The Countryside Agency provided 75% of the estimated cost of preparing the Parish Plan, with the remainder being funded locally, in part by the Parish Council. Dorset Community Action administered the scheme for the county and the North Dorset Community Partnership provided local support. Established by the Parish Council, and containing a number of its members, the Steering Committee overseeing the preparation of the South Tarrant Parish Plan worked independently but as a sub-committee of the Council.

A key element of the Parish Plan was the formulation of an Action Plan, indicating where measures need to be taken, identifying who should be involved and assigning a time scale for achieving the objectives set. In order to produce a plan, it was necessary to find out how people view the local environmental and social nature of the parish, then to determine what they see as the most pressing issues needing attention.

Residents of the parish were invited to an initial meeting to hear about the aim of the Parish Plan and to give their ideas, opinions and raise any concerns. These comments were fed into the preparation of a questionnaire which was designed for all residents to complete.

The questionnaire was delivered to all 210 households in the parish in March 2005. The timing of the questionnaire distribution was such that young people at university were generally not at home and were therefore unable to complete the questionnaire. Questionnaire responses indicate that 72 children of school age and 25 people over 18 in continuing education live in the parish. The bar chart showing Age Range reflects the low number of people in the 17 - 25 age range who returned questionnaires. A youth questionnaire was given to residents aged between 8 and 17 years of age and 39 of these were returned.

The response to the questionnaire showed that the majority of residents in the parish wanted to maintain the current character of the area which they value highly. There is, however, an encouraging view amongst residents that changes can be made that will improve the quality of life for members of the parish.

This report is being sent to every household in the parish, to clerks of Parish Councils in adjacent villages, to North Dorset District Council, Dorset County Council, our Member of Parliament and the Countryside Agency. It is also going to other agencies involved in the provision of services and facilities in the South Tarrants. It will be available for viewing on our website (www.southtarrants.co.uk) for any other interested parties.

This report should help in planning the future direction of our community over the next five years. The Action Plan is not a definitive document and will be subject to review and updating in the light of changed circumstances and new initiatives. As the Parish Council will be responsible for following through the actions identified in this report, any new ideas or suggestions should be addressed to its members or the Parish Clerk.