Arlesey Neighbourhood Plan Survey 2015 Results

Who completed the survey? A survey was sent to every household in the parish: 597 households completed the survey 25% of all households in the parish (based on 2,344 households, 2011 Census) or 11% of Arlesey residents (based on 5,521 people, 2011 Census)

About you

Q1: Which best describes your situation?

Q2: What is your home postcode? Surveys returned from 90 distinct postcode areas Most frequent postcode areas: Postcode Number of times cited SG15 6UF 20 SG15 6ST 17 SG15 6XX SG15 6XZ SG15 6RA 16 SG15 6YB 15 *Surveys will be plotted against map to illustrate distribution

Q2: Distribution of survey responses across Arlesey

Q3: How long have you lived or worked in Arlesey?

Q4: In which age group do you fall?

Comparison of ages, census v survey responses

Housing & Heritage

Q5: How do you rate the historical importance of these?

32 Responses provided in ‘other’ Moorlands Farmhouse and Edgeware House Most are listed so you can’t touch them. New here so only know some of these not heard of most of these places, if residential should be kept by owners old co-op building is on map but not on list but quite important Old St Peters School Should have kept the fountain pub that my grandparents had many years ago. The Arlesey houses with the White bricks The Old School House They are all part of Arlesey's history Tidy Time needs listing Vicars Inn - very important War Memorial very important. Where are those not ticked? Where is Arlesey House? Willow tree on Stotfold road Would have liked to have known you were seeking comments on my home! I live at the old Wesleyan chapel! 79 Church Lane All historic buildings are important and should not be ruined by inappropriate development. Also West Lodge, Tidy Time (Art Deco building), Edgworth House and Chase House I feel are very important Biggs Hall building is unique Biggs Wall 'Very Important' Church farm is the best! Don't know area so can't comment Don’t know enough about other buildings - may be important. Don’t know other places (also Q6) Have not lived here long enough to know Health centre etc I do not know the ones I have marked unimportant I do not know the ones I haven’t marked I don't know any of those places I haven't even heard of most of these!

Q6: How do you rate the following in terms of importance? Taking Very and Quite important together, the top 5 are: War heroes Fairfield Hospital Agricultural history Three counties station Etonbury Note: not everyone had heard of all the places

Q7: If you could replicate some of the following as a feature or in artwork, which would you support? Taking Very and Quite important together, the order is: Arlesey white bricks The water pump The old clock Market charter The onion barn Note: not everyone had heard of all the places hence the high returns of no opinion/no response

Q7: 19 Responses provided in ‘other’ A white brick sign on the way in to the village Arlesey Lake Arlesey Siding School Arlesey's footballing history Barn at Moorlands Farm which had really old carved writing in it. Bury Lodge Co-op/Post Office in House Lane Don't know any of the above Have to be careful of pastiche design I don’t know enough about these Iron weighbridge at top end of West Drive (see separate letter). New here so cannot offer an opinion Open spaces and fields. Primary School The Old Clock is in store. The old station The Silo what is a market charter? Which old clock do you mean ?

Q8: Domestic car parking should be off-road, to the side or at the front of houses 86% agree with this statement

Q9: Storage areas for waste bins should be provided such that they are less visible on the main streets 78% agree with this statement

Q10: New houses should be built around squares with fenced-off parks in the centre to ensure children are safe 74% agree with this statement

Q11: The public footpaths around Arlesey are well liked and should be connected with the new development 81% agree with this statement

Q12: New development should be a mix of housing styles rather than a consistent look and feel 79% agree with this statement

Q13: Arlesey needs more affordable housing 55% agree with this statement 27% disagree 18% Don’t know/did not answer

Q14: Arlesey needs more affordable housing as bungalows 47% agree with this statement 24% disagree 29% Don’t know/did not answer

Q15: Affordable housing should be… 70% opted for affordable housing to be integrated

Amenities

Q16: How do you rate the importance of the following amenities in Arlesey? Top 3 based on Very Important: Railway Station: 11% Pharmacy: 10% Shops: 9% Top 5 combining Very and Quite Important: Railway Station: 8% Pharmacy: 8% Village Hall: 8% Shops: 7% Rec Ground: 7%

