Parish Plans
Parish Plans were originally introduced by the Countryside Agency as part of the Vital Villages initiative. Due to the closure of the Vital Villages programme from 1st April 2004, The Countryside Agency will no longer be awarding grants but will concentrate on sharing best practice from the programme. The District Council continues to encourage and support groups who wish to undertake the production of Parish Plans, recognising the important role they can play in planning for the future and improving residents' quality of life.
Community consultation is integral to Parish Plan production
Parish Plans are intended to take a holistic view of village life and differ from Village Design Statements which are far narrower in their remit and focus on the quality of the built environment. Local communities have a unique appreciation and understanding of their local community and a Parish Plan is based on this knowledge. It is a document compiled and produced by a community to assess, prioritise and address the issues of concern to them.
If the Parish Plan is endorsed by the District Council (and other bodies identified as Partners such as the Local Education Authority, Highway Authority, residents groups, businesses, interest groups etc) it will be used in decision making.
The best Parish Plans incorporate an 'Action Plan' which sets out succinctly the issues of most concern to the local Community, identifies actions to address those issues, the main body (and any partner bodies) responsible for their implementation and the timescale within which implementation is sought. An example of one of the issues addressed in a typical Action Plan is shown below. It is envisaged that the Parish Council will take responsibility for overseeing implementation of the actions and will hold the relevant body accountable if progress is not made. Action Plans can be reviewed and updated at the Annual General Meeting. A detailed explanation and example of an Action Plan is set out under the 'Help is at Hand' section of the text.
| Issue | Action | Lead Body | Partners | Timescale |
| Lack of Affordable Housing | Carry out a Housing needs Survey | Parish Council | East Devon District Council Housing Association Residents Association |
by July 2005 |
Many communities in East Devon are involved in the production of Parish Plans.Indeed they have become so popular that several towns are also producing a larger scale version, the Town Plan or Strategy, to which the information on this page is equally applicable. The production of these documents gives people a constructive means by which they may become involved in the future of their community and influence the way in which actions are implemented.
The appearance and content of every Parish Plan will vary greatly
Parish Plans have been endorsed for 31 parishes.
Please click on the relevant Town/Parish to download
All Saints Parish Plan and Village Design Statement (10234KB - 03 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Awliscombe Parish Plan (2023KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Axminster Community Plan (1889KB - 22 April 2010 - PDF Help)
Axmouth Parish Plan (3263KB - 19 September 2011 - PDF Help)
Aylesbeare Parish Plan and Village Design Statement (14968KB - 03 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Bishops Clyst Parish Plan and Village Design Statement (1133KB - 03 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Brampford Speke Parish Plan (2674KB - 24 February 2011 - PDF Help)
Broadhembury Parish Plan and Village Design Statement (31874KB - 24 February 2011 - PDF Help)
Chardstock Parish Plan (16072KB - 08 September 2011 - PDF Help)
Colyton Parish Plan (10374KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Dunkeswell Parish Plan (1052KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Farringdon Parish Plan (1197KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Feniton Parish Plan (7481KB - 10 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Gittisham (2541KB - 19 September 2011 - PDF Help)
Honiton Town Plan (980KB - 10 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Kilmington Parish Plan (5488KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Luppitt Parish Plan (1182KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Lympstone Parish Plan (3558KB - 21 February 2011 - PDF Help)
Membury Parish Plan (10904KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Musbury Parish Plan (1295KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Northleigh Parish Plan (664KB - 18 November 2011 - PDF Help)
Offwell Parish Plan (3272KB - 08 September 2011 - PDF Help)
Ottery St Mary Town Plan (5349KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Seaton Town Strategy (9440KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Stockland Parish Plan (7274KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Talaton Parish Plan (3941KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Talaton Parish Plan 2009 (1727KB - 23 February 2010 - PDF Help)
Uplyme Parish Plan and Village Design Statement (7419KB - 04 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Upottery Parish Plan (143KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Upton Pyne & Cowley (6777KB - 31 March 2011 - PDF Help)
Whimple Parish Plan (3437KB - 27 November 2009 - PDF Help)
Widworthy Parish Plan (3418KB - 10 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Yarcombe and Marsh Parish Plan and Village Design Statement (14111KB - 03 December 2009 - PDF Help)
Yarcombe Parish Plan Update 2010 (19KB - 07 July 2010 - PDF Help)
What is the Parish Plan?
Can the Parish Plan be carried out with other projects?
How can we obtain help?
What process should we follow?
How long will it take?
How much will it cost?
How will Parish Plans fit into the new planning system and Local Development Frameworks?
If you would like to produce a Parish Plan, would like copies of the endorsed Parish plans or would like to discuss the initiative further please contact Frank Woolston, Senior Planning Officer on 01395 516551 ext 2282 or email fwoolston@eastdevon.gov.uk
Page last updated on 24 May 2012
Useful Contacts
- Planning Department
Council Offices
Knowle
Sidmouth
EX10 8HL - Would you like to talk to someone about this?
Call: (01395) 571531 - Would you like to email a comment or a question on this?
- Follow the Recycling and Refuse team on:
