Lead Partner: PLANED
Description
PLANED are widely recognised as a leading proponent of community level planning and therefore they build upon an impressive track record.
The PLANED partnership, (Pembrokeshire Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development) was established in 2001 and has evolved from SPARC (South Pembrokeshire Partnership for Action with Rural Communities) 1991-2001. The organisation was a successful LEADER1 and LEADER 2 group. It is working throughout Pembrokeshire, building on the local community led approach to rural development successfully developed by SPARC (South Pembrokeshire Partnership for Action with Rural Communities), in which communities, public sector and voluntary partners and special interest groups come together to undertake locally integrated development.
An important part of the PLANED process is the development of Community Forums and Community Action Plans. All communities are encouraged to establish Community Forums, open to all local organisations and individuals. The communities identify local needs, opportunities, and priorities, which are set out in Community Action Plans to be implemented by the forums.
The group will investigate the ways in which community level plans can contribute substantially to the Wales Spatial Plan as well as regional and sub-regional strategies.
A key objective is to enable people to participate fully in national, regional and local strategies which promote healthy living and well being through which they can influence the development and delivery of strategies which impinge on their quality of life. A wider aim of PLANED will continue to be to provide a ‘best practice’ example of involving local people in the sustainable development of their communities, thus assisting Welsh Assembly and key agency policy development.
They acknowledge that existing strategic planning processes fail to engage local people and wish to build upon their existing participatory approaches by examining community engagement activity in other EU countries, especially those like Sweden, Estonia and Finland where there is a strong participatory village movement.
PLANED will therefore address these issues: citizen apathy, overcoming ‘exclusivity’ in local planning, identification of the barriers that stop local people engaging with community planning.
The work will be undertaken by Joan Asby from PLANED and Perry Walker from New Economics Foundation.
Contact Details
Joan AsbyPLANEDThe Old SchoolhouseStation Road
Narberth
Pembrokeshire
SA67 7DU Tel:01834 860965Email: joana@planed.org.uk
Website: http://www.planed.org.uk/