Poor return from appraisals

ONLY 119 village appraisal questionnaires were received, South Walsham parish councillors heard.

Most of those who returned the forms were aged 40 to 79, had lived in the village for more than 10 years, were retired or in full employment and used a car.

There were many suggestions for improvements to signs in the village, requests for traffic calming and comments about parking problems. A few people volunteered to train to do the community speedwatch.

There was strong support for the village facilities, especially the post office, with most people also appreciating the importance of the primary school.

Some of the findings of the appraisal included:

Most people welcomed new business in the village.

A large number live in three or four bedroomed houses which they own

Residents were split as to whether they wanted new housing in the village, although most felt some affordable housing was needed.

Only 14 children were reported to attend Fairhaven Primary School - although there are in fact 102 pupils - and 15 attend Acle High School. It is presumed many families with children did not complete the form.

About one-third of the respondents attended the village hall only annually for village events.

Many residents wanted improvements to the appointment system at Acle Medical Centre, with the out-of-hours service listed second as needing change.

Many residents also would like to be able to join a local NHS dentist.

Over half of respondents use the glass recycling bins at the Kings Arms. There were suggestions for locations for litter bins which will be passed on to Broadland District Council, together with requests for additional recycling facilities such as plastics and clothing.

About three-quarters of those who replied knew who their parish councillors were and were aware of the dates of council meetings.