Thank you very much to everyone who responded to the survey by the Parish Council to find out your views about whether we should try to buy the plot of land opposite the church. Here is a summary of the survey process and results.
Timing and process
The survey was carried out over a full month from the end of July until the deadline of August 27.
An explanation leaflet and survey form was delivered to every household in the village. The information was also posted on the www.langfordgl7.co.uk website, and circulated via the Langford googlemail network (which reaches over 100 of the parish’s 160 households).
Response rate
We had an excellent response rate for the survey, with 61 households returning forms, with responses by 90 named individuals from within those households.
The spread of responses was spread across the village, with the distribution fairly evenly reflecting the distribution of houses and population. Dividing the village into three main areas, the response rates were:
Lechlade Road, the Elms, The Wickets: 17 households (24 individuals)
Centre Village, Broadwell & Filkins Roads: 30 households (44 individuals)
Station Road, Church Lane, Hooks Close, Leys View: 14 households (22 individuals)
Outcomes
Of the 90 individual responses to the survey 85 people supported the Parish Council proceeding to try and purchase the land, with 5 against.
This represents 56 households in favour, and 5 against.
The geographic distribution was (households in brackets):
Lechlade Road, the Elms, The Wickets: (16) for – 1 (1)against
Centre Village, Broadwell & Filkins Roads: 42 (28) for – 2 (2) against
Station Road, Church Lane, Hooks Close, Leys View: 20 (12) for – 2 (2) against
Conclusion
The survey result, both in terms of participation levels and positive support, clearly demonstrates strong support for the Parish Council proceeding to try and buy the land, and to pay for it by raising a loan from the Public Works Loan Board to be repaid by an increase in the precept.
Next steps
The parish Council will apply for the necessary loan from the PWLB. After that, once the legal formalities for the sale of the overall estate have been completed, we aim to make contact with the new owners to explore whether or not they would be willing to sell the plot of land to the village. No guarantees of course, either that the new owners will want to sell, or whether there might be other buyers out there, but we will do our best.