Woodhouse Parish Plan

Pilot questionnaire

Stone mason							Pharmacist

Parish church						Village hall

Photos copyright © Nomaz - http://www.nomaz.co.uk
from the website http://www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk 
Parish Councils website http://www.http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org

Thank you for agreeing to be part of our pilot.

Please fill in this questionnaire and hand it back to your questionnaire contact.

This will help the Woodhouse Parish Plan Group to finalise the questionnaire before it goes to all those who live and work in our parish.

The deadline is Friday 7th May 2004

Woodhouse Parish Plan 

Introduction
This questionnaire is part of a national programme of village appraisals - ways to help identify what the people who live or work in their communities think are the priorities for their villages.  This is the first time that the communities of Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves have been asked for their views in this way.  We do hope that you will complete this questionnaire.  The experience of other villages is that their questionnaire results have lead to much useful action.

Getting results
A public meeting will be held in the autumn to discuss the results of the questionnaire and it will be used to form the basis of an action plan to be agreed with the Parish Council.

Filling it in
We would like you to discuss the questions with other members of your household when you are completing the questionnaire so that you are giving a 'household view'.   A separate set of questions is enclosed for young people aged 13 to 19 years. We are seeking the views of the under 13s separately.  Most of the questions can be answered as a household, but some will ask for responses from each adult who lives at your address because you may have different experiences that need to be reflected.

Deadline
We would like you to complete the questionnaire by Friday 9 July 2004

Who designed it
The Woodhouse Parish Plan Group - around 40 volunteers drawn from both villages - has devised the questionnaire.  A member of the group will collect your completed questionnaire shortly and will be interested in any comments you would like to make or queries to help you filling it in.

Background information
If you would like to see details of the meetings which have lead up to this questionnaire, you will find all the minutes and papers on either of two websites:

Parish Councils' Website: http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org
Woodhouse Eaves website: http://www.woodhouse-eaves.co.uk

Confidentiality
If you would like to volunteer for anything raised in the questionnaire, or would like more information, the last page of the questionnaire asks for your name and address.  A third party will detach this sheet prior to any of your responses being analysed, so that all your questionnaire answers will be anonymous.

Many thanks for your support.

xxxxxxxxx
Chair
Woodhouse Parish Plan Group
Telephone: 890933

Woodhouse Parish Plan - Pilot Questionnaire for May 2004

1.	Where do you live?

	Tick one	
Woodhouse Eaves		
Old Woodhouse 		
Outside the villages		

Facilities in the villages
We are fortunate in already having quite a wide range of facilities, 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 and your household's views on them.

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

	Tick one	
We don't use them		
We don't know about them		
We don't know how to get one		
We use them and they are OK		
We use them and there could be improvements		

1.	If you have ticked the last option, please state how the allotments could be improved.

	

1.	Is your family/household linked with a religious congregation?  

	Tick as appropriate	
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)		
None		

1.	Do you have any difficulty finding somewhere to hold a meeting or other indoor event in either of the villages?

Yes		
No		

1.	If you or anyone in your household have organised or attended any activity/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					
Heating					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Stage					
Basement					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

1.	If you or anyone in your household have organised or attended any activity/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					
Heating					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

1.	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					
Heating					
Decoration					
Toilets					
Kitchen					
Availability					
Cost					
Booking ease					
Other 					

1.	If you or anyone in your household have organised or attended any activity/function in the Scout hut in the past year please give your opinion on the facilities.

	Poor	Average	Good	Unable to  comment	
Furniture & equipment					
Heating, lighting & decoration					
Other					

1.	Would you be interested in becoming a Scout Leader?   If yes, please tick the relevant box on the last page.
Yes		
No		

1.	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					

1.	If anyone in 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					

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

Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	Please list the equipment it should contain.

	

1.	Would anyone in your family use a children’s play area in Old Woodhouse?  If yes, please give an age range

Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	Please give an indication of the age of children who might use this facility.

0-4		
5-8		
9-11		
12-14		
15-16		

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

Yes		
No		
Don't know		

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

	Tick as appropriate	
Social gatherings such as coffee mornings		
Education or hobby society meetings		
Parent and toddler groups		
Day centre for senior citizens		
Private functions		
Religious activities		
Unlikely to use it		
Other 		

1.	Do you think it would be a good idea to have a village reporting system for notifying the relevant services about litter, fallen leaves, hedges, phone box cleaning, etc. [e.g. a village helpline to telephone or text, email or internet links, or a box at the village hall for notes to be left]?

