Introduction

Last year, as a part of a wider consultation process, every household in Ashburton was sent a questionnaire to survey the people of Ashburton’s views on a range of issues facing our town. The results of the survey have now been put together and form the basis of the Town Plan.

The Ashburton Town Plan is three things:

• It is a profile of where we live – Ashburton town and the wider parish
• It is a needs analysis of what will build upon the many good things about Ashburton and make it sustainable as a safe, clean, prosperous, vibrant, diverse and happy place to live, work and visit.
• It is an action plan: a working document that turns what we need into what we have. Initially this plan looks ahead for five years but it will need to be updated regularly as things change over time.

This part of the town’s website is designed to feedback some of the issues raised and to give you an understanding of what lies ahead.

What is in the Plan?

Some of the main points within the Town Plan assessed as being of high importance are summarised here:

• The survey recognised that Ashburton wants to keep its Town Hall but is reluctant to pay more Council Tax for its upkeep. The Town Council is negotiating with Teignbridge to take ownership of the Town Hall for the benefit of the community, which might involve some commercial development of the ground floor.
• Parking is a growing problem in the Town. There needs to be more enforcement of the existing regulations to stop thoughtless parking and free up the traffic flow.  Consultation is underway to improve the arrangements for traffic in the Balland Lane area. Other innovative solutions to the traffic problems will be considered.
• The Swimming Pool needs to be covered and made available for year-round use. This will need the formation of a group of local people for fundraising and management of the project. Can you help?
• There is a need to engage with the disaffected youth of the Town. The Ashburton Youth Issues Group is already hard at work on this.
• All of the existing facilities within the Town need to be maintained, especially the Post Office and provision of NHS dentistry.

What happens now?

The Town Plan is a tool to inform and to put pressure upon the relevant authorities so that they can act in accordance with the wishes of the people of Ashburton. To that end, it is being distributed widely, including the following:

• Teignbridge District Council
• Devon County Council
• Dartmoor National Park Authority
• NHS Agencies
• Devon and Cornwall Police
• Anthony Steen MP
• Bus companies
• Schools
• Other relevant agencies and authorities (over 50 in total)

The Plan has been adopted by your Town Council, which means that the Council knows the views of the people of the town and will be guided by their wishes in future works.

Clearly there is more work to do to take forward the actions in the Town Plan. The help and hard work of local people in taking forward some of these will be invaluable. Perhaps you could help?

Copies of the Plan are available to view at the Library, the Information Centre or the Town Clerk’s Office in the Town Hall. Alternatively, follow the link to see a copy of the complete Plan.

What is the next step?

There may be other ways for building upon the work that has gone into the Plan but that is for the future: the Plan as it exists here will be a tool for anyone working with and for Ashburton.

Because the Town Plan is a living document, it needs reviewing. This will start immediately after publication, in order to gauge the people of Ashburton’s reaction to it. This part of the website is a part of that process. A suitable point for a further review may be after one or two years, after time has elapsed for some of the actions to have been carried through to fruition.

In time, it may be necessary to rewrite the Town Plan completely. On the other hand, it may only be necessary to amend it here and there. Whichever applies, having done it once, doing it again should be very much easier.

If you can help to take forward any of the issues and actions in the Plan, please contact the Town Clerk in the Town Hall. He will be able to put you in touch with a member of the Steering Group team or to advise you on what to do next.

And finally…. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Town Plan. It is a great example of how local people, working together, can make this great town better still for everyone who lives here, works here and comes to visit.