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Due to the very large size of the Full Report this is just a summary
The Full Report can be obtained from the PC or parish post offices
Table of Contents
1Introduction *
2Sample Characteristics *
3The Environment *
4Sport and Leisure *
5Business *
6Housing and Development *
7Energy *
8Transport *
9Education *
10Children and Youth *
- Introduction
This Summary Report is intended to provide the reader with the key findings of a survey undertaken by St Mewan Parish Council as part of the St Mewan Parish Plan consultation. The survey itself was carried out in 2009, with the actual design and administering of the survey undertaken by members of the Parish Council. PFA Research was commissioned to process the completed questionnaires and to prepare a report based on the analysis of the survey results.
The main topics covered by the survey include: environment, sport and leisure, business, housing and development, energy, transport and education. Questionnaires also enabled respondents to provide demographic information on age and gender of household occupants, housing tenure and type of property occupied.
Questionnaires were designed to collect information from up to a maximum of 5 individuals from each household for some but not all of the topics covered. As it was not always clear which respondent completed those questions that permitted only one respondent to answer, in order to not lose the information it was decided to enter this information against the ‘primary’ respondent; i.e. the person listed as person 1 in the demographic section at the beginning of the questionnaire. This ‘rule’ was applied to both the ‘closed’ and ‘open ended’ questions.
The questionnaire also contained separate ‘children’ and ‘youths’ sections. For the purposes of the survey ‘children’ were defined as those aged 5 to 10; ‘youths’ were defined as those aged 11 to 17. As with the main body of the questionnaire it was not always possible to determine which individual ‘child’ or ‘youth’ had completed those sections that permitted only one reply. In cases where it was not possible to determine which individual had answered the question, the data was entered against the first ‘child’ or ‘youth’ respondent.
448 out of the 1,450 distributed questionnaires were delivered to PFA Research for data processing. 2 were excluded on the basis that they were blank, giving a valid total of 446 completed questionnaires. This gives an overall response rate of 31%. Many questionnaires were completed by more than one individual resulting in a total of 853 individual respondents.
Table 1 – Respondents to Questionnaire Composition
|
Respondents per Questionnaire |
Questionnaires |
% |
|
1 Respondent |
156 |
35% |
|
2 Respondents |
221 |
50% |
|
3 Respondents |
29 |
7% |
|
4 Respondents |
32 |
7% |
|
5 Respondents |
8 |
2% |
‘Open ended’ questions are those which enable respondents to make their own comments; i.e. there are now pre-set categories for them to select from.
Findings presented within this report are mainly reported at the ‘top-line’, i.e. the combined responses of all valid respondents. The term ‘valid respondents’ refers to only those respondents that provided a valid answer to a question. The number of ‘valid respondents’ is often smaller than the total number of respondents within the sample. For example, the total number of respondents for this survey is 853 but for the majority of questions the number of respondents that provided an answer is fewer. The percentages displayed throughout the report are based upon the number of respondents providing a valid answer.
Crosstabulations by ‘age’, ‘gender’ and ‘village location’ were undertaken. The results of only those crosstabulations that add value of the analysis have been included in the report. Prior to undertaking the crosstabulations it was decided to further group respondents’ age to provide greater robustness to the findings. The groupings created were ’18 years old and younger’, ‘19 to 65 years of age’ and those aged ‘over 65’.
It should be noted that the number of valid respondents for some questions still remains small; especially for those aged 18 and under and for Trelowth residents. Smaller sample sizes lack the ‘statistical robustness’ of larger samples, often referred to as the ‘confidence interval’. For example, a sample size of 50 has a confidence interval of ± 13.9% compared to a confidence interval of ± 4.4% for a sample of 500. This means that if 50% of a sample of 50 agrees with a statement the ‘true’ value that we would expect to see 95% of the time in the wider population lies within the range of 36.1% to 63.9%. The corresponding range for a sample size of 500 would be 45.6% to 54.4%, therefore providing a clearer and more accurate picture of respondents’ views and opinions.
Percentages given are rounded to the nearest integer. Therefore ‘totals’ may not always exactly total 100%. It should also be noted that for some question respondents were permitted to give more than one response percentages are also likely to total more than 100% overall.
2. Sample Characteristics
Respondents were given the opportunity to provide details of their ‘age’, ‘gender’ and ‘village of residence’ but not all were willing to provide this information. For example, 71 (8% of all respondents) did not provide details of their age; 234 (27%) of respondents did not provide gender information and 225 (26%) of all respondents did not disclose which village they lived in.
