The Local Plan for Somerset is commencing its early stages of production. The plan, when completed, will cover the period up to 2045, some 20 years in the future. Much of the plan will be a product of the macro data collected by Somerset Council who collate projections on population growth and the breakdown by age, sex, gender identity, ethnicity and religion. This data is further analysed to identify disability needs, deprivation, work and travel patterns, house pricing, access to high speed broadband and educational achievement. This data will be used to help set out where and how growth happens. The aim is to encourage healthy and economically productive places that are well connected to services and facilities.
In addition, Somerset Council is engaging with Local Community Networks as well as individual City, Town and Parish Councils. The engagement process also includes faith and business groups and organisations such as Wells Civic Society. There is little opportunity for individuals to have their say and so it is important that the Civic Society members use this chance to consider their vision for how Wells could be 20 years from now.
With a simple headline aim of providing decent homes for all, Somerset Council poses the question as to how our housing needs are changing. With that in mind, can we imagine what lifestyles might look like in 2045? What will education and employment consist of in the future and how will that impact on transport and leisure?
If we are to provide some feedback to Somerset Council, we need to imagine how our place and community might be with the appropriate development and growth. This may require us to ignore some of the immediate shortcomings and frustrations and cast our minds forward to a time when different technologies allow for new opportunities and which may also provide new challenges.
This opinion piece is by Wells Civic Society committee member Chris Charles; as an opinion piece it is the personal view of the author and not necessarily Society policy.
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