Yes		
No		
Don't know		

Tourism
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. Being part of local tourism has benefits and disadvantages.  In this section, your views are requested on some of the most popular sites.

1.	Has anyone in your household visited any of the following local attractions in the past year?

	Tick as appropriate	
Beacon Hill		
Jubilee Wood		
Outwoods		
Swithland Wood		
Swithland Reservoir		
Permissive footpaths		
Great Central Railway		
Bradgate Park		
Broombriggs Farm/Windmill Hill		
Beaumanor Hall		
None		

1.	Are there any improvements that you would like to see to make them more accessible to village residents?

	

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

	Tick as appropriate	
Traffic noise		
Traffic volume		
Traffic speed		
Litter		
Fly-tipping 		
Street lighting		
Aircraft noise		
Graffiti		
Other		
None 		

1.	If you have ticked any of the above, please state which problem, where the problem has occurred and the time of day [e.g. peak morning rush hour, off peak day time].

	

1.	Planning applications are displayed at Charnwood Borough Council offices, in the Loughborough Echo and outside adjacent properties.  They will soon be available on their website. They are also discussed at Parish Council meetings.  Where would you like to see future planning applications for the Parish more readily available to all residents?

	Tick as appropriate	
Village website		
Notice board		
Email alerts		
None		

1.	Do you feel that any future residential development in the parish should be:

	Tick one	
Limited to within the existing boundaries		
Permitted to extend beyond the villages onto green sites		

1.	Do you feel that when new homes are built, they should be mainly:

	Tick one	
Detached houses		
Terraced houses		
Single storey homes		
Flats or apartments		
A mixture of the above		

1.	Do you feel that more of any new homes should be low cost, affordable dwellings?

Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	If new homes are built, should they be grouped as follows:

	Tick one	
Mainly single dwellings		
Small groups of up to 5 homes		
Groups of up to 10 homes		

1.	Is it important to you that any new housing blends in with existing housing [e.g. local stone/slate]?

Yes		
No		
Don't know		

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

	Tick as appropriate
	
Existing open spaces between and around the two villages		
Groups of trees		
Farmland		
Hedgerows		
Dry stone walls		
Others		
None		

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

	Tick as appropriate	
Street cleaning		
Verge litter picking 		
Weekly refuse collection		
Recycling facilities		
Fly-tipping clearance		
Provision of litter bins 		
Provision of dog litter bins		
None		

1.	If you have ticked any of the above, please state which problem and where the problem has occurred.

	

1.	Please rank the general adequacy, appearance and maintenance of the following features. Please tick one answer for each feature.

	Good	Indifferent	Poor	Don't know or use	
Pavements					
Public Footpaths					
Cycle-ways					
Bridleways					
Village playing field					
Hedgerows 					
Verges					

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

	

1.	A Village Design Statement helps to ensure that development fits its surroundings and is in keeping with the characteristics of the area.  Would you support the development of a Village Design Statement for Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves?  

Yes		
No		

1.	Would you be willing to join in with other residents to produce a Village Design Statement?  If yes, please tick the relevant box on the last page.  
Yes		
No		

Local businesses 
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.

1.	How often do you shop in Woodhouse Eaves?

	Tick one	
At least a few times a week		
A few times a month		
Maybe a few times a year		
Never		

1.	What difficulties stop you from meeting most of your shopping/leisure needs from the village [e.g. price, parking, opening hours]?

	Price	Quality	Transport	Physical facilities e.g. steps	Parking	Opening hours	
Beautician							
Butcher 							
Clothes/bridal shop 							
Garage 							
Gift shop 							
Grocer 							
Hairdressers							
Home interior fabrics shop 							
Newsagent 							
Pharmacy							
Post Office							
Public Houses 							
Restaurants							

1.	Are there any other reasons why you mainly shop elsewhere?

	

1.	Are there any additional shops or mobile services which you would use if they were available?

	

Communications in the parish
It is important to identify the best way to communicate with local people.  In this section, we try to identify which are the main ways that you might find out about what is going on in the parish.

