Parish Plan

Forest Row Parish Plan – Realising the Vision

For a full copy of the Parish Plan Click Here

Report to Forest Row Parish Council - October 2006   

Proposal – 1

Improve the quality of life in the village by reducing anti-social behaviour, drunkenness, vandalism and the growing use of drugs, thereby making the village a safer place for everyone. 

Priority:  High           Timescale:  2 years 

Results to Date 

Community Liaison Group set up.  Parish Council working on improved relations with PCSO and Police Office.Crime Reports now circulated to all Neighbourhood Watch representatives and members of the Community Liaison Group  

Proposal – 2

Improve the visual appearance of the village by reducing litter, dog mess and drain blockages.
Plant more flowers and Shrubs in public areas. 

Priority: High             Timescale:  12 to 18 months

Results to Date Litter and Doggy Bins 

Litter bins:  not reviewed because Parish Council installing new bins through the village as part of its own enhancement policy.  However, in consultation with Parish Council, status quo seems satisfactory. 

Litter Campaign:  East Sussex County Council will be conducting a litter campaign in schools during the autumn.  To date Forest Row CE School does not feature in the 46 schools on the list for the autumn term.  Ian Allison, the headmaster, appeared to know nothing of this initiative but did show an interest.  He has been asked to get in touch with ESCC with a suggestion that a visit to Forest Row School could be timed to tie in with the March Spring Clean.

Dog mess campaign:  Doggy Bins:  request for two extra bins at the middle and bottom of Kennard Path made to and approved by Parish Council.  Ashdown Forest Conservators have approved the installation of three bins on the perimeter of the Sports Ground. In addition to official dog mess signs, a campaign will be mounted under the auspices of the Parish Plan Steering Group by means of posters in Kennard Path and Foresters Link, once the dog bins have been installed. 

Road Sweeping A Leaf Strategy Report was accepted by Amenities Committee in May 2006, and will be implemented in the Autumn for clearing greens, footpaths, pavements and roads.

Drains FRPC notifies WDC when drains are blocked.  WDC do not clear drains satisfactorily and problems persist.  A Survey is in progress.

 Planting of Flowers and Shrubs 

Areas covered were existing flowerbeds in the village. 

The situation is as follows: 

Telephone Exchange:  The Parish Clerk notifies them when grass needs cutting.  FRPC trying to organise a system whereby FRPC does this, funded by Telephone Exchange owner.  Nothing has happened as yet.

Peter King:  Resolution passed at July Amenities meeting for FRPC to take over maintenance of flowerbed after consultation with Peter King.

Unigel:  Estate/Land Manager was notified by the Parish Clerk that this needed attention in June.  They wrote and said that someone had been instructed but nothing has been done.  The Clerk is to follow up lack of action with photographic evidence.

Peter Vince: This is being followed up

First Impressions:  This has been followed up

The Parade:  Thought to be too difficult to build raised beds because of all the services in the pavement. Members of the Group felt that this area should be looked at further despite identified problems. 

Village Hall: A grant is possible from Barclays for £500 which would be for materials with labour being provided by Barclays personnel for one day.  The bank on the Hillside side of the Village Hall would be too big a job for Barclays personnel so quotes are being obtained for this from two garden contractors on the basis that the materials would be covered by the Grant and the labour would have to be paid for in some other way.  The majority of the work would be done first.  Barclays Bank personnel would be used to plant up new shrubs and to make over the garden on the A22 side of the Village Hall which has not been attended to all year.  One quote has been received for £1,500.  The other is awaited.  Another contractor was proving difficult to pin down but was worth persevering with as he was local and known to be good.    

Proposal - 3

Monitor Visual Appearance of Newlands Place.

Priority:  Medium       Timescale:  3 to 12 months 

Results to Date 

Newlands Place has now been re-landscaped by the Parish Council and recently a cigarette bin has been installed outside the Co-op as it was felt that this was necessary.  It seems to have solved the problem of unsightly cigarette butts.   

Proposal - 4

Review the safety aspects of extending business activities beyond the frontage of your premises, ensuring that no pavement users are obstructed.  

Priority:  High          Timescale:  6 to 9 months 

Results to Date 

Some businesses are very careful to keep their displays within their own curtilage. Java and Jazz say they have permission from the County Council to have tables and chairs out.  

The owner of Forest Row House Clearance seems oblivious to any appeals – from any level. The owner was invited to join the group and agreed – but has not come to any of the meetings.  Both the Parish and District Councils as well as the police have tried to get the problem of goods on pavements resolved in relation to the Second Hand Shop but to no avail.  It seems that nothing can be done despite the high profile this shop had in the Parish Plan consultation process.  

