Madam, without prejudice to my colleagues in the Ross
Town Plan Steering Group I thought it timely to write and
reassure volunteers and consultees about progress in the
Ross Town Plan. In particular, to respond to people asking
the question why the delay in producing the plan report.
Analysis of the 1,744 detailed questionnaires
returned has been a lengthy process. We have struggled to
collate data entry and complete our findings given the
voluntary effort we rely upon. We were let down by the
agency which was originally going to do the bulk of the
work. A huge thank you is overdue to all voluntary
helpers who have engaged in this exercise as well as the
other parts of the process.
We are now grappling with the task of putting our
evidence together in its entirety. Not just the
questionnaire results but the whole series of consultations
over the last two years: the completed letters and reports
in the local press, the library of background reports and
other materials assembled, the evidence from Planning for
Real exhibitions, the various focus groups, the JKHS
survey and other representations made work. We certainly
need to do justice to all our consultees.
We are also considering how the plan should be
written and presented to the people of Ross and
responsibilities involved in preparing and actioning
proposals. This can only be done in further detailed
consultation with the many organisations and clubs active
in the town. That will be quite a task to undertake and it
might be invidious to say some bodies are more important
than others but the two councils , Ross Town and Ross
Rural need to be formally consulted. We hope that the
plan will be formally adopted in due course and given a
proper political steer by our local councillors.
This may be done in the form of public meetings, or
focus groups sessions. Even before we have a package of
measures with a comprehensive set of findings we are
seeing a productive set of outcomes from the process
with the emergence of the Ross Sports and Leisure
Federation and the Association of Ross Traders (ART). The
Federation is preparing a scheme to upgrade the Wilton
Sports Centre in consultation with the user clubs.
Following well attended meetings in September ART is
already involved in several new ventures to add vibrancy
and sparkle to the High Street. Both of these
organisations deserve the widest positive support.
Finally, we have a small residual budget which will
be used to publish results on the web and to produce a
final plan report. This will enable us to begin active
implementation of the plan and to seek funding resources
and recruit willing partners to undertake the work
required. The action plan is the business end of the
process, detailing the tasks needed to convert words into
deeds. Together we can make it happen.
Rob Brain
Chairman Ross Town Plan Steering Group