Cradley village hall 7:30pm
There were about 115 villagers present
Jerry Thomas (JT) introduced the meeting (background material on this web-site) and explained that Storridge were included as a part of the Parish Council - they may wish to do a separate VDS to Cradley. Change is bound to happen and by planning for it we hope to manage it.
David Creed-Newton (DCN) joined the theme - we are here because we want a say in our village affairs and because we love the area. There was then a magic lantern show of unusual view points of the village, pictures courtesy of John Drummond.
John Edgar (JE) presented the problem of creating the Village Design Statement, its material and structure. It takes about two years to collect, edit and publish this type of village plan.
DCN continued, giving more detail on the editorial process and organisation of the material. He explained that although a lot of information needs to be collected to encompass many views and needs, the editorial board would refer to that material to create the VDS. There is a need for communications and information management - we have chosen to use a web site to make that information available to others.
Tony Copp (AJC) then asked the audience who has a computer, and who has access to the internet. There was an encouraging response, and those who do not have access to the world wide web were asked to look for a friend who had their hand up! He explained what www.cradley.org.uk is for - the collection of information for the VDS, news and views, and to highlight the top six things that make Cradley what it is. He went on to say what the web site could become - video and audio (Granny's reminiscences), portal and history archive. As a time capsule the web site will be recorded on a CD to be included with the VDS as supporting material. The web site will then continue as a village service and information source as it expands and improves. He finished with a challenge to the villagers to supply village information.- to change him from a web master to a web slave!
The meeting was thrown open to the audience for Any Questions:-
Q1 Sheila Nunn - this is a steep learning curve, why choose to do a VDS? JE - it is the way to influence Hereford Council.
Q2 - Is there any evidence that a VDS will bear any weight on the council? JE - we have verbal confirmation that councils in general are influenced by VDS, but nothing in writing. DCN - it depends on whether it is a product of the community, if the planners have been involved then it is harder to reject.
Q3 ex-District Councillor - the idea has been around for a long time, once the county was interested in strategic matters, highways, houses etc. The local council knew their smaller area. This has changed now that we have one authority and the Parish's is not always taken notice of as a planning influence.
Q4 Chris - What is the Parish Council involvement? JT - to set up and participate, to give guidelines. The VDS is not to be a product of the Parish Council, they are just giving it a start.
Q5 Paul Hunt - VDS are usually accepted by Hereford as supplementary planning guidelines and therefore always have value.
Q6 - what are the requirements for housing in Cradley and Storridge? A This is not a topic for the VDS, but the VDS would influence any such plans.
Q7 - over what time scale will this happen? We have a large population and must have credibility to sustain interest over two years. DCN - this depends on the working groups and their other commitments.
Q8 - How will this be community driven, who will provide leadership for the process? JT, DCN and JE are facilitators.
Q9 What is our view of Colwall's VDS? A The core group have not yet seen it, it is in draft and not yet published (although some key aspects are known).
Q10 - Will the web site provide village information, such as B&B? AJC - yes, but it is up to the villagers to provide that information. The web site is primarily for the VDS, secondly as a service to the village.
Q11 Peter - will there be chapters to the VDS? JT - we expect to keep the web site up to date and re-issue the VDS in 5 - 8 years time, and so on...
Q12 Alan Robinson - what about accreditation and ownership of the information, who is responsible and accountable? AJC will take every effort to keep the site legal, honest and decent; but it is up to the villagers to check that information is correct and appropriate. The Parish Council own the site URL, so there is always recourse to an official body.
DCN closed the meeting by stating the next steps - to form interest groups, which is why there are questionnaires to complete. The next meeting will also be an open meeting on Monday 10 September 2001 at 7:30 in the Village Hall (if it is not being renovated!).
JT, DCN, JE and AJC were then available to answer individual questions, and a copy of the web site contents were projected for those interested.
The following feedback comments (called 'Frequently Asked Questions', or FAQs, in web speak) on the meeting may be of interest and are gratefully received:-
FAQ1.Too much emphasis on PC,s and PC owners for the dissemination of information. A - Yes, there was a perception that it was all to do with IT, in spite of our later statements to the contrary. It is up to the VDS group themselves how they use the IT facility that has been made available to them. Anyone who has a computer, but no internet access, should ask Tony Copp for a local disk version.
FAQ2.Non PC owners felt they were the "poor relations" and that they were side-lined. A We intend to make the web site available for view on the projector at the end of every meeting.
FAQ3.Inadequate plans for alternative means of getting info out. The Newsletter could be a vehicle for this but circulation is only around 400+. A There will be an article in every newsletter while we are building the VDS.
FAQ4.Although the meeting was never intended to cover this, many thought it should have dealt with the future housing situation and did not like the fact that this was not discussed. A - At least one of the audience felt their disappointment that the new houses issue was not up for discussion. Understandable, but it really would have deflected the meeting way off course! These legitimate concerns will have to be addressed in other ways.
FAQ5.How do we get more young people to take an interest? A We may be able to mobilise some support among younger people in future, perhaps using the web site to their advantage.
FAQ6.Is the web site secure? Will it go the same route as the W Sussex village of Maidenbower's web-site, which got taken over by wife swapping party organisers? A I fear that we are not at risk in the same way, as we have a decent/honest/truthful webmaster (thanks for that David, I hope I will not let you down)! The site in question was open to 'chat' newsgroups and not moderated effectively. Our web site is not open, all material is vetted by the web master and anything contentious is reviewed by the core group. Mind you, we could be "hacked"!
These minutes are unofficial until properly reviewed by the core group.