Planning Tettenhall's future

It is all thanks to the fact that local folk voted, overwhelmingly, for the adoption of a local neighbourhood plan, a brave new world has begun.

Future commercial and residential development of the area now has to comply with the Local Neighbourhood Plan which embraces a large local area encompassing 20,000 people, covering Tettenhall, Tettenhall Wood, Aldersley, Finchfield, Castlecroft, and Compton.

The Plan gives us all a much bigger say in what goes where in this part of Wolverhampton.

In our view, it has another special benefit too: It allows local people to get more involved, and have a much greater influence than before.

The Tettenhall & District Community Council (TDCC) – now run entirely by local volunteers – is entering this brave new world with its eyes wide open.

Cyril Randles, chairman of the TDCC and one of the instigators of the Tettenhall Local Neighbourhood Plan, said: "We have now applied for a grant based on what we would like to do and that should give us sufficient funding for three or so years.

"Everything we do now is run by volunteers, whereas previously we had a good deal of help and support from local authority officers. It's a big worry, but also a great opportunity."

The organisation's key aim now is: "To improve the area of Tettenhall & District (that's Tettenhall Regis and Tettenhall Wightwick wards) for the local community as a 'grassroots' volunteer-led organisation".

It's a big responsibility, but the local activists (for want of a better description), people like Cyril Randles, George Reiss (Aldersley/Claregate), secretary Phil Deeming (Tettenhall Wood), Les Bouts (Tettenhall Wood), John Rowley (Castlecroft) and a host of others seem well up to the task.

The TDDC's objectives are:

• Responding to planning issues across the area as the designated forum for the Neighbourhood Plan.

• Acting as a forum for community issues across the two wards – to provide networks and communications for local groups and organisations.

• Supporting community groups and organisations by encouraging and enabling community initiatives, as resources allow.

• To explore options for setting up sustainable structures in the future, such as a Parish Council.

Now there's a thought: How would local people like to see their interests represented by a non partisan Tettenhall & District Parish Council?

It wouldn't have anything like the powers of the old Tettenhall Urban Council from years ago, but on planning issues at least it could be a significant step in the right direction.

Cyril added: "It is certainly something that is up for discussion in the months ahead."

Two sub-groups have been established, specifically to deal with planning issues and how they affect the area, namely the Planning Conservation Group which intends to meet every two months and is open to all, and the smaller Planning Executive Committee.

Watch out for a new website for the TDCC in the coming months which will feature a full agenda and detail its activities past and present.

To see the original post and more like it visit the Tettenhall Blog.