Section Five

Consultations

Three distinct consultations were conducted in the parish: An Open Day, a stand at the Little Marlow Village Fete and, later, a Questionnaire circulated to every residence in the Parish.

Open Day

On  26^th June 2004 the committee organised an Open Day at two venues; the Pavilion in Little Marlow and the Abbotsbrook Hall in Well End. Both venues were well attended by interested members of the community and the feedback to the committee was most valuable.

Village Fete

The Little Marlow Amenities Committee provided a prime location at the fete in August 2004 and that also provided complementary and additional information not just from residents, but also from visitors to the area of Little Marlow.

At both the Open Day and the Fete visitors to our stands were invited to identify specific issues that were of concern to them individually. The committee needed this detailed information in order to prepare the questionnaire and to ensure that it was properly focussed on the issues causing concern.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire, with a separate questionnaire for the under 18s, was drafted and delivered by hand to every address in the Parish. Included with the questionnaire was a pre-paid return envelope. The committee felt that this was a wise expenditure, as it would ensure a better return of the document. This proved to be the case. A closing date of 20^th October was initially opted for but by that time only 12% of responses had been received. However, replies continued to trickle in right up to the end of 2004. The final tally amounted to over 18% of the residents. The committee felt that this was a satisfactory result and Roger Fisher was tasked with providing an analysis of the data.

His initial analysis gave cause for concern, as it appeared that the results were heavily weighted in favour of the elderly; their input seemed to be disproportionate. It was decided to investigate this apparent imbalance by comparing our received data with the demographic profile of Little Marlow. Wycombe District Council provided us with the relevant documents and it was found that the demographics of the parish were very much in line with the quality of the response.

Based on the feedback from the Open Day and the Fete, the committee decided to opt for simple questions in the questionnaire; questions that reflected the already stated concerns of the public.  See attached Adult and Junior Questionnaires.

Question 1 

asked if the needs of various groups (Mothers with young children, Senior Citizens, Young People etc.) were adequately catered for in the Parish and surrounding area.

Question 2

 asked respondents to identify particular problems following question 1

Question 3

asked what aspects (Road Safety, Policing, Housing, Medical etc,) needed improvement.

Question 4                                       

Qualified Q3 by asking respondents to rate factors in order of importance and invited comment on improvements thought necessary.

Question 5                                       

dealt solely with transport provision.

Question 6                                       

gave respondents an opportunity to identify particular transport needs.

Question 7                                       

was directed to visitors and leisure. It concerned facilities and parking.

Question 8                                       

gave respondents the opportunity to offer suggestions for improvements.

Question 9                                       

invited respondents to identify changes they would/would not like to see.

Question 10                                     

merely gathered demographic data from the respondents.

Summary of Consultations

The main concern, as expressed at the Open Day, at the fete and in the questionnaire was the subject of Policing, or, as perceived by our respondents, the lack of it.

The next concern was Road Safety. This was sub-divided under several headings. There was concern over the speed of traffic on the A4155 (Marlow to Bourne End road) and in Sheepridge lane. There was concern over the safety of pedestrians and, stemming from that, provision of footpaths and pavements. 

Concern was also expressed regarding proposed further building development within or adjacent to the County Park.

Summary   -  Introduction  -  Section 1  -  Section 2  - Section 3  -  Section 4  -  Section 5  -  Section 6  -  Section 7

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03/07/2007

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