The allocation of Green Spaces has been suggested as the starting point for our Consett Area Neighbourhood Plan. We have the advantage of living in a beautiful place, and as an area, we are on the edge of the North Pennines, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Help us preserve and enhance the beauty of our area.
Over 700 Green Spaces in our Area
Jo-Anne Garrick, our consultant has identified over 700 Green Spaces within the Consett Area - we then asked the community to help us categorise and identify further potential green spaces,. We have a list of the designated spaces, and Jo-Anne has identified a further 46 potential sites.
Community Consultation
On the 3rd April, a large group of us met at Blackhill Baptist Hall and spent the evening examining maps of the area to establish where we could allocate green space status. We allocated people to teams according to area, with a leader for each team - and we had a team for Leadgate and Medomsley, Consett North , Consett South, Delves Lane and Benfieldside wards. We were delighted that three of our councillors came along to support us, their local knowledge was a great help. We are really grateful for the amount of support we had on the evening, it was great success. It was fabulous to see everyone working together towards a common purpose. In essence, the sooner we get this done, the quicker the production of the Neighbourhood Plan will be.
Next Steps
On the 14th April we will be holding our full Forum meeting where we ask for feedback with regard to the draft of what we hope to include in the Consett Area Neighbourhood Plan. In addition to this, we have created an online form for people to give feedback. We will also be attending a variety of community events to encourage people to engage with the process, and appreciate what we are doing and why, as well as have a direct input into what they would like for our area.
What can you do?
All that we are asking of the community is to spread the word. If you would like to be involved, join the Forum, or just come along to meetings as a guest. If you work, or have a business in Consett, complete our online business questionnaire. Your feedback is invaluable to the process. Please take part, and encourage others to show an interest. The more input we get, the more representative and comprehensive our Neighbourhood Plan will be.
Take part
Our next face to face event is Sunday April 14th, 2.00-4.00pm at Delves Lane Village Hall. Everyone is welcome. Please come along! Book here.
