The Community Planning Group has met for the last time, not around a committee table, but in the Kings Head for a splendid farewell dinner.

The group had been set up to perform a specific task- to produce a Community Action Plan for North Elmham, and this, with the help of nearly every household in Elmham has been achieved. We are particularly grateful to the volunteers who delivered and collected the questionnaires as well as to those who performed the tedious task of creating a computer database from the 50,000 answers received.  The information had then to be quantified and the attractive Community Action Plan printed. This was then delivered by hand to every household in the parish as well as County School. It has all been a tremendous team effort and the final product reflects, not the views of the Community Planning Group, but all of you who answered the questionnaire.  Some of the ideas put forward may be long term aspirations, while others may well be practical in the short term if we work together as a community to achieve them. While the new Parish Council may well be able to provide the leadership for some, others will be taken on by independent community groups. It will be no use sitting back and waiting for ‘them’ to do something.
An early priority to be taken on by the Parish Council will probably be the purchase of the village green from the county council and raising the money. Once that is achieved there will be the possibility of moving the children’s playground there (something which received strong support in the questionnaire). The church has already taken on board the support given in the questionnaire for developing facilities at St Mary’s to include better disabled access, toilets and a meeting room. The PCC has commissioned an architect and is seeking approval for such changes. This may also be the time to consider building a new community hall on a new site: something that is possible if the community would like it to happen. Other popular ideas were the computer courses in the village, and new footpaths.
We hope that the Community Action Plan will now act as a catalyst for the changes the community wants. However, the Group which organised it has now done its job and would like to thank everyone who helped make it a success. I think we all feel it has been a pleasure to be part of it.
Peter Wade-Martins, Chair, CPG