In relation to ‘age’ it would appear that those that returned the questionnaires are mainly at the older age of the age range; although the broadness of the 19 – 65 years of age category makes it difficult to be more precise. 32% of respondents are aged ‘over 65’, 48% are aged ’19 to 65’ and 12% are ’18 years old or under’. 8% did not provide details of their age.
27% were respondents were not willing to provide any information relating to their ‘gender’. 38% of all respondents are ‘female’ and 34% as ‘male’.
Sample Characteristics
The sample appears to be ‘weighted’ slightly towards the larger population centres within the Parish. 26% of respondents come from Sticker, the largest of the 4 population centres, 26% live in Trewoon, 17% came from Polgooth and 4% live in Trelowth. 26% of all respondents did not provide details of the village within which they lived.
8% of males are aged 18 and under, 46% were aged 19 to 65 and 38% are over 65. The corresponding values for females are 5%, 53% and 35% respectively.
Age by Village Location
The age data provided by those that were willing to disclose this information suggests that each of the main villages within the St Mewan Parish has a different age profile. Based upon the available information it would appear that Trelowth has the oldest age profile, with 44% of respondents aged over 65% compared to only 26% of respondents from Trewoon, which has the youngest age profile.
3. The Environment
Respondents were asked for their views concerning a series of questions linked to the recycling service, the local environment and local footpaths. Analysis suggests that the environment is an important issue for those living in St Mewan Parish; with high levels of importance and usage attributed to listed factors. St Mewan Parish also seems to suffer little in the way of serious ‘environmental’ problems; although there are a few issues that residents may like addressed.
Recycling
Respondents’ responses suggests that they attribute considerable importance to all aspects of recycling. 95% actively recycle household waste through the ‘kerbside recycling service’; ranging from a high of 96% for those living in Trewoon to a ‘low’ of 90% for Polgooth residents.
Respondents show considerable support for the return of ‘garden waste recycling’, with 84% of all respondents stating that they were in favour of this happening. Those living in Trelowth show the most support for the return of garden waste recycling, with 91% indicating this is something they would like to see happen. This compares to only 75% of Polgooth residents who indicated their support for this measure.
Issues concerning recycling
There also appears to be a high level of support amongst the residents of St Mewan Parish for less household waste to go into landfill sites. 84% of respondents indicated that they would like the ability to ‘recycle more items’. Support for this is high across all the villages, ranging from 82% in Polgooth to 88% in Trelowth.
Local Natural Environment
Respondents were asked to indicate whether they felt that specific aspects of the local natural were ‘important’ or ‘not important’ to them. Analysis suggests that the local natural environment means a lot to St Mewan residents, with an almost unanimous ‘important’ response for each of the listed environmental features.
Importance of local environment
The features of the local environment deemed as most important are ‘rivers, streams and lakes’ and ‘meadows and green fields’, both of which were rated as important by 99% of valid respondents. 98% of respondents identified ‘hedges and hedgerow trees’ as important; the same percentage as also rated ‘small woods’ and ‘trees’ as important. 97% stated that ‘Cornish walls / banks’ were important to them. The high levels of importance attributed to aspects of the local environment do not seem to be influenced by respondents’ age, gender or village of residence.
Environmental Problems
St Mewan Parish seems to have few problems linked to what can be seen as ‘environmental problems’. It is possible that the mainly rural nature of the Parish may be a contributory factor in the low level of perceived problems.
Perceived Environmental problems
Issues related to traffic emerge as those of greatest con cern. 81% of respondents identified issues with ‘excess/speeding traffic’ as a problem and 31% rated ‘motorbikes’ as a problem in St Mewan Parish. ‘Vandalism’ was an issue of concern, with for 27%; while 22% stated that ‘noise pollution’ was a problem. ‘Inadequate street lighting’ was a problem for 21% of respondents but 13% identified ‘excessive street lighting’ as a problem for themselves.
Age and where they live appears to have some influence upon those issues that respondents perceive to be problems within the Parish. In general terms residents aged over 65 seem to be more likely to perceive the listed issues to be problems within the Parish, with the exception of ‘ball games’, ‘light pollution’ and ‘air pollution’.
Local Footpaths
Footpaths are an important part of any local environment but are likely to have greater importance in mainly rural areas. This would appear to be the case in the St Mewan Parish, with 89% of respondents indicating that they had used local footpaths.
Used Footpaths
Age, gender and village location all appear to be important indicators of footpath usage; with usage highest amongst those aged 18 and under (96% had used), females (91% had used) and residents of Sticker and Trewoon (90% use.) Only 82% of those aged over 65 use footpaths; as do only 82% of males and 84% of those living in Trelowth.