Q.16. 33 Responses provided in ‘other’ Need a bank Need more shops Needed at both ends to be in walking distance. Needs free cash points No facilities at all in Arlesey No idea what the Trim Trail is Parking at station ridiculous to have to drive to Henlow to park pedestrian only centre of village Petrol station and free cash machines Public Houses Some new themed restaurants would be good! St Peters Church Supermarket Surgery and Health Centre - yes please We need a cafe! we should be encouraging new business into the village Whilst a desperate eyesore, the Car Wash is a very useful amenity Best facilities for children of all ages Better restaurants are needed Can't WI use the village hall Communal focal point as an open space to accommodate small gatherings Co-op would be useful Could do with mini-Tesco/Waitrose and coffee place. Did not fill in Doctors Doctors surgery Football Club I would like to see a small supermarket selling fresh produce Improve library with hub area and gothic mede (?) Independent shops selling local produce please Independent shops vital. Not Tesco More railway parking at Church End side of railway

Q17: How do you rate the importance of bringing the following new/improved amenities to Arlesey? Top 3 based on Very Important: Parks/green spaces 16% Indie food shops: 14% More for older/ youth/young: 12% Top 5 combining Very and Quite Important: Parks/green spaces 12% Indie food shops: 12% More for older etc:11% Sports facilities: 10% Supermarket: 9%

Q17: Graph of those selecting ‘Very Important’

Q17. 33 Responses provided in ‘other’ Keep it a nice quirky village and don't over load it as a new town. Large supermarket required More bins for dog poo, larger notices. More doctors in surgery Much larger Doctors practice need a building with small rooms for hire e.g. committee rooms say 40 people in size Need better access to / more Doctors nice to see a dog park so we can walk places without mess on the path. Parking would need to be provided. Rent a scooter/bike centre Skate park should be re-done to a higher standard Some shops needed up Church End. Better cafes and restaurants - more high end. South end of village has no amenities at all swimming pool Tennis courts there is a need to protect the countryside around arlesey Water park area like the one in Letchworth would be good! We have a brilliant Nisa shop plus 3 others - no supermarket needed. workshop where people can make things Youth club/centre with longer opening hours. A dog park alongside much restricted access for dogs to other areas, fed up with dog mess everywhere. Activities for special needs adults. Any Cafe or tea room should be run by local people rather than a chain, there is no call for a Costa Coffee for example. Arlesey needs major modernisation, in fitting 2015 Be careful not to create a separation of old and new Can we have resource centre serve tea and coffee again. Spurious Health and Safety reason for not doing so is rubbish. It massively drove use of resource centre when they did. car parking banned on public transport routes Coffee shop to encourage all ages to socialise. Compulsory Car Park to be used by Commuters Develop Leisure Centre at Football Club Disability information counter. Doctor's surgery; Vet Either supermarket or independents but not both as independents couldn't compete i find the level of dog fouling is unacceptable It would be nice to have a fenced in field for dogs to run and walk in.

Q18: If there was money to be invested in Arlesey’s amenities, on which of the following would you prefer it to be spent? ‘Other’ responses listed on next slide

Q18. 36 Responses provided in ‘other’ See comments on separate word document

Q19: Which of the following would you be likely to use if it was in Arlesey? Top 3 based on Very Important: Baker: 16% Butcher: 14% Supermarket: 13% Top 5 combining Very and Quite Important: Baker: 14% Butcher: 13% Indie shops: 13% Greengrocer: 13% Supermarket: 12%

Q19: 17 Responses provided in ‘other’ Charity shop. DIY Store FARM SHOP OPTION? Garden counter. Hotel I cant see how the current plan provides for a central shopping area. It appears to be at the North end. I only want independent shops, no supermarket chains Large supermarket required Need Tesco Express Not in favour of Supermarket opinion on supermarket depends on which company. I would also support a hardware store in the village. Perhaps one of the new restaurants can put in a soft play area? Petrol station, bank Police contact within shop Setup like Fairfield Park Would like tesco. Yarn shop!!

