Consultation Process
The project started in the March 2004 and finished in June 2006. It covered an area that contained 439 households.
In all 10 meetings were held with a total of 19 people participating apart from walks, leaflet distribution and the exhibition.
Phase 1: Getting to know the area:
2003/4
Initial step: October 2003:
A letter was sent to members of the Romsey and District Society who live in the area asking for their help in delivering leaflets advertising the inaugural meeting. Ten people helped with leaflet distribution in phase one.
First meeting: November 2003:
The first meeting was held in Romsey Town Hall and was attended by 7 people. Most subsequent meetings were held in a private house in Upper Cupernham.
Guided walks:
Two guided walks were held that between them covered the whole area. They were advertised by a leaflet drop to every household and were attended by a total of 24 people.
Preparation of questionnaire: April 2004:
The questions and layout of the questionnaire were prepared by a total of 12 people.
Questionnaire: June 2004:
Copies of the questionnaire were delivered to every household in the area with a request to return them by 15th July. Two shops, a doctors’ surgery and five private households acted as collecting points. Some questionnaires were returned direct to the Look at Romsey convenor.
Processing of answers: Summer 2004:
Every answer to each question was typed into an Access database. 84 replies were received, which is 19% of all households.
Preparation for Exhibition:
Three meetings were held at which the replies were analysed, and materials were prepared for public exhibition. The whole area was leafleted once again.
04 September 2004:
An exhibition was held in Romsey Town Hall. It was held jointly with that for Lower Cupernham. In all 175 people attended.
Phase 2: Preparing the Statement: 2004/6
Following the exhibition, nine meetings were held to discuss the content of the Design Statement. Ten written descriptions were prepared by members of the working party and these were used as the basis of the text of the draft Design Statement together with the four letters that had been received early in the project.
Once the words were written, they were reviewed and submitted to TVBC for comment. The comments were then discussed and once the group was satisfied with the text, photographs were chosen and inserted.
Public consultation May/June 2006:
The draft statement was printed and a working party assembled to collate and staple them. A leaflet was distributed to each household telling residents that copies were available at nine locations within the area and several outside the area, mostly in the town centre. In addition copies of the statement were sent to all Town Councillors, Test Valley Councillors for the four Romsey wards, County Councillors for the two Romsey divisions, the MP and one or two other bodies, such as the Police.
Reactions to the design statement:
250 copies of the design statement were taken from the outlet points. In addition, people read them at such places as the CAB offices, the Nightingale Surgery waiting room and the library.
Comments:
Five people sent in comments, covering eighteen points between them. The replies were generally complimentary and most of the comments endorsed what we had said. Each comment was acknowledged. A few corrected factual errors. The most significant correction related to the visibility of the industrial units opposite the hospital in Winchester Road.
Final meeting: 17th June 2006:
The comments were discussed and some amendments were made to the text. Subsequently each person who had sent in comments received a letter saying how we had handled their observations.
Non-design issues: June 2006:
A letter has been sent to councillors and others listing the non-design matters that were raised as a result of this project.
