Alresford Town Partnership

Summary

This survey was a follow up study to the Alresford Healthcheck 2008 , done in order to enlist the help of members of the local community to prioritise the possible actions and projects identified in the healthcheck study. Two hundred and sixty-three responses were received from all the questionnaires sent out. The data is all the more interesting because at least 122 of those respondents were teenagers, whose voice is often not so well heard in local surveys. All respondents were invited to add their own priority in addition to the twenty-five listed on the sheet. The survey results have provided a to-do list that will form part of the required reading of anyone involved in Alresford's development in the next few years. Somewhat to the relief of all concerned, the results confirmed that the work being undertaken in the name of Alresford Town Partnership to build a car park and a new footpath across Perins School does indeed match public priorities. However, the survey has also shown that an even bigger priority to local people is the cleanliness of the town. The provision of more youth facilities and activities has emerged as an unscripted priority among survey respondents, particularly according to many of the younger ones who took part in this survey.

Acknowledgements

The production and administration of this survey has involved a wide range of people. I would especially like to thank Sarah Coe, then Administrator of Alresford Town Partnership, who did all the repetitive work of entering of the data as it was received. I would also like to thank Sally Stickland and other teachers of Year 11s at Perins School, the Years 11s and everyone else who completed the questionnaire, members of the Partnership Steering Group, New Alresford Town Councillor Roy Gentry for his work on the website that enabled people to respond online, local organisations such as The Alresford Society for their practical support, Hampshire County Councillor Jackie Porter for encouraging many people to complete a questionnaire at local meetings, various other local councillors, the managers of Perins School for their essential involvement in the Putting Pedestrians First project, and the officers at Winchester City Council whose help was invaluable but who cannot be named.

1. Introduction

This full report follows a preliminary report given by the Chair, Dr.Nigel Paterson, to a General Meeting of Alresford Town Partnership on 19 January 2009 (see website of Alresford Town Partnership, 2009). This report incorporates and supersedes the findings stated in that preliminary report. The GiveUs5 Survey made it possible to seek public prioritisation of the actions and projects that were identified in the larger research document called the Alresford Healthcheck 2008 (Alresford Town Partnership, 2008a). This report provides background to the study. It then describes the research methodology used and gives a description of the data collection and analysis.

2. The Alresford Healthcheck 2008

The research project called the Alresford Healthcheck 2008 (Alresford Town Partnership, 2008a) was a required part of the Partnership's successful bid to SEEDA (South-East England Development Agency) for funding for its ‘Putting Pedestrians First' project. This was about improving local accessibility my means of a new footpath and car park both located in the grounds of Perins School . The format of the healthcheck research meant that its ideas and suggestions needed some prioritisation by the local community. It was because of this need that the idea of a ‘Give us 5' questionnaire was adopted by the healthcheck working party. A summary of the Alresford Healthcheck 2008 can be accessed online (Alresford Town Partnership, 2008b).

3. Research methodology

The first draft of the Healthcheck report generated about seventy ideas and projects within the categories of ‘The Environment and Housing', ‘The Local Economy', ‘Health, Community and Recreation' and ‘Transport and Travel'. This was clearly too long a list of possible projects to present in a local consultation exercise. Therefore, a meeting of interested parties was held to refine down the overall number of possible projects, which could then be presented in a questionnaire. The exercise reduced the number to twenty-five possible priorities, as subsequently put into a questionnaire called ‘GiveUs5'. It was agreed that respondents could add a 26 th priority, so that the known priorities could ordered without excluding new ones.

The questionnaires could be filled in on paper or online on the Partnership's website. It was originally envisaged that all the data would be collected and reported on by the end of 2008, involving about 500 returns.

4. Data collection
This section is divided into two main parts, 4.1 and 4.2: the first of these deals with the collated findings, while the second part provides some discussion of the findings.

4.1 The data collected

The GiveUs5 responses were collected in 2007 and 2008. After more than one deadline extension in order to facilitate more returns, there were 263 different responses to the questionnaire. This was well short of the original target of 500. Of the responses received, 141 were from adults and 122 were from Year 11s at Perins School (64 in 2007/08 and 58 in December 2008). Year 11s are the final-year pupils. Responses were recorded without the names of the respondents, who were coded from R1 to R264, where ‘R' stands for respondent. Two hundred and sixty-four respondents were coded, not 263, because it was found that one person had responded twice. Sixteen responses were completed online and the rest were done on paper.

4.1.1 The top ten priorities

These are the top ten priorities, as ordered from the responses. In brackets are the number of respondents who selected this priority and their percentage that they represent among all the respondents. The percentages are given here correct to one decimal point.

Main priorities in order

1. Improve standards of street and open spaces cleanliness.(97/263, i.e. 36.9%)
2. Provide more car parking in the central commercial area and implement effective enforcement of parking regulations.(94/263, i.e. 35.7%)
3. Improve the quality of bus transport around the town. As part of that, establish Alresford as a partner for the Quality Bus Partnership. (81/263, i.e. 30.8%)
4. Build physical links with Perins School, Arlebury Park and the town to make better use of community facilities. (79/263, i.e. 30%)
5. Increase the amount of green space available for recreational purposes and a wider range of activities at Arlebury Park. (76/263, i.e. 28.9%)
6. Promote projects to meet needs identified by the Young People's Working Group. (60/263, i.e. 22.8%)
7. Reduce traffic speeds at the town gateways. Continue to pursue calming measures that can be established for safe travel. (58/263, i.e. 22.1%)
8. Create cycle tracks to facilitate safe cycling. (55/263, i.e. 20.9%)
9. Identify possible ‘exception sites' for Alresford people, in order to increase further the provision of affordable housing. (52/263, i.e. 19.8%)
10. Identify and monitor brown field sites within the town boundaries suitable for development (50/263, i.e. 19%)

4.1.2 The other priorities 11^th to 25^th

These were the other priorities, as ordered from the responses. In brackets are the number of respondents who selected this priority and their percentage among all the respondents.

