The Forum

Modelled on the Market Town Health Check Initiative set up by the Countryside Agency some years ago, the process involves the creation of a Town Plan covering every important aspect of the future development of the town for the next 10 to 15 years. The Forum has the active support of all the local councils, and has been promised £5,000 by the Lymington and Pennington Town Council to cover the initial phase of setting up the forum and doing the necessary on which the plan will be based. Community Planning Officers from the New Forest District Council and from Hampshire County Council are providing technical advice from their wide experience helping other villages and towns set up their own Town Plans. An audit will then be carried out of the Town. This will not however just involve the physical development of the town, but includes the development of the local economy, the social welfare of the inhabitants including leisure opportunities, transport links, parking, health care provision or any aspect of the development of the town that the local population or the members of the Forum feels it would like improved. Following completion of the research, which hopefully will take approximately 12-18 months to complete, a plan "Delivering a Future Vision for Lymington & Pennington” will be presented to local Councils and the more important issues identified will be incorporated into an initial Action Plan. Other Towns have received considerable funds from bodies such as SEEDA (the South East of England Development Agency) and Hampshire County Council for community projects, once the correct research has been carried out. Completion of the research phase will provide evidence of community need and support which is necessary when applying for grants or funding. The Forum will then plan to start to implement the Action Plan using these funds to either lobby for change or actually carry out the identified priorities directly itself if possible. The Aims of the Forum The Forum represents a wide range of community bodies in the town, including The Town Council, the Lymington Society, The Lymington Community Association, The Citizens Advice Bureau, the Women's Institute, and many other bodies and individuals. Its main aim is to examine the future for Lymington & Pennington, and to produce an exciting vision and Action Plan for the future of the town. However, as well as this, an important aim for the forum is to create and strengthen a feeling of ‘community spirit’ in the town to enable people with viewpoints from different backgrounds and organisations to come together with the common aim of improving the lot of everyone living in the town. Committees will be set up to examine important issues facing the town including the economy, health provision, transport, the environment, leisure, as well as other issues such as provision for parents and children and the youth of the area. The information gathered will be used to produce an Action Plan for projects that will benefit the Town. See www.lymandpen-forum.org for further details