February 2011 and after two years of diligent work by the steering group as well as many members of the wider community, the Otford Parish Plan is almost ready to go to print. Our Parish Council have reviewed all the content of the plan and support the results. Members of the steering group have also concluded extended discussions with the head of strategic planning, head of community services and of housing policy at Sevenoaks District Council. They too are preparing their own plan for the whole Sevenoaks district so wished to ensure that Otford’s proposals were not at variance with the Local Design Framework Core Strategy. They are not and the officers have been full of advice on how we might achieve some of our targets. Now we are at the stage of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s of the final document. We are at present editing hundreds of local and community photos and designing the final lay-out for Part One of this 40-odd page, full-colour plan. We hope be in print by the end of March. A copy will then get delivered to every household in the parish. Part Two is a different kind of document entirely and will only be available from the Parish Office. It is what we call the Action Document and contains the specific actions that are being proposed to carry out the wishes of the community. It details who will be leading each section of work forward, who will be helping, how it will get funded and so on. No pictures this time, just a lengthy schedule of proposed works for the community to undertake in the future. Otford’s Parish Plan is not just a bunch of wishful thinking, as some would believe it. The Action plans are entirely practical, do’able projects which the steering group have given a lot of time and thought to. A number of them are already in the early planning stage and you would be surprised at what is already being achieved. They won’t all happen tomorrow. Some will take time. They are all though achievable if you believe that they are worthwhile. So at the end of the day it will be up to you, the community, to give your support and help see them carried through. Rod Shelton, Chaiman Otford Parish plan Steering Group