It was noted that other shops in the village also used pavements but generally did not cause a problem of access. 

The problem of shop deliveries causing road obstructions was discussed in detail. Forest Row shops have been around for a long time and were not designed with modern traffic in mind. The back entrances to the old shops in Hartfield Road – top end – have steep steps to the rear making heavy and bulky deliveries impossible.  Similar practical difficulties occur in the Square. It was considered impractical to ask that deliveries be made at less busy times. It was decided that the inconvenience was the price we had to pay for keeping our excellent local shops.       

Proposal - 5

Review the visual aspect of business frontages including business signs

 Priority:  Medium       Timescale:  9 months

Results to Date

This was thought to be the responsibility of business owners.  The only action anyone can take is to bring pressure to bear on the District Council to enforce planning permission and directives for the Conservation Area. 

 Proposal – 6

Ensure footpaths, twittens and pavements throughout the village allow satisfactory access for pushchairs, wheelchairs and disabled residents. 

Priority:  High        Timescale:  12 to 18 months 

Results to Date 

Hedges Surveys have been made throughout the year.  Resulting overgrown hedges have been reported to the Parish Council.  Action was taken at Gilham View on the A22 in February but in other parts of the village it was felt politic to wait until the autumn before writing to specific residents if at all.Twice yearly reminder will be put in Newslink. 

Drop Kerbs Following a meeting with ESCC in April, these have been installed at almost all junctions throughout the village making wheelchair access possible from all directions into the village centre and around the village centre. 

Access to Shops and Amenities Our disabled representative did not conduct the promised survey on our behalf although we believe she intends privately to focus on certain premises which she deems do not meet access criteria.  The committee will now follow up initial approaches made to the East Grinstead Access Group.

Proposal - 7

Ensure walking access along pavements is safe for all residents giving particular attention to Priory Road for schoolchildren. 

Priority:  Medium        Timescale:  Within 3 years 

Results to Date 

Review of all pavements has been carried out.  Many have poor access but are in locations where nothing can be done.  Priory Road outside Gas House Cottages, whilst still remaining dangerously narrow, has been made marginally better by drop kerbs being installed to allow pedestrians to use the wider pavement from the village on the cemetery side then crossing over just past the cemetery to the wider pavement past Gas House Cottages.Priory Road is way down on the list for traffic calming by ESCC but is on it.  When this happens will be the time to get some real improvement to the pavement width there, possibly as part of a build out.

Proposal - 8

Reduce the through traffic on the A22 in the village centre. 

Priority:  High        Timescale:  5 to 10 years 

Results to Date 

Group 5 is a member of the Parish Council Relief Road Steering Group whose terms of reference are, inter alia, ‘actively to advance the united policy of Forest Row to prevent any relief road (for East Grinstead) from re-entering the A22 north of the village’ The steering group has helped to form the Parish Council’s actions in relation to the East Grinstead relief road to be funded by the 2,500 new home development planned on the south west side of East Grinstead. The group has not met since June and is now awaiting the outcome of the Mid-Sussex District Council consultation exercise over the housing development and relief road. It was NOTED that many business people were against any by pass for Forest Row – as it is considered this would adversely affect trade.It is recommended that the Steering Group leaves the issue of the A22 traffic to the Parish Council Relief Road Steering Committee and disbands its own Group. 

Proposal – 9

Improve the safety of all users of Hartfield Road and Newlands Place. 

Priority:  High            Timescale:  15 – 18 months 

Results to Date 

SID operators report a definite reduction in speed along Hartfield Road, though this might possibly be due to the sight of their luminous jackets.At other times, there is an element of Forest Row which still uses Hartfield Road as a racetrack – namely boy racers.  Additionally, there is concern at the speed at which people drive during the rush hour.  Culprits identified are mothers taking children to school as well as commuters.SID has lost some operators but gained others.  They are always looking for more. 

Proposal – 10

Enhance the safety of users of the Forest Way and ensure they are aware of the basic amenities in the village. 

Priority:  High        Timescale:  12 months 

Results to Date 

Following discussions with East Sussex Cycling Safety Officer and in response to complaints to East Sussex and Sustrans about a group of speeding, inconsiderate and foul-mouthed cyclists some temporary signs were sited on the route. Unfortunately they were soon destroyed. So far we have not been able to find out whether the problem occurred in the Forest Row section.

