Crowland Community Plan

The Crowland Parish and Community Plan

After a number of months "consulting" and soliciting a response from the residents of Crowland (152 in total we are informed) we now have the results of a number of questions posed including what people thought could be improved in Crowland at little or no cost - a challenging question indeed.

As was probably expected, high on the list of categories generating the greatest response from this sample of residents are Development, Safety and Youth. Improvements in community facilities, use of derelict buildings and generally making things look better than they are at the moment. Suggestions for Youth Clubs and other youth activities and play areas. Greater police presence and traffic calming measures are also highlighted. So no surprise there a reasonable thinking person would conclude.

Whatever is finally decided after the various phases, consultations and what-nots, if Crowland is left with nothing but good and well intentioned unsustainable schemes and a lackluster website which even now after 9 months shows no forum activity, contrary to statements of success, then all this will have been in vain.

Some Crowland residents are not waiting for Parish Plan announcements, they are taking action for themselves and making things happen, providing funding themselves or obtaining the help of others, giving their own time and effort. Here on Crowland Links we have highlighted some of those efforts. The Crowland Scalextric Club, The Crowland Scout Group are just two examples of excellent youth activities in need of additional local support. In addition to the work undertaken by Crowland Lions and Crowland Cares. Structures are already in place, so why the "community consultation" when in 2008 South Holland District Council put in place a number of projects which it manages directly or already sponsors? (see the South Holland link below).

Hopefully, what does result from the Crowland Parish and Community Plan is something in which everyone can become involved with and take civic pride. But more important, schemes or ideas which in a few years time are being fully supported and sustained by the majority, and not simply by a small percentage of the Crowland population. Which leads on to question how many residents (not householders) are there in Crowland against which the statistics are being formed?

According to information from South Holland District Council, the population of Crowland is given as 3,607. So how is it that the Crowland Parish and Community Plan bases its statistics on a population count of 1,520 ("In total 152 people responded to the survey, around 10 per cent of Crowland's population")? If they get this fundamental figure wrong, what hope for the rest of the survey? Given a population of 3,607, then the survey response of 152 equates approxmately to a 4 per cent response - very much less than first stated. So what exactly is going on?

See the South Holland population statistics...

Having studied this document it does appear that we are recycling the same points. Take for example that a "detached" youth worker has been working in Crowland for a number of years. And now we hear from the survey that Youth activities are high in the concerns of the Crowland "population." But we already knew this, did we not? And indeed a Youth Forum was developed from contacts initiated with young people on the streets. What better source of information is required than the "horse's mouth"?

Crowland Links remains fully committed and supportive of ANY effort in the community, whether it emanates from a plan or simply one person's drive and initiative.