Helping Shape the District

How should we tackle these issues?

We realise that tackling these issues will not be easy, we cannot solve them on our own, and that there is a wide range of factors that will affect whether or not they can be dealt with. However, we believe we can make a difference if we work together with local communities, businesses, the voluntary sector, other public organisations, and landowners.

One of the main ways we can make a difference is through our approach to encouraging new development and investment. New development, and any money generated from it, can help us deal with the important issues and benefit local communities by providing:

• more opportunities for local businesses to grow and create jobs;
• more new homes and affordable homes for local people who need them;
• more shops and businesses in our town centres, making them more attractive and safer;
• more and better school buildings, health and community centres, and sports facilities and play areas;
• safer and less congested roads, and better public transport;
• more flood-defence schemes;
• regeneration of run-down areas and buildings; and
• more opportunities for improving the environment.

As the Government reduces spending on public facilities and services over the next few years to help tackle the national debt, new development will be increasingly important as a means of dealing with important issues in the local area.

This means that how much new development takes place in the future will have a significant influence on how we will be able to deal with the important issues, and whether or not we can make a difference.

The more development we encourage, the more potential there will be for new jobs, homes and money for improvements to public services. But too much new development could put pressure on roads, schools, and green spaces, and threaten the characteristics of the area that make it an attractive place to live, work and visit. Getting the right balance will be important.

Now is the opportunity to work out how much new development we want, and we would like to discuss with communities the sort of place you want your local area to be in the future.