Q20: Do you feel there is a need for more shops/amenities in Arlesey and, if so, where? 44% want them spread throughout the village ‘Other’ responses listed on next slide

Q20. 38 Responses provided in ‘other’ A town centre would be awful.. No way Anywhere with parking As planned on the High Street south of the War Memorial As proposed Both ends. Church End Closer to the Stotfold side of the village - but needs to have better parking! Dont need any more High St is fine I don't think it matters where, providing it's accessable I Like the idea of a village square with cafe and shops around it I think parking is going to be a major factor in the success of any shops, especially if grouped together I think that the new development should have a town square which includes shops meeting place and war memorial a place were the hole village can get to gether In existing high street Near 'The Cross' Near the War Memorial; near the Station Near Village Hall also Hitchin Rd South end of High St. Needs to be central so majority can use them, rather than one end. New Town Centre, High Street south of war memorial No more amenities needed No need No need for additional shops. No other shops No preference none Nowhere on high st south of war memorial Parking must be available off road People need to support local shops Redevelop the existing Village Hall complex as a Town Centre. This makes much more sense as its central Shops near the Village Hall and throughout the village The Chase there are enough shops in Hitchin Letchworth etc Village Square War Memorial to Railway Station. Where it is suggested would be ideal Within the new development

Q21: If relevant, do you think more places should be made available for Arlesey’s children in the following? Respondents could choose more than one option 51% people answered this question

Q21. 15 Responses provided in ‘other’ All schools cheap play scheme like there used to be in the 80's/ early 90's in the youth club Gothic mede lower school More primary school places needed. GM at capacity. N/A N/A no comment Not applicable Nursery school open to 19:00 to cater for London commuters Outside school activities. Primary Schools swimming pool Teenager friendly activity centre

Businesses

Q22: Which of the following type of business premises does Arlesey need to provide more employment? Respondents could choose more than one option 89% people answered this question

Q23: Does the village need more of the following? 86% people answered this question

Q24: How often do you shop in Arlesey? 93% people answered this question

Q25: How do you most often find a local business to provide goods or services? 93% people answered this question

Q26: What would make it easier for you to access businesses in Arlesey? 90% people answered this question

Environment

Q27: How do you rate the importance of these green spaces?

Q28: Where development takes place, which of the following features would you like to see included within the built-up area?

Q29: How important are the following relating to energy conservation/green energy?

Q30: How important are the following relating to low pollution impact?

Q31: How important are the following relating to surface water and flooding?

Q32: If there were opportunities for new natural green spaces, how strongly would you support the following?

Transport

This shows how people are currently making journeys Car % Bus Cycle Walk Work 291 82% 21 6% 13 4% 28 8% Station 102 26% 11 3% 10 262 68% School 72 44% 8 5% Local shops 172 36% 5 1% 15 286 60% Further shops 404 85% 49 10% 9 2% 14 People are most likely to use their cars for travelling to work and accessing shops/facilities further afield. The buses are not well used – why might this be? Lack of routes? Poor timetabling? Cycling score fairly low across the board – are there routes in place? Do people feel unsafe cycling? People appear to be content to walk for more local journeys, which is a good start. How can we make routes more pleasant?

On the whole, where people are already walking, cycling or using the bus for local journeys, they would continue to do so For example, those going to work charts below: (similar trend for other local journeys):

When it comes to car users going to work, fewer would move to a more sustainable mode of transport 72% would not wish to change

68% of respondents already walk to the station 68% of respondents already walk to the station. Of the 26% who drive, 64% of these would change, with 37% wanting to use a bus

School journeys already have the fewest car users, with as many walking as driving. 61% of those car users would opt for a different mode Does the local school have a travel plan in place to encourage non-car use?

60% of respondents already walk to the local shops 60% of respondents already walk to the local shops. Of the 172 people driving (36% of total) , just 1 third would continue to drive. How can you encourage more people to walk?

Inevitably most people drive when shopping further afield Inevitably most people drive when shopping further afield. Two thirds would not want to change but 18% might opt for a bus

Q34: Would you support these traffic calming measures? 506 people gave an opinion 503 people gave an opinion

Q34: Would you support these traffic calming measures? 508 people gave an opinion 509 people gave an opinion

Q35: Do you have any other comments? 56 additional comments – see separate document for full detail. Most frequently cited comments relate to: Need to slow down traffic – House Lane, Hitchin Rd, Hospital Lane etc (lots of people don’t like speedhumps) – links to concerns about development bringing in even more traffic Build necessary infrastructure/services to support new development eg. primary school, adequate sewers etc Parking – more off-road, more restrictions to deter commuters parking in square/main roads, more parking, dedicated car park for the school, residents permits as a solution? More cycle friendly routes called for; wider pavements Access across A507 to get to fields Ban HGV traffic – often rides onto the pavement People again flagging that they weren’t aware of some of the assets listed in Q5, Q6