Not knowing where footpaths are located could potentially explain why 27 out of the 55 respondents who said they did not use local footpaths, had not done so.
In general terms footpath users do not appear to experience many difficulties. There is however some evidence that seems to indicate that they would like footpaths to be better tended; with 60% stating they had experienced difficulties because of ‘the state of footpaths’. 28% had experienced problems because of a ‘lack of signposts’ and 26% experienced problems due to poor ‘disabled access.’
Age appears to have some influence on the extent and nature of the difficulties respondents have experienced, although there is no strong evidence to indicate that any specific age group in particular experiences difficulties.
Footpath related difficulties
The village where respondents live also appears to have some influence on their perceptions of difficulties experienced with footpaths. Again there is no clear pattern of issues being linked to a single specific village location, although in general terms it would appear that those living in Polgooth are least likely overall to have experienced difficulties when using local footpaths.
76% of respondents believe that there is sufficient bridleway provision within St Mewan Parish. Younger respondents (94%) and females (80%) are most likely to agree that there are sufficient bridleways, as are those living in Polgooth (86%.)
4. Sport and Leisure
The ‘village hall’ and ‘local play areas’ are often the focal point for provision of sport and leisure activities in small rural communities. For respondents living in the villages within St Mewan Parish these facilities and activities can often be an important aspect of village life. The analysis suggests that residents are generally satisfied with the facilities and activities available in the Parish, although there are also indications that they would like increased provision of activities and enhanced facilities.
Types of Activity Provision
Increased activity provision
76% of respondents would like to see more ‘local walks with guide pamphlets’ available within the Parish. 64% said that they would like ‘enhanced local website data’ and 56% would like to see increased provision for ‘rambling’ within St Mewan Parish.
Age, gender and location all appear to have some influence on respondents desire to see increased leisure activities; although the available evidence does not point to a consistent observed pattern linked to these factors. For example, although a higher proportion of Trelowth residents indicated that they would like to see increased provision for ‘rambling’ and ‘local walks with guide pamphlets’ they also had the lowest proportion that wanted ‘enhanced local website data’.
Children’s Playgrounds
The majority (71%) of respondents are generally ‘satisfied’ with the children’s playgrounds provided within the St Mewan Parish.
Satisfied: children's playgrounds
Satisfaction with children’s playgrounds increases with age; with 48% for those aged 18 and under ‘satisfied’ compared to 69% for those aged 19 to 65 years of age and 79% for those aged over 65. This observed age related variation would seem to suggest that satisfaction with the existing playground facilities is highest amongst those who are least likely to actually use them and therefore for whom they could be considered less relevant.
The village where respondents reside also seems to influence respondents level of satisfaction with the provision of children’s playgrounds. The highest levels of satisfaction with children’s playgrounds was registered by Trelowth residents; with 76% indicating they were satisfied. Residents living in Sticker are the least satisfied, although even here more than two-thirds (67%) are 67% satisfied.
A number of suggestions were made on how children’s playgrounds could be improved. Amongst the most common suggests were: ‘provision of additional equipment’ (60 respondents), ‘up-dated equipment (36 respondents), ‘better security/supervision’ (15 respondents); ‘better maintenance’ (15 respondents) and ‘bike/skate park’ (12 respondents.)
Village Hall Facilities and Activities
Satisfied: village hall facilities and activities
91% of respondents are satisfied with the ‘facilities and activities’ offered by village halls within the St Mewan Parish. Satisfaction is broadly consistent across all ages and for both males and females but there are observed variations in satisfaction linked to the village where respondents live. Satisfaction is highest in Polgooth, with 97% of those that answered indicating they are ‘satisfied’; compared to 86% of those living in Trewoon.
The three most sought after improvements to village halls were: ‘more and better parking’ (16 respondents), ‘additional events for children and teenagers’ (11) and ‘more educational courses and events’ (10.)
Activities for Adults and Children
St Mewan residents appear to have mixed views concerning local provision of activities for children and adults.
Views on local activities
Just under a third (31%) believe that provision for adults is ‘good / excellent’ and a further 23% felt they were ‘adequate’; the corresponding values for the provision of activities for children were 24% and 13% respectively.
52% of respondents stated that the provision of activities for children could ‘be improved’; compared to 39% who felt that improvements could be made to provision of adult activities.
5. Business
Despite increased car usage and the spread of out of town shopping centres, it is often said that village shops, the village Post Office and small local businesses play an important role in small rural communities.
