Village survey identifies 'goods' and 'bads' (From Bucks Free Press)

Village survey identifies 'goods' and 'bads'

11:13pm Wednesday 30th January 2008 in News

STOKENCHURCH and Radnage householders have responded in force to let community leaders know what's right and wrong about their villages.

Almost 25 per cent of residents who received a questionnaire last year about issues affecting their community returned them, giving Stokenchurch and Radnage Community Action Forum plenty of feedback. The results were discussed at a Stokenchurch Action Group meeting at Longburrow Hall in Park Lane tonight.

The villages' countryside location was named the best thing about living there, with accessibility to cities like London, Oxford and Birmingham coming a close second.

Other positive factors included a sense of community, peace and quiet and the quality of schools.

Negative elements to be addressed were identified as traffic noise, lack of shops and facilities and poor transport provision.

Respondents' main crime and policing concerns - anti-social behaviour, speeding, burglary and drugs - corresponded closely with priorities already being tackled by the area Neighbourhood policing team.

David Cripps, chairman of the forum who coordinated the questionnaire, said: "We're currently trying to analyse the results to summarise and identify what the major issues are. Hopefully within the next three months we will produce a report and then from that there will be many projects we can identify.

"As an independent group we can manage the action that's taken and hopefully improve the lot of everybody who lives in the area."