No Parish Plan for Acton

At yesterday’s fete in Acton we had a last attempt to launch a Parish Plan process for the village. Unfortunately we were unable to recruit sufficient people to help to carry out the not inconsiderable amount of work involved.

On the stall we invited people from Acton to write on a board (pictured) what they think could be improved about the village, and also asked them to say what they liked. We had 42 answers in all, 31 seeking improvements and 11 saying that they liked certain aspects of Acton.

Not altogether surprisingly the big negative was concerned with traffic through the village. Over 20 percent of people who answered mentioned traffic and traffic calming on their ‘post its’, and there was a further related demand to do something about the parking situation outside the former Post Office. Otherwise people seemed to want to see more clubs and other activities, not just for the youth of the village, but for themselves. There were demands for more activities in the village hall, particularly related to history, but also to crafts. There was a general comment that the village needs more active volunteers, and it is these who will be needed if these clubs and activities are to get off the ground!

The two things that people like a lot seem to be the pub and the airfield. It is obvious that people do value both of these facilities. I wonder if it is worth trying to form a ‘Friends of the Airfield’ group? I am sure that it would draw members not just from Acton, but from Great Waldingfield and Chilton too.

If anything is interested in the full results of the survey please let me know and I will forward the file to you. Zoe Murray, the representative of the Parish Council (pictured holding her head (in despair?) above), will communicate the results of the survey to the Parish Council.

With a bit of luck the exercise will at least add some ammunition to the Parish Council’s requests for help with the issue of speeding and traffic in the village. Indeed, a completed Parish Plan would provide hard evidence that people in the community have genuine needs and concerns.

The failure to get the Plan off the ground is not a disaster however. As a village Acton has a lot going for it. As one local notable observed, bus services are reasonable, we have two shops, a school and a pub. This is more than can be said about many villages in the area. Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm for the Plan has its roots in the general contentment of its people?

I do not think that Acton residents should be written off as apathetic because the Plan is not likely to come to fruition. It was clear yesterday that many people do care about the village, and appreciate many aspects of it. However, they simply cannot spare the time to sit on committees and write reports. Although some folks are retired, I was reminded by the number of people who came to vote in the evening during the election that Acton has a high proportion of people that spend a lot of time out at work so that they can feed their families and make ends meet. They also need some time to relax!