WELCOME TO FELSTED

The Neighbourhood Plan team has advised that the Neighbourhood Plan – Pre-Submission Draft is now published and available for you to examine in detail on the Felsted Neighbourhood Plan website.

The Plan has taken an incredible amount of work by the Steering Group and has been a long time in the making, but it’s here now! Non computer users can also borrow paper copies of the NP, and response forms, from the PC Office, Linsells, The Swan, The Chequers and Andersons Estate Agency.

The Plan, supported by your Parish Council at a formal vote this week,  sets out how we believe you want to see development in Felsted over the coming 15 years, the Plan Period. The Plan is a substantial document comprising 70 pages with 36 draft policies covering our schools, our heritage, the rural economy, how we value the environment and, of course, housing development.

The NP Steering Committee are holding a number of ‘drop-in’ sessions:

• Memorial Hall on Friday 10 August 5-8pm;
• Primary School Hall on Saturday 8 September 10- 1pm;
• and finally in the URC Hall Committee Room in Stebbing Road from Monday 17 September to Friday 21 September (inclusive) from 4-8pm each day.

At all these sessions residents can discuss the policies and clarify any queries with Steering Group members.

Please take the time to look at the NP document and let us have your feedback either via the Survey Monkey on the NP website or using the paper response form available with the paper copies of the document.

The deadline for receiving your responses is 21st September 2018.

The  value of a fully adopted Neighbourhood Plan was made clear at this month’s Uttlesford (UDC) Planning Meeting, where 2 proposed developments in Watchhouse Green, totalling  some 60+ houses, were rejected by UDC, despite one being identified as a site for potential development in UDC’s draft Local Plan.

A significant factor in this decision was the existence of the draft Neighbourhood Plan, which rejected these sites.

There is huge pressure from developers seeking to be allowed build wherever they can make money, with no genuine community interest. They use the lack of a finalised UDC Local Plan, and UDC not currently being able to demonstrate the required pipeline of house building (5 years), in their arguments, and often win.

If we are to maintain some level of self determination in the house building and planning processes for Felsted for the coming years, It is essential that we all read, comment on as appropriate, and ultimately vote to adopt our Neighbourhood Plan.

Do you really need to see a doctor?

It would be difficult not to be aware of the pressures currently faced by the NHS – as many of us who have struggled get an appointment to see our GP know only too well. You don’t need a doctor to refer you to all health and wellbeing services however.  In Uttlesford we have a single website where you can search and identify local services for yourself and then make a self-referral – this means you get the support you need more quickly, without waiting to see your doctor – and medical staff have more time to spend with patients who have urgent needs.

Local services that accept self-referrals include:

• Essex child and family wellbeing services; including health visiting, parenting support, school nursing and support for children aged 5 – 19 (or 25 for children with special educational needs and disabilities) which includes help with dental care, immunisations, physical, emotional or developmental problems
• Mental health services; adult mental health wellbeing services and talking therapies for depression and anxiety
• Counselling services, including for children
• Mentoring services for children and young people and support for children who have been bullied
• Free weight management services, help to stop smoking or to make other lifestyle changes
• Support services for parents of young children and children with learning or developmental disabilities, such as autism
• NHS heart health checks
• Cancer information and support services
• Drugs and alcohol support, recovery programmes and family support
• Support for anyone dealing with domestic violence
• Support for long term health conditions such as COPD, Parkinson’s, MS or dementia
• Support services for carers, including young carers

Simply go to www.uttlesfordfrontline.org.uk and look for services by entering key words into the search area.  For example typing in ‘children’ will bring up all the local services that can help with many of the challenges being a parent can, and does, provide!  If you use a mobile device, you may prefer to download the ‘Frontline Public’ app from the App Store or google play.

If you don’t have access to the internet at home, you can get online for free at your local library, (ask staff to help you), or alternatively call Healthwatch on 0300 500 1895 for details of services in your local area. Uttlesford Citizens Advice can also make referrals on your behalf; call for an appointment on 01799 618840.

Barnards Yard, CB11 4EB

T: 01799 618840 

W: uttlesfordcab.org.uk

E: Please use the link from our website to contact us by email

Saffron Walden 9.30 to 3.30 M.T.Th.F. (appointments available Weds)

Great Dunmow 9.30 to 3.30 T. Th.

Thaxted 2pm and 3pm Tuesday (Fortnightly, appointment only)

Stansted Mountfitchet 9.30 to 12.30 Thursday – appointments only

Uttlesford District Council Offices Tuesdays (fortnightly, drop in)

The Felsted Neighbourhood Plan – Pre-Submission Draft is now available via the Neighbourhood Plan Website.

The Neighbourhood Plan Steering group has invested a huge amount of their own time to help the Parish establish a Plan and we all owe them a debt of gratitude for the work they have undertaken.

The Plan will set out how the community wish to see Felsted develop over the coming 15 years, including for important local facilities like the doctors’ surgery, taking important aspects of local control, rather than leaving the process in the hands of developers and the Uttlesford Local Plan.

Every household will receive a summary document through the post. In addition, the full document can be read online or in selected locations around the Parish. Details are on the Neighbourhood Plan site.

Please read the full news item on the Neighbourhood Plan site, where you can submit comments via the “Survey Monkey” link.