Otford Neighbourhood Plan

Work continues apace on the Otford Neighbourhood Plan. The volunteers who met on 18th January divided themselves into two groups. The first of these is looking at a number of issues including housing and healthy living (of course), and commerce (business and employment). The second is looking at infrastructure issues – transport. health and education, the environment and sustainable tourism. Both groups met in early February. They have appointed chairs and secretaries and started what will be a detailed process of thought, brain-storming and research. There is a great deal of background information in the form of documents from Sevenoaks District Council, central government and other organisations – together with the existing Parish Plan and the Village Design Statement. If you want to see these documents them please contact me (nick.rushby@btinternet.com) and I can arrange for you to access them online.

An early step is for the Steering Group to set out a collective vision for Otford over the coming 15-20 years. What do we want our Village to look like and to feel like? If we then look at where we are now, we can start to see what needs to be done to get from here to there. This can then be set out in a series of aims and objectives.