Ruralis and Communitask are currently delivering a set of community planning strategies for Barwick in Elmet and Scholes Parish Council. The team comprises a core element of the following staff:
- David Gluck; project manager and parish planning expert.
- Tony Mullin; community consultation expert.

The tasks

The Parish Council have decided that they wish to see a fundamental refresh of their current Parish Plan (2006) and development of Village Design Statements completed for the communities of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes separately.

a. Refreshing the Parish Plan – The Plan will aspire to providing a strategic look at the parish for the next 10 years, with an Action Plan for the next 3 years, capable of being reviewed and rolled forward for 3 year programming periods onwards.

b. Village Design Statements – the process of undertaking VDS can be a lengthy one, particularly as it is best practice to have the process led by groups formed from within the community, inevitably meaning a degree of learning on the job for those involved. The VDS is also a process which requires a degree of specialist technical input, for example from architects which will be facilitated from within the team or by recruiting local expertise where it exists.

The parish plan element is now complete as of the beginning of June 2012 with work continuing on the VDS – completion very soon! )and from there for onward consultation with Leeds City Council planning officers).

Alongside our work, the parish has now embarked upon a Neighbourhood Development Plan, in the light of significant pressures for new housing emerging from the draft Leeds Core Strategy. Ruralis is advising on this process informally.