Kewstoke & Sand Bay Village Appraisal and Action Plan
Parish Plans Case Study - by Countryside Agency.

Kewstoke in North Somerset is not the typical English village, and its many amenities might perhaps be the envy of others.

Kewstoke is three miles from Weston-super-Mare, and overlooks Sand Bay, a natural beach for thousands of visitors to the Sand Bay Holiday Village and the many nearby caravan parks. Amenities in the village for residents and tourists alike include a shop, post office, takeaway, hairdresser, public houses, restaurants and cafes, together with two hotels.

But Kewstoke has problems of its own, and has used a grant to write a Parish Plan in the hope of crystallising the issues it faces – and finding a solution to them.

Some 1,200 adults live in the village, but they are out-numbered by the caravans in the surrounding fields. It is commonly believed that there are more caravans in Kewstoke than anywhere else in North Somerset, but the picture is beginning to change, says Clerk to the Council Val Mayer.

“Some owners are selling off their caravan parks for building plots. We have lost two, and a third is thinking about doing the same. People are concerned that this will completely change the nature of the village. The parks are also many people’s livelihood.”

She said the issue was one of several which underlines the need for a Village Plan. This was launched at a well-attended public participation day on February 2 this year, called 020202 - Live in Kewstoke, in the village hall.

There were 17 organisations represented, including the football club, the Beavers, the Kewstoke local history society and North Somerset Council's Community Youth Bus. They were also able to connect up the village web-site (www.kewstoke.org).

Villagers contributed their views on a 16 foot display map which is now covered in flags - each with a comment on it giving people’s like and dislikes about the village. A notice board called the graffiti wall contained deliberately provoking comments (‘Let your dog foul the beach!’) – and asked people to use stickers for their comments.

The caravan question was prominent, as were plans for a £5 million holiday village that have been submitted. Val said: “This would have an enormous impact on the quiet rural character of the village. Around 300 people attended a public meeting to protest about this.”

Other issues included litter, better facilities on the village green, and the need for a direct transport link to Worle.

Val added: “We want to have the findings of the Plan attached to the Local Plan as supplementary planning guidance. It is certainly concentrating the mind about what the issues are for Kewstoke now and in the future.”

To view the original Questionnaire and the final Village Survey Report you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you do not have this then do not worry as it is FREE to download, just click this logo:

Once you have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can simply click on the pdf file you'd like to view online OR you can Right-Click on the fie, Save As, and copy it to your computer for viewing offline.
The Answers & Comments to selected questions can be viewed in Microsoft Word.
The original Questionnaire that
was sent out to village residents:
Questionnaire (2.36mb)
Answers & Comments given on the Questionnaire:
 020202 - The Day
Q82 - Roads Danger Spots
Q83 - Speeding
Q96 - Land Use
Q102-3 - School Comments
Q111 - Wish List
The final Village Survey Report:


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