Consultation feedback

View Survey Results

Results from Wells Area Partnership consultation so far:

1. Face to Face Surveys
WAP conducted face to face interviews with a sample of 22 people.  The top 4 priority issues were:
Housing, provision for young people, better employment opportunities and a healthy environment

2. ‘Give me Five’ – Ideas from young people
WAP met with over 300 pupils at Wells Primary and Alderman Peel High School. They suggested over 1000 ideas by drawing on paper ‘hands’. The most popular ideas were a cinema, a skate park, a sea life centre and better shopping facilities

3. ‘The Big Picture’ photo survey of likes and dislikes about Wells
A photo survey was run with free cameras handed out by WAP.  The top likes were: community and landscape/ environment (including the Harbour); the top dislikes were the empty house on the Buttlands, overflowing litterbins, bad car parking, and the burnt out Grays Building on the Quay

4.Wells Housing Need Survey
WAP conducted a housing needs survey in May 2006 with the Rural Community Council and Wells Town Council which showed:

• Whilst over half of households in Wells have a joint income of £20,000 or less, the average terraced house costs more than ten times as much at £253,750 against £147,033 elsewhere in North Norfolk (Land Registry March 2006)
• 349 households on NNDC Common Housing Register have indicated they would like to live in Wells- only 98 of those have a local connection. The survey revealed another 35 households with a local connection to Wells that are in housing need but are not yet on the Common Housing Register
• 52 households have experienced a family member having to move out of Wellsin the past five years because of house prices
• In a town of less than 2500 people, 20% of the houses are second homes ( NNDC Council Tax records)
• 64 households need affordable housing (18 couples, 24 families and 22 single people), 6 need open-market homes and 35 households have an immediate need. . 
• 96% of the survey respondents would support an affordable housing development for local people.

• Local Development Framework Consultation

After consultation with Parish Councils WAP commented on the NNDC planning document the ‘Local Development Framework’.  WAP particularly noted the need for a higher percentage of affordable housing at 60% of all new developments (currently LDF proposes 40%). We argue that as Wells is strategically located at the centre of the north Norfolk Coast, it is well placed to serve the fishing, marine sports, walking, cycling, and ecologically based tourist economy, including arts are advocating appropriate vision and planning support to make this happen.

6. NNDC and Community Survey 1999
Previous surveys have noted the need for affordable housing, the problems caused by an ageing population led by incoming retired people, the state of public toilets and problems with car parking.