Little Wenlock occupies a unique position within the Borough of Telford & Wrekin as a rural area with great recreational attractions and some of the localityís most valuable and vulnerable environmental assets.
Being right on the edge of Telford, Little Wenlock enjoys a number of advantages not normally associated with such a rural parish. These include proximity to major sources of employment, as well as substantial shopping, entertainment, education and healthcare facilities.
As a direct consequence the provision of many such facilities within the parish is nowhere near as vital as it is in more remote rural communities.-
However the accessibility of the facilities offered by Telford to many parish residents is limited by distances too great for walking, terrain not conducive to cycling and an almost total lack of public transport.
Road (and to a certain extent also rail) links to the region and beyond are also particularly good, given Telford's modern transport infrastructure. Again, though, parishionersí access to both is restricted by the generally poor standard of local road maintenance and extremely limited winter gritting and snow clearance.
With its natural beauty, landscape value, tranquility and environmental richness so conveniently located, the parish has obvious recreational attractions for the people of Telford. Within this context, one of the communityís single greatest challenges is to ensure the parish remains open and accessible to these visitors while preventing the pressures they create spoiling the natural environment or interfering with either the amenity of residents or the business needs of the farming community.
In preserving its rural character, everything possible needs to be done to protect the parish from creeping ësub-urbanisationí from the expanding town on its doorstep. All the more so with the extent to which the communities have become ëresidentialisedí over the past 50 years through a combination of housing development and the progressive decline in local employment.-
Against this background, the parish has agreed the following simple vision to guide its development over the Plan period.
Little Wenlock wishes to maintain the highest possible quality of life for all its residents within a thriving modern village community and a diverse, tranquil and sustainable rural environment.
Extensive consultation with parishioners has identified a number of key priorities to be addressed in parish development.
There is considerable concern over the speeds at which many vehicles move through several parts of the parish. The recent introduction of speed limits in Little Wenlock village may help to reduce this problem, but the community is keen to explore ways in which traffic speed reductions can be further encouraged both within the main settlements and in the narrow country lanes around them. There is strong support for appropriate forms of traffic calming in the main settlements, together with the designation of local roads as Quiet Lanes.-
The lack of sufficient quality road and verge maintenance, gully and surface cleaning and snow clearance and gritting are also major highway concerns amongst all sections of the community.
An extension of pavements within the main settlements is considered inappropriate by most people, as is the use of yellow lines to encourage off-road parking. Opinion is divided on the need to improve the standard of village street lighting.
Public transport is seen as clearly insufficient, with older residents, young people and families with only one car keen to achieve better access to shopping, healthcare and entertainment facilities within the town centre and the other urban areas.
Some people would like to see a better bus service, while others would welcome facilities to encourage cycling and/or car sharing.
However, there is particular interest in a more flexible taxi voucher scheme for those needing public transport instead of any improvement in bus services.
While the majority of residents believe we need more job opportunities within the parish, opinion is divided on the extent to which appropriate local small business developments should be allowed or encouraged. Opinion is equally divided on the desirability of new housing in the parish, with a significant minority of residents strongly against any new development.
Accepting that some new housing is inevitable within the Plan period and in the context of the Telford & Wrekin Local Plan, the community is heavily against concentrating residential development into estates. Instead, there is a strong feeling that new housing should be confined to individual units within the parish as a whole rather than just its main settlement.
There is also a strong desire to make adequate provision for affordable housing for local people.
Further open cast mining and waste disposal are developments the overwhelming majority of residents feel should be resisted within the parish.
A substantial majority of parishioners see a need for better childrenís playing facilities within the parish. Better facilities are sought for both younger and older children, with improved sports facilities also considered a priority.
Opinion is divided on the desirability of extra public footpaths or bridleways within the parish. However, there is a strong desire for better signage and maintenance of existing rights of way.
Although some people would be keen to see a Post Office and village shop re-established within Little Wenlock, there is a general feeling that the level of usage would be unlikely to justify this; especially so with Horsehay Post Office nearby and the relative richness of shopping facilities on the edge of and within Telford.
In view of the development of home-working, interest is also expressed in ensuring the telephone system is updated for IT use. A local produce market in the new village hall has some appeal.
A strong desire is evident for better tasting drinking water, improved recycling facilities and a regular parish rubbish skip service.
The vast majority of parishioners believe more should be done to encourage improvements in home energy efficiency and the use of solar panels, in particular.
This is also clear enthusiasm for encouraging more local renewable energy production, although the balance of opinion is marginally against local wind energy generation.-
To guide the development of the parish, seven key principles have been identified: