ECONOMIC REVIEW IN TOWN DEVELOPMENT PLANS
MILBORNE PORT ECONOMIC STUDY

SUMMARY
The aim of this project is to provide an economic template that will aid the economic and spatial content of the town and parish planning process. This will be achieved by using Milborne Port as a pilot town to help design and formulate a template that can be used across SSDC and rural Somerset by town and parish planning groups to improve professionalism and consistency of approach helping to build sustainable towns and parishes

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Milborne Parish Plan

We live in a changing world though it is easy, in a Parish such as Milborne Port, to believe that changes will pass us by and that village life will continue unchanged. This is unlikely to be true and following the village design statement produced some years ago, the Parish Council has sponsored the development of a Parish Plan. This will look at the following main areas:

• Environment
• Community
• Economy

The above are closely interlinked, but it is recognised that the economic activity of the Parish will be a key factor in the nature of the parish in the years to come. (will it be a dormitory settlement or a place of economic activity.) Understanding these factors are a key to understanding changes which will occur and can be guided in a positive (for the Parish) direction. This is consistent with the Rural White Paper (2000) which stated that ‘Rural communities should play a much bigger part in running their own affairs and influencing and shaping future development’.

Activities that are taking place or being developed to bring this Parish Plan to fruition:

• An outline questionnaire has been used to gain an understanding of the key issues that members of the Parish believe to be important.
• A workshop is planned to educate members of the steering committee  about sustainability issues in such local economies. This will utilise expertise from New Economics Foundation.
• A project will be undertaken using funds obtained from Rural Renaissance and the District Council to assess the economic viability of the village based upon an understanding of money flows.
• Visits to local clubs and societies to engage with them in issues raised by the development of the parish plan.
• A whole village event is planned for early in 2009 to gain further buy in from the village. The format of this is being developed such that as many different parts of the parish demography will be attracted to attend.
• The plan is expected to be completed by mid 2009.
• Regular meetings of the steering committee charged with driving this plan forward.