PRESS RELEASE
22 January 2009
Envisage publishes its Report and Action Plan
- Thousands of residents, companies and visitors have said what they want
- A company is established to take this forward
- Surrey County Council and Elmbridge Borough Council are among the organisations encouraged to act
Envisage, the survey designed to identify and record the views and aspirations of the local community in the Surrey villages of Cobham, Downside, Oxshott and Stoke D'Abernon, and to make proposals for action, has completed its Report and Action Plan.
Volunteers who helped with the survey (which they found to be a community building exercise in itself) did their best to deliver questionnaires to every household and business in the area. The response, something over 37% from households and 21% from businesses, provided a robust and significant indication of what people think.
Unsurprisingly, many residents responded positively to the survey, expressing much pride and satisfaction in living in this affluent and congenial part of the world. They liked for example the green spaces and rural aspect of the villages, the shopping areas and the convenient rail and road transport links into and away from central London and to and from the airports.
But there were some clearly identifiable themes of discontent:
- The pace and character of new commercial and residential development ('too many estate agents'; 'destruction of pleasant older houses and their replacement by monstrosities')
- Traffic congestion ('too many 4x4s'; 'not enough regular bus services') and the poor quality of road maintenance
- Lack of facilities for teenagers ('need to develop community centres to offer leisure opportunities other than wandering the streets')
A new Company, Envisage Action Limited, has been formed to take actions forward where it can and to prompt and assist implementation where other bodies are needed.
Many areas for action require the involvement of existing Authorities. Where this is the case discussions will be held with them to explain what people want and to engage and encourage them to act. Talks are already taking place with both Surrey County Council and Elmbridge Borough Council to develop strategies to address the local community concerns that fall within their remits.
Vital to success in deepening and implementing the Action Plan will be the support that the local community are able to give to Envisage in both financial and human resource terms. Nick Driver, Chairman of the Envisage Steering Committee says, “People have expressed their views with candour and we are grateful to everyone for their input. We now need volunteers to help enhance and deliver the Action Plan that has emerged. We will be delighted to discuss with individuals, local organisations and companies how best they can use the Envisage initiative to further their preferred causes and deliver the changes that the local community want to see. I am sure that there are some ‘quick wins’, while other issues will take longer.”
As an additional next step, Envisage is seeking charitable status for Envisage Action Limited.
For more information visit the Envisage website: http://www.envisage.org.uk/. Copies of the Report and Action Plan are available to download now. Hard copies can also be read at the Cobham Public Library or can be purchased at The Cobham Bookshop for £5 (to cover the cost of printing). The detailed Worksheets and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis from which the survey questionnaires were developed can also be viewed on the website. Enquiries can be directed to members of the Steering Committee whose contact details are on the website.
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| Report and Action Plan (Click on the report to download a copy in PDF format. The file is 5.3MB and will take approximately 30 seconds to download on a typical Broadband connection or 15 - 20 minutes using a modem.) |
Supporting information (Click on the links to see more) |
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