1.	There are at least two magazines in the parish: Roundabout, given out monthly to St Paul's School children and available in shops, and The Woodhouses Parish Magazine, delivered monthly 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 weekly Loughborough Echo and news in the Loughborough edition of the daily Leicester Mercury.  Do you feel that you are sufficiently made aware of or involved in what's going on? 

	Not aware	Aware but not involved	Aware and involved	Not bothered	
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					

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

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

	Tick as appropriate	
Roundabout		
Parish Magazine		
Loughborough Echo village news section		
Village Directory		
PC notice board		
Village website		
PC website		
Leicester Mercury - Loughborough edition		
Trader or Extra [free papers]		
None		

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

1.	There are several ways in which you can access adult education.  There are many opportunities available either within or near to the parish or accessible from it.  Do you participate in any of the following?

	Tick as appropriate	
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 in Loughborough		
Open University		
Online learning from home		
Other e.g. Leicester University		

1.	If you feel that your educational needs are not yet being met, what would help you? 

	

Crime and Safety
1.	Do you feel safe in the parish environment? 

Yes		
No		
Mostly		

1.	Do you think that there are some crime issues that need addressing?

	Tick as appropriate	
Vandalism		
Car crime		
Burglary		
None		

1.	What other crime and safety issues should be addressed?

	

1.	What would you like to see happen?

	Tick as appropriate	
More police presence on foot		
CCTV surveillance		
Neighbourhood Watch		
Information on prevention		
None		

1.	Are there any other things would you like to see happen?

	

1.	Would you be willing to help with any of the following?  If yes please tick the relevant box on the last page.
 
	Tick as appropriate	
Join Neighbourhood Watch*		
Join Farm Watch		
Join Countryside Watch		
Join Horse Watch		
Become a Special Constable 		
Become a Community Support Officer**		
Not interested		

*   There is no Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator for Woodhouse villages
** These are employed by the police to patrol communities in support of police officers.  They address issues such as vandalism and minor public disorder.

Health and Social Services
Charnwood and North West Leicestershire Primary Care Trust [PCT] provide general practice and community health services, and commission hospital services.  They work closely with Social Services.  The PCT would be interested in what you think about their services..

1.	Does anyone in your household have any difficulties when they need to use or visit any of the following [e.g. opening hours, transport]?

	Tick those which are a problem	
Doctors [General Practitioners]		
Nurses [District Nurses/Health Visitors]		
Dentists		
Other health staff e.g. Physiotherapists		
Hospitals:
Glenfield 
Leicester General
Leicester Royal Infirmary 
Loughborough Hospital, Epinal Way		
Hospices		
Loughborough Walk-in Centre		
Personal care help		
Residential care		
Sheltered housing		
Single parent support		
Mental health support		
Elderly residents' support		
No difficulties		

1.	If you have ticked any of the above, please give details of which problem and what it is.

	

Local government
The villages have a parish council with 9 elected councillors and a part time clerk.  Meetings are open to the public and held monthly. The next level of democracy is Charnwood Borough Council.  The link with the Borough Council is through the local Councillor who regularly attends parish council meetings.  The next level of democracy is the County Council.  The following questions chiefly concern the parish council.

1.	Are you satisfied with the performance of your:

	Tick as appropriate	
Parish Council 		
Charnwood Borough Council		
County Council		
Don't know		

1.	Would you like to have more influence on key issues via the Parish Council [e.g. questions at PC meetings, telephone contact, surgeries]?

	Tick one	
Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	Would you like to have better access to Borough Councillor [e.g. surgeries, telephone, via PC meetings]?

	Tick one	
Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	Would you like to see greater local influence on decisions that affect the villages?

	Tick one	
Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	Would you like 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]?

	Tick one	
Yes		
No		
Don't know		

1.	Would you be willing to help improve things? If yes, please tick the relevant box on the back page.

	Tick as appropriate 	
Join an action group to effect positive change		
Pay a little more Council Tax to increase the power of the Parish Council *		
Read a regular village newsletter containing this information		
Attend Parish Council meetings		
Not interested		

*Woodhouse PC receives £17 per head from Council Tax

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

1.	How far do the adults in your household travel to work? [Adults over 19 years]

	Adult 1	Adult 2	Adult 3	Adult 4	Adult 5	Adult 6	
Not employed							
Work from home							
0-2 miles							
2 - 4 miles							
4 - 6 miles							
6 - 10 miles							
10 - 15 miles							
Over 15 miles							

