's School and Community Centre has adult education classes; there are some classes run in the village hall; St Paul's school also has public computers that can deliver online learning courses; and in the surrounding area there is Loughborough University and College; and groups of the Workers' Education Association [WEA] and the University of the Third Age [U3A].  You can also study with the Open University from home, and access the same online learning facilities if you have your own computer.  If you feel that your educational needs are not yet being met, what would help you? 

	I would try this if …	
St Paul's adult education classes		
St Paul's public computers for online courses		
Village Hall classes		
Loughborough University courses		
Loughborough College courses		
Worker's Educational Association [WEA]		
University of the 3rd Age [U3A]		
The Adult School		
Open University		
Online learning from home		

30.	Fortunately, crime is not a major problem in the parish.  However, do you think that there some crime issues that need addressing?

	Tick one or more	
Vandalism		
Car crime		
Burglary		
None		
Other 		

31.	What would you like to see happen?

	Tick one or more	
More police presence on foot		
CCTV surveillance		
Neighbourhood Watch*		
Information on prevention		
None		

*There is no Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator for Woodhouse villages

32.	What would you be willing to do to help?  

	Tick one or more	
Join Neighbourhood Watch		
Join Farm Watch		
Join Horse Watch		
Become a Special Constable 		
Become a Community Officer		
Not interested		

33.	Do you have any difficulties when you need to use or visit any of the following [e.g. opening hours, transport]?

	Tick	Difficulty is …	
Doctors [Genera Practitioners]			
Nurses [District Nurses/Health Visitors]			
Other health staff e.g. Physiotherapists			
Hospitals:
Glenfield 
Leics General
Infirmary 
Towers
L'boro Hospital, Epinal Way			
Hospice			
Lboro Walk-in Centre			
Personal care help			
Residential care			
Sheltered housing			
Single parent support			
Mental health support			
Elderly residents' support			
No difficulties			
Other			

34.	What would you like to see happen?

	Tick	What would improve this is …	
Doctors [Genera Practitioners]			
Nurses [District Nurses/Health Visitors]			
Other health staff e.g. Physiotherapists			
Hospitals:
Glenfield 
Leics General
Infirmary 
Towers
L'boro Hospital, Epinal Way			
Hospice			
Lboro Walk-in Centre			
Personal care help			
Residential care			
Sheltered housing			
Single parent support			
Mental health support			
Elderly residents' support			
No suggestions			
Other			

35.	Are you satisfied with the performance of your:

	Yes	No because …	
Parish Council 			
Charnwood Borough Council			
County Council			

36.	What would you like to happen? 

	No	Yes by doing this …	
To have more influence on key issues via the Parish Council [e.g. questions at PC meetings, telephone contact, surgeries]			
To have better access to Borough Councillor [e.g. surgeries here, telephone, via PC meetings]			
To see more power at Parish Council level so village issues can be decided here			
To be better informed on Parish council actions [e.g. by email at home, attending meetings, minutes on notice boards, minutes on website, article in Roundabout, Parish Magazine]			
Other			

37.	What would you be willing to do to improve things?

	Tick one or more 	
Join an action group to effect positive change		
Pay a little more Council Tax to increase the power of the Parish Council *		
Take the trouble to read a regular village magazine containing this information		
Not interested		
Other		

*Woodhouse PC receives £36,000 [population 2098 = £17 per head], Newtown Linford £28,000 [pop. 961 = £29 per head] and Quorn receives £124,000 [pop. 4966 = £25 per head]

Traffic and Transport
Traffic is increasing everywhere and most of us contribute to this.  Other forms of transport may be both available and accessible but under used.  This section looks at how we are making use of these, and what problems we have with local traffic.

38.	How often do you or your family use bus services in the villages?

	Tick one	
about once a day 		
about once a week		
several times a week		
several times a month		
never/rarely		

39.	Do you feel that the following transport routes are adequate?

	Yes	No	Don't use	
bridleways 				
foot paths 				
cycle paths 				

40.	Are these facilities adequate for disabled users?

	Yes	No	Don't know	
roads				
pavements				

41.	Do you consider that these road users cause obstructions on local roads?

	Yes	No	
horses			
cycles			

42.	What would make you use buses more often?

	Tick one or more	
greater frequency evenings		
greater frequency Sundays		
additional routes		
cost		
more reliability		
nothing would persuade me		
other [please comment]

43.	Has the cleaning and maintenance of roads and pavements over the past 5 years:

	Tick one	
Improved		
worsened		
remains the same		
don't know 		

44.	Do you consider that the volume of traffic over the past 5 years has:

	Tick one	
increased		
decreased		
unchanged		
don't know 		

45.	Weight restrictions were imposed some years ago on Forest and Beacon Roads [Selby's, Welbeck College and shop delivery vehicles have special exemptions].  Since the weight restrictions, has the volume of HGV traffic through the villages:

	Tick one	
increased		
decreased		
remained the same		
don't know 		

46.	Do you consider that the speed of traffic in the past 5 years has:

	Tick one	
increased		
decreased		
remained the same		
don't know 		

47.	For your household, what are the most serious traffic problems in the villages?

	Tick one or two	
traffic volume		
number of HGVs		
traffic congestion 		
parking 		
traffic speed		
none		
other 		

48.	With regard to traffic control measures, should village speed limits be:

	Tick one	
increased		
decreased		
cover a wider area		
remain the same		
don't know 		

49.	There are existing schemes in other villages whereby volunteers assist the police with speed control.  Would you be in favour?

Yes	No	

50.	Would you be prepared to join such a scheme?

Yes	No	

51.	Do you think that ‘traffic calming’ measures are required?

	Tick one or more	Where?	
speed cameras			
more policing			
speed bumps			
chicanes			
mini roundabouts			
parking restrictions			
traffic lights			
ridges			
nothing			
Other			

Finally we would like to ask you some questions about you, your household and where you live.
This section helps to provide the basic statistics about the parish.  There is no link between the answers you give here and your name and address.

52.	Where do you live?

	Tick	
Woodhouse Eaves		
Old Woodhouse 		
Outside the villages		

53.	How many people including children normally live in your home?

	

54.	How many males in the different age groups?

	Tick for each person	
0-4 years		
5-11 years		
12-18 years		
19-30 years		
31-50 years		
51-65 years		
66-74 years		
75 +  years		

55.	How many females in the different age groups?

0-4 years	Tick for each person	
5-11 years		
12-18 years		
19-30 years		
31-50 years		
51-65 years		
66-74 years		
75 +  years		

56.	What is your ethnic origin? 

	Tick one	
White British		
Caribbean		
African		
Asian		
Chinese		
Other white		
Other black		
Other mixed		

57.	How many years have you lived in the parish? 

	Tick one	
Less than one year		
1-5 years		
6 – 10 years		
Over 10 years 		
All your life		

58.	What best describes your accommodation? 

	Tick one	
Rented from local authority (Council)		
Rented from private landlord, housing association or trust		
Owned or mortgaged		
Other (Please specify)		

59.	How many cars do you keep at home?

	Tick one	
None		
one		
two		
more than two		

60.	Are you able to park your car (s) off the road?

	Tick one	
Yes		
No		
Don't have a car