This role is most clearly demonstrated in relation to the village shop and local Post Office, often within the same building, which can be viewed as traditional and essential ‘institutions’ of village at the heart of a vibrant and healthy community. In many ways the importance of the village shop / Post Office is similar to that attributed to village halls, the Church and the village pub. This important and essential role of the village shop / Post Office appears to be supported by the views expressed by respondents to the St Mewan Parish Plan survey.
Village Businesses
The local Post Office appears to play an essential role in village life with 99% of respondents indicating that they had used the local Post Office.
Residents of St Mewan Parish seem to be generally happy with existing levels of businesses operating within their village, with 82% indicating that in their opinion there are ‘sufficient businesses and shops’. The general consensus amongst the majority of residents that there are already a sufficient number of businesses hides differences based on where respondents live. For example, while 89% of those living in Polgooth believe that there are already enough businesses within their village this falls to 68% for those living in Trewoon.
Respondents appear to be polarised in their support for using financial incentives as a means to ‘encourage more shops or businesses’ into their village; with 49% of respondents indicating that they would support this measure compared to 51% who were opposed. Age seems to be an important influence upon respondents support for the use of financial incentives; with 51% of those aged 19 to 65 and 49% of those aged over 65 in favour of financial incentives compared to only 29% of those aged 18 and under. Where people live also appears to be important in relation to providing financial incentives, ranging from 36% of those from Trelowth who would support using financial incentives to 68% for those living in Trewoon.
103 respondents commented on other types of shops or businesses they felt could offer benefits to their village. Of these 28 thought a butcher would benefit their village, 20 would like to see a bakery, 16 wanted a pharmacy and 15 thought a greengrocer would bring benefits.
Village Shop
There are high levels of support for the village shop; with 98% of respondents indicating their support. Support by the village shop does not appear to be influenced by age, gender or the village where respondents live.
There is considerable variation in relation to the level of importance respondents attribute to the types of products and services they would like to see provided by the village shop. It appears that for many it is of greatest importance to have local access to what can be considered as ‘everyday’, although necessarily essential, items.
97% said it was important for their village shop to offer ‘newspapers/magazines’; although only 55% felt it was important for the shop to offer a ‘newspaper delivery service’. A similar pattern was found in relation to the selling of ‘groceries’ and offering a ‘grocery delivery service’, with 95% and 28% respectively saying these were important. This seems to suggest that respondents like the flexibility and convenience offered by the village shop as a place to ‘drop in to’ as they go about their daily lives. Other products and services respondents identified as important are: ‘stationery / greeting cards’ (92%), ‘confectionary’ (92%), ‘household items’ (83%), ‘ATM – cash machine’ (76%) and ‘off-licence’ (73%). The three products and services that respondents believe are of least importance are: ‘grocery delivery’ (28%), ‘dry cleaning’ (34%) and ‘solid fuel’ (36%.) ‘Other’ services that respondents saw as important include: ‘Post Office facilities’ (15 respondents), ‘sell lottery tickets’ (9 respondents) and ‘greengrocer’ (7 respondents’.
There were observed differences in the types of products and services that respondents of different ages believe to be important. In general terms those aged 18 and under tended to attribute lower levels of importance to many of the listed products and services that are often provided by the village shop. These observed differences are most possibly due to a lack of ‘need’ linked to the respondent’s age. For example, 66% of those aged over 65 stated that a ‘newspaper delivery service’ was important compared to only 10% of those aged 18 and under. Similarly, ‘fresh flowers’ was important for 65% of those aged over 65 but for only 36% of those aged 18 and under.
Table 2 – Top 5 Age Related Differences
|
|
Valid Respondents |
Aged 18 and under |
Aged 19 to 65 |
Aged 65 and over |
Percentage Difference |
|
Newspaper delivery |
55% |
10% |
52% |
66% |
56% |
|
Fresh flowers |
62% |
36% |
62% |
65% |
29% |
|
DVD rental |
62% |
75% |
64% |
49% |
26% |
|
Stationery / Greeting Cards |
92% |
71% |
93% |
96% |
25% |
|
Off-licence |
73% |
54% |
78% |
69% |
24% |
There are differences in the level of importance attributed to the listed items that appear to be influenced by the gender of the respondent; although these differences are fewer and often not a large as age related differences.
