Church Eaton Parish Plan Survey

As some may be aware, Stafford Borough Council (SBC) are embarking on a review of the "Local Plan" which defines, amongst other things, how it will meet the Governments house building targets over the coming years. This is expected to take until Autumn 2027. As a Parish we are currently in what can be best described as a "No new build" area. While there has been no communication to the Parish Council that this may change, we have decided to take the initiative and create a "Parish Plan" which we can share with SBC, and they should at least consider it as part of the Local Plan development.

The "Parish Plan" will document a variety of topics, including the heritage, services, transport, employment and housing, both in terms of the current position, and of the future wishes of the Parish. Whilst a number of these areas are factual in nature, e.g. the road classifications, there are other aspects which can only be determined by consulting the residents of the Parish. To that end we have created a questionnaire enabling every household in the Parish to contribute their experiences and views.

Some key points to note:

All answers will be treated anonymously.
You can decline to answer any question you wish, or the whole survey.
There will be both an online and paper version of the survey asking identical questions. You only need to complete one.
If using the online version, you can revisit your answers and update them, just save the results before leaving the webpage each time.
The questions are at a household level and more than one view may exist in a household. Please do your best, and if necessary you can add a comment at the end.
We anticipate it should take no more than 10-15 mins to complete, depending on how much household discussion there may be.
The closing date of the survey will be 22nd February, 2026, but please do not wait.
Once we have the responses, we will statistically assess the results, and combine them with the fact based data to create the Parish Plan.
It is anticipated that the Parish Plan will then be discussed in the March Parish Council meeting and made available once approved.

While the primary purpose of the Parish Plan is to inform and help shape the Local Plan being created by SBC, something that typically runs for 10 years, it can also be used to help shape a Parish response to other planning applications that might be received in the short term, and help the Parish Council steer their future efforts.

To get the unique 4 digit code for your property, you can get it here and we will email it to you, complete with a direct link to the online survey, or if you prefer the paper based survey, please phone or text Jon (vice chair of the Church Eaton Parish Council) on 07515 630283 with the first line of your property address and postcode.

If you have any queries over the survey, please email the Parish Council with details