11. Conduct housing assessment study to ensure industrial/domestic balance and appropriate routing of industrial traffic. (48/263, i.e. 18.3%)
12. Initiate Sunday Farmers Markets in the summer. (48/263, i.e. 18.3%)
13. Obtain commitment from HCC to extend, review and promote the Cango bus system. (46/263, i.e. 17.5%)
14. Respond to perceived need for a larger indoor events facility for the community and members of it. (45/263, i.e. 17.1%)
15. Implement footpath over railway and pedestrian access across Perins School playing field and to the Station car park. (43/263, i.e. 16.3%)
16. Enhance waterside areas and general recreation areas with improved planting. (38/263, i.e. 14.4%)
17. Project to investigate feasibility of using paid staff to open Watercress Line Link between Alresford and Alton at peak times. (36/263, i.e. 13.7%)
18. Seek finance for a business support package for both start up and existing businesses and local farmers. In the long term, plan for a Small Business Centre and widen training opportunities in the town. Establish stronger links with the North Hants Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (34/263, i.e. 12.9%)
19. Conduct infrastructure survey, using the HCC document and Environment Agency information. (30/263, i.e. 11.4%)
20. Promote and recognise community volunteering. (30/263, i.e. 11.4%)
21. Improve floral planting schemes. (28/263, i.e. 10.6%)
22. Encourage Chamber to increase vocational placements and provide training for young people. (25/263, i.e. 9.5%)
23. Audit and maintain a list of spaces and facilities available for community use. Identify changes needed to match identified demand. (24/263, i.e. 9.1%)
24. Investigate feasibility of CCTV security at 3 yearly intervals. (23/263, i.e. 18.7%)
25. Identify sites for allotments and allocate them to those who have requested them. (22/263, i.e. 8.4%)
26. (see appendix b)

4.1.3 Question no.26 answers to the questionnaire

Much of the wording of these unscripted responses can be seen in appendix b. The most common areas of suggestions were for:

•  more youth facilities and/or activities (20 entries)

•  work on roads and related matters (12 entries)

•  improvements to local transport (10 entries)

•  the use of brownfield sites rather than greenfield ones (9 entries)

•  a swimming pool (7 entries)

•  leaving the town as it is (7 entries)

•  establishing a new business area (6 entries)

•  improving the skatepark (5 entries)

•  more affordable housing (5 entries)

•  improving the crossing at Pound Hill junction (5 entries)

4.2 Discussion of the data

It was understandably disappointing that, despite deadline extensions, the target of 500 responses was not achieved, because this removes statistical significance from the findings. Nonetheless, the response of over 250 people in the community must be welcomed as giving a very helpful indication of the community's priorities.

Looking at the top five priorities identified, responses to the main part of the questionnaire indicate that the greatest concern of respondents was and is town cleanliness. Better car parking and effective enforcement of parking regulations came second. The third highest priority was better bus transport around the town. In fourth place, the building of physical links through Perins School was seen to be an important way of making better use of community facilities. In fifth place, respondents wanted to see an increase in the amount of green space available for recreational purposes and a wider range of activities at Arlebury Park.

The Responses given in answer to question no.26 (see appendix b) help to show what many local people think outside the constraints of the questionnaire wording and the healthcheck from which that was derived. The main interests and concerns revealed were: the need for more youth facilities and/or activities, various ideas about roads and related matters, and the preference for use of brownfield sites rather than greenfield ones. Quite a number of respondents wanted to see Alresford remain unspoilt and left as it is, while a few wanted to see some radical changes that would make Alresford a more interesting place to live in. Those of us who have already studied the responses carefully particularly remarked on the suggestion that Alresford should ‘be more like Basingstoke' (R155#).

Hindsight has suggested that more work could have been done on wording the 25 projects in the questionnaire. Some commentators have felt that the wording was not sufficiently clear or memorable, and that some of it was open to interpretation.

5 Conclusions

It can be borne in mind that three notable factors were not in view when the survey was conducted. There was no world financial crisis going on, with its knock-on effects on thinking, planning and finance. The Alresford Greening Campaign was still in an early stage of development, and its impact had not yet been felt. Thirdly, no-one had suggested the possible closure of an existing facility like the public toilets, so the general train of thought of respondents was towards the prospect of new developments rather in considering how to make use of the exercise to champion our existing facilities.

The main value of this survey has been the opportunity to draw up a list of the top priorities for the town (see pages 3 to 4). To this must be added a public wish to see more youth facilities and activities. The survey indicates that the top priority for local people is that the town should be and remain a cleanly place. Even suggestions made by just one person in this survey (see the final part of appendix b) may yet bear fruit in ongoing work and thinking about Alresford. The Town Partnership thanks again all who contributed to the survey. It now invites the organisations and members of the Alresford area community to take careful note of what has been indicated in this report about local people's wishes. It asks all concerned to join with or beyond the Partnership in helping to implement as many as possible of the main actions and projects identified here.

References

Alresford Town Partnership (2008a). Alresford Healthcheck 2008. Retrieved from http://www3.hants.gov.uk/alresfordhealthcheck2008l.doc

Alresford Town Partnership (2008b). Alresford Market Town Healthcheck. Retrieved from http://www.alresford.org/healthcheck.php