1.	Do any of the above usually rely on public transport to get to work?

	Adult 1	Adult 2	Adult 3	Adult 4	Adult 5	Adult 6	
Yes							
No							

1.	How often do you or your family use the bus service in the villages?

	Tick one	
About once a day 		
Several times a week		
About once a week		
Several times a month		
Never/rarely		

1.	What would make you use buses more often?

	Tick as appropriate	
Greater frequency evenings		
Greater frequency Sundays		
Additional routes		
Cost		
More reliability		
Nothing would persuade me		
Other reason		

1.	Are any of the following transport routes inadequate?

	Tick as appropriate	
Bridleways 		
Foot paths 		
Cycle paths		
Roads		

1.	Please say which route and why you feel it is inadequate.

	

1.	Are any of the following facilities inadequate for disabled users?

	Tick as appropriate	
Roads		
Pavements		
Access to shops		

1.	Please say which facility and why you feel it is inadequate.

	

1.	Do you consider any of the following cause obstructions on local roads?

	Tick as appropriate	
Buses		
Caravans		
Cycles		
Heavy goods vehicles [HGVs]		
Horses		
Joggers		
Motorbikes		
Parked cars		

1.	For your household, which of the following are the most serious traffic problems in the villages?

	Tick the two most serious	
Traffic volume		
Number of HGVs		
Traffic congestion 		
Parking 		
Traffic speed		
None		
Other 		

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

	Tick one	
Increased		
Decreased		
Unchanged		
Don't know 		

1.	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 		

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

	Tick one	
Increased		
Decreased		
Remained the same		
Don't know 		

1.	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 		

1.	Do you think that any of the following traffic calming measures are required?

	Tick as appropriate	
Speed cameras		
More policing		
Speed bumps		
Chicanes		
Mini roundabouts		
Parking restrictions		
Traffic lights		
Ridges		
Nothing		
Other		

1.	If yes, what measures and where would you like to see these?

	

1.	There are existing schemes in other villages whereby volunteers assist the police with speed control.  Residents monitor speed and gather statistics to give to the police.  Would you be in favour?  
Yes		
No		

1.	Would you be prepared to join such a scheme?  If yes, please tick the relevant box on the last page.

Yes		
No		

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.

1.	Do you have any pets?  Please state what they are, and how many you have.

Type of pet	Number of pets	

		

1.	How many cars do you keep at home?

	Tick one	
None		
One		
Two		
More than two		

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

	Tick one	
Yes		
No		
Don't have a car		

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

	Tick one	
1		
2		
3		
4		
5		
6		
7		
8		

1.	How many males in the different age groups?

Age	person1	person2	person3	person4	person5	person6	person7	
0-4								
5-11								
12-18								
19-30								
31-50								
51-65								
66-74								
75 + 								

1.	How many females in the different age groups?

Age	person1	person2	person3	person4	person5	person6	person7	
0-4								
5-11								
12-18								
19-30								
31-50								
51-65								
66-74								
75 + 								

1.	How many years has your household lived in the parish? 

	Tick one	
Less than one year		
1-5 years		
6 – 10 years		
11-20 years 		
Over 20 years		

1.	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)		

Thank you
Thank you very much for filling in the questionnaire.  When all the responses have been collated, the results will be widely publicised, together with an Action Plan compiled with the Parish Council.  This will state what actions will be taken, by whom, and over what period.

Woodhouse Parish Plan - further information and offers of help

Prior to any questionnaires being entered and analysed, a third party will detach this sheet.  Your question responses will therefore be anonymous and confidential.

I would like further information and/or would like to be involved in activities arising from the following questions:

		Please tick as appropriate	
Q10	Scout Leadership
		
Q35	Village Design Statement
		
Q49	Joining local 'Watches'
		
	Neighbourhood Watch		
	Farm Watch		
	Countryside Watch		
	Horse Watch		
	Becoming a Special Constable 		
	Becoming a Community Support Officer		
Q57	Local government activities
		
	Join an action group to effect positive change		
	Attend Parish Council meetings		
Q75	Speed monitoring

Personal questions requiring a reply from the Parish Plan Group:

	

	

Your name		
Address		

Telephone number		
Email address		

Thank you for completing the questionnaire