Parish Plans

Parish Plans are action plans developed by local communities. They set out a vision for the future of the community and list what actions will need to take place to achieve this vision.

In Herefordshire, Parish Plans are being supported both as a means of developing community led action across the County and as a way of local communities influencing the development of the county Community Strategy - 'The Herefordshire Plan'.

Herefordshire Council has developed a Parish Plans Protocol, which outlines the way in which we will assist groups working on their Parish Plans.

What is the benefit of doing a Parish Plan?

In one document it outlines people’s vision for their community and the actions that will lead to that vision being achieved through

• Better co-ordination of local needs and priorities for the community
• Improved dialogue and clarity of aims and objectives between local organisations and local communities
• An information source for organisations when considering the views of local communities, reducing the need for additional research and consultation
• Your Parish Plan can feed into the wider community strategy (the Herefordshire Plan) so that it better reflects the needs and priorities within local communities.

Why does Herefordshire Council – together with various partners – support Parish Plans?

Parish Plans are an expression of living democracy, of the needs and aspirations of people living in the parishes in Herefordshire.  As such, they contribute not only to the feeling of local people being involved in their communities, but also being able to influence decisions taken by Herefordshire Council and its partners. 

A number of Parish Plans have been adopted by the Council as “Supplementary Planning Guidance”, being one example of this influence of Parish Plans on Council planning and decision making.

So what does a Parish Plan look like?

We intend to make available completed Parish Plans once their authors have given their permission.  Please use the links provided in the near future.