East Sussex have now appointed a  new part-time ranger with sole responsibility for their section of the Forest Way and he and the Sustrans voluntary ranger have been briefed about the problem. The fate of the temporary signs does reinforce the opinion expressed by the professionals at our first meeting that the expected lifespan of signage along routes is rather short, and unlikely to be read by those who cause grief.

The notice boards provided by the Parish have not escaped attention from vandals.  A Forest Way Code has been produced and two temporary copies have been fitted below the village maps.  We will be getting two more printed using special inks and laminates so that they don't fade.

Proposal – 11

Ensure all residents and visitors can access information about village services and amenities 

Priority:  High        Timescale:  6 to 9 months 

Results to Date 

The new Parish Council Website should be up and running within one month. This will give us greater control over input to the system and will enable both the calendar and contacts to be updated much more easily and quickly. 

Proposal - 12

Ensure the village has satisfactory public toilets. 

Priority:  Medium       Timescale:  Ongoing 

Results to Date 

Wealden have repaired the existing toilets and this facility has been preserved and is being operated by Wealden.  The toilets are open seven days a week, although their cleanliness is questionable.

Proposal - 13

Provide more parking places. 

Priority:  Medium        Timescale:  5 years 

Results to Date 

It was agreed that lack of parking was a problem and could affect the shops and businesses adversely.  It was considered that increasing the number of short stay spaces in Foresters Car Park may help a little but an additional car park was needed.  A survey of car parking should be carried out.  The Business Forum newsletter has included a request for businesses to review their parking arrangements and make the best of any space available.   

Proposal – 14

Ensure residents can recycle as much rubbish as possible and encourage them to do so. 

Priority:  Medium        Timescale:  2 to 3 years     

Results to Date 

Kerbside Collection Wealden District Council cabinet has approved the financial implications and it is planned to set up meetings with the parishes to discuss implementation programmes.  

Cardboard from businessesAn initial meeting with a contractor to explore options identified a preferred option of shared a bin in the business park.  The initiative has been handed to Future Cycles.

Proposal - 15

To continue to press for affordable housing for the people of Forest Row 

Priority:  High            Timescale:  2 years 

Results to Date 

The group requested that an item be put in the Business Forum Newsletter asking if any businesses could show that they have difficulty recruiting or keeping staff because of the lack of low cost housing.  There has been no responseIt would seem we can only ask the Parish Council to keep pressure on WDC to provide more low cost housing and support any efforts they make to provide this.The Group agreed that it was paramount that low cost housing should go to local people and should stay low cost.  Perhaps the latter could be achieved by a Section 106 agreement imposed by the Planning Committee.

Proposal – 16

Enhance employment and inter-business opportunities in the village. 

Priority:  Medium        Timescale:  12 months 

Results to Date 

Two representatives from the Business Forum have attended our meetings – together with another ex member….all from the retail side. It was stressed that we would welcome representatives for other businesses but none were forthcoming. Despite attempts by some members to rejuvenate it, the Business Forum is not active or thriving, possibly due to a lack of purpose (despite there being 160 paid up members). The group seems to lack leadership and a pressing issue to deal with. (The forum was set up to deal with the implications of the roundabout scheme). One positive point was interest shown in the possibility of businesses being interested in joining Parish Council staff in training – in particular with Food Hygiene.It was felt than that both the committee and the Parish Council were powerless to inject life into the Business Forum but it was noted that a member of the council had been appointed to attend meetings and report back.The Christmas Shopping Evening is unlikely to go ahead this year.  December is necessarily a very busy time for shopkeepers who don’t have the time to organise an event like this.  Also, not all the shops in the village have opened during the last two years giving the Shopping Evening a piecemeal effect.  It was agreed that it could be really good but needed the support of all the shops in the village and additional activities to attract people to the event.  It also needed to be run by someone other than a shopkeeper. This
will be discussed at the Community Liaison Group meeting on 18^th October, although it will be too late for 2006. 

Future of the Plan 

At its meeting in September, the Steering Group decided after discussion that, with the exception of Group 1, the other five groups had done as much as they could.  It was agreed that those items already identified should be handed over to the Parish Council and the future role of the Steering Group henceforth should be purely monitoring.   Group 1 (Proposals 1,2,3,6,7,9 and 12) would pursue its unfinished business, although it was acknowledged that the nature of Group 1's brief meant that it was, in reality, never ending.       The Steering Group would now meet every six months for updates and report on the objectives outlined in the Parish Plan.