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  We are delighted to confirm that funding to continue our work has been secured for the next financial year 2023/24. The steering group has successfully applied for £9500 in grant funding through Locality again to cover the work to turn our evidence and vision into a plan this Autumn.  We are grateful for the support of Tavistock Town Council and the many stakeholders, supporters and town residents whose contribution to the preparation of the plan and its ultimate success is so vital. We also welcome a new Community Steering Group member, Gemma Loving, who is a local resident and working architect who will be joining our housing topic lead in helping to shape policies responsive to the vision for housing in the plan. In this newsletter we focus on some of the research our team are doing for Community Facilities; Green Spaces & Environment; Heritage and Housing. This is part of our ‘evidence gathering’ activities. We also let you know about our plans for the rest of 2023. …. and, of course, we invite you to get involved –   click here Housing Stories The steering group is working with Devon Communities Together to document the stories of local people struggling to find appropriate housing in Tavistock parish.  If you have a recent story about the difficulty of finding high-quality accommodation, rented, social rented or purchased, and would like to share that story with the team at Devon Communities Together please email [email protected] Stories will be collected by the project team and may be anonymised before being presented as part of the evidence base so individuals may speak freely about the issues they are facing. Design Guide The Steering Group is seeking technical assistance from Aecom looking into the  creating a limited design guide to go in the plan to address issues identified in the initial survey like connected transport, green energy solutions and accessibility.   Heritage Structures for local listing Work is continuing to compile a list for inclusion, thanks to the enthusiastic work of residents, including members of the Tavistock History Society. There is still time for you to add to the list – visit our website and click on ‘get involved’ tab tavistockplan.info/get-involved Scroll down to Heritage Local List Twenty eight buildings and structures are currently being assessed – such as these four in the photos!  Can you identify them? ( Answers at the end of the newsletter ☺ ) Green Spaces & Environment Protecting Whitchurch from Flooding The Steering Group met with West Country Rivers Trust to gather evidence about improvements that can help control run-off and fast flowing water due to localised heavy rain created by changes in climate. Thursday 31st August between 1.30 and 3.30 pm in Whitchurch Community Hall will be a chance for any members of the public concerned or interested to get involved with the Westcountry Rivers Trust Rapic River Project.  This is an opportunity to work with the community to identify community preferences for building resilience to flooding in Whitchurch.  Places on the event are free and can be reserved on West Country Rivers Trust website (https://wrt.org.uk/event/whitchurch-community-co-creation-event/) Protecting Tavistock’s Views Do you have a favourite iconic view in and around Tavistock? The Tavistock Neighbourhood Development Plan team are keen to know what vistas are important to you so that we can protect the most important and relevant of these from future inappropriate development.  Here is a photo of one we all know and love, Looking down West Street, Tavistock . If you would like to suggest a view that needs protection, please visit our website and click on‘get involved’ tab. tavistockplan.info/get-involved   Scroll down to Protecting Tavistock’s Views where you will find the details you need to nominate your favourite vista(s). Community Facilities We want your opinions Tavistock residents will have an opportunity to give their views on the town’s sports and community facilities in a short on-line survey later this year. The survey will aim to discover any gaps in the range of provision for all age groups and ensure that the community’s views on how current facilities should be maintained or developed in the future are included in the final neighbourhood development plan. Meanwhile….. Tavistock Youth Café is currently gathering opinions on how a new skatepark should be developed. You can take part by clicking here . Results from both surveys will be analysed to make sure that preferences for all community facilities are covered in the resulting plan.  What Next……. Over the autumn and winter we will be finalising our draft policies, from our ‘evidence gathering’ phase, for the six areas the local community has asked us to focus on:  Business;  Community Facilities; Green Spaces & Environment; Heritage; Housing; Transport & Connectivity. Once the policies are drafted with the support of our contracted consultant, we then return to ‘consulting the community’ phase.  This is when we ask you to consider and comment on and improve our plans. You can also share your thoughts with us along the way by email [email protected] In the spring of 2024 we will submit the Neighbourhood Plan, once you’ve had a chance to comment and we have amended the plan accordingly, to West Devon Borough Council for the next stages of consultation. Click here for details Neighbourhood Planning We have embarked on creating a plan that will inform planning applications in Tavistock for ten years and more.  We will have the opportunity to revise and fine tune policies every five years along the way. We want to ensure we ALL have the chance to say what kind of a place we would like to live in. The Neighbourhood Plan is our way to help us achieve this. You can visit our website tavistockplan.info for full details on our activities including steering group meeting minutes, and draft policy documents, ensuring residents are kept up to date as our plan is developed in the coming months. You can also follow us on social media If you have any thoughts or comments please email: [email protected] As always, we thank you for your continued feedback, enthusiam and support. Stuart Honey – Steering Group Secretary (photos answers from top left clockwise: George V Jubillee Arch River Walk, Tavistock; Buildings top left Paddons Row, Tavistock; Village stocks St. Andrew’s Churchyard, Whitchurch; Bandstand The Meadows, Tavistock)