Table 3 – Top 5 Gender Related Differences
|
|
Valid Respondents |
Male |
Female |
Percentage Difference |
|
Grocery delivery |
28% |
17% |
33% |
16% |
|
Health and beauty |
46% |
38% |
49% |
11% |
|
Hot snacks |
68% |
72% |
62% |
10% |
|
Electric key charging |
39% |
39% |
32% |
7% |
|
Off-licence |
73% |
77% |
70% |
7% |
The village where respondents reside also appears to influence the types of products and services that respondents deem that it is important for their village shop to provide.
Table 4 – Top 5 Village Location Related Differences
|
|
Valid Respondents |
Sticker |
Trewoon |
Polgooth |
Trelowth |
Percentage Difference |
|
Newspaper delivery |
55% |
58% |
21% |
60% |
100% |
79% |
|
Dry cleaning |
34% |
39% |
14% |
25% |
63% |
49% |
|
Fresh flowers |
62% |
68% |
62% |
41% |
73% |
32% |
|
Electric key charging |
39% |
24% |
53% |
38% |
50% |
29% |
|
Hot snacks |
68% |
73% |
73% |
52% |
80% |
28% |
6. Housing and Development
Having a ‘decent home’ in which to live is considered essential in terms of individuals physical and psychological well-being. And yet for many rural villages there are pressures in ensuring that there are a sufficient number of homes available for local people to own or rent. There are also pressures linked to ensuring that any housing development that takes place does not have a detrimental impact upon the landscape of the village and the ‘feel’ of the village community. Further analysis suggests that ‘age’ and ‘village location’ are important influences on respondents expressed view-point on these issues; possibly reflecting the ‘life-stage’ and individual ‘needs’ of respondents.
Housing Characteristics
The questionnaire section relating to ‘housing characteristics’ was requested completion by only one member from each household. The themes covered in this section relate to ‘housing tenure’, ‘accommodation type’’ and ‘housing needs’.
The vast majority (92%) of respondents occupy homes that ‘privately owned’. 80% of those occupying homes that are ‘privately rented’ do so on a long-term basis.
Home ownership is highest in Sticker, where 96% of households are ‘privately owned’ and lowest in Trelowth (84% privately owned.)
46% of households live in a ‘bungalow’, 45% live in a ‘house’ and 7% live in a ‘mobile home’.
The majority (93%) of households do not contain anyone who is looking for alternative accommodation; while most of those that are looking for alternative accommodation indicated they wanted to remain within the local area.
There is some evidence to suggest that a small percentage of individuals may be experiencing difficulties within the accommodation market linked to property prices or houses modified to suit specific groups. 40 household contained at least one person who wished to purchase their own home but were unable to do because of the price of property. 25 households needed accommodation designed for ‘older people’, 23 needed housing for ‘someone with a physical disability’, 16 wanted housing for ‘young people’ and 4 needed accommodation suitable for ‘someone with a mental illness or learning difficulty’.
Future Housing Developments In St Mewan Parish
All respondents were asked to express an opinion concerning future housing developments; including proposals by Imerys that could result in the develop of an ‘eco-town’ within the St Mewan Parish area. Overall analysis suggests that in general there is little support amongst residents of St Mewan Parish for more housing developments or for the development of an ‘eco-town’; although respondents do appear to support ‘affordable housing’ and the ‘targeting’ of any new housing towards local people. Further analysis seems to suggest that ‘age’ and ‘village location’, possibly a combination of both these factors, are important influences on respondents expressed view-point on these issues.
Analysis of the responses made suggests that there is little in the way of support amongst respondents for future housing developments or the establishment of an ‘eco-town’. In contrast the evidence would appear to indicate substantial opposition to future housing developments. For example, 34% indicated that in their opinion the Parish was able to accommodate any more housing; while 66% took the opposite view. This viewpoint was strongest in Sticker (43%) and less common in Polgooth (28%.)
Levels of support for more ‘self-build projects’ was similar to that for the suggestion that the Parish could accommodate more housing, with 37% in favour of more ‘self-build projects’ and 63% against. Age appears to have some degree of influence on support for ‘self-build projects’, with 43% of those aged 18 and under in favour compared to only 31% of those aged over 65. Village of residence also appears to be important, with support greatest amongst those living in Trewoon (53%) and lowest in Trelowth (25%.)
Approximately 4 out of every 10 (38%) viewed the presence of an ‘eco-town’ in their Parish as a positive factor. This viewpoint was most noticeable amongst younger respondents, with 64% of those aged 18 and under seeing an ‘eco-town’ as a positive addition to the Parish compared to 14% of those aged over 65. 54% of Polgooth respondents perceive an ‘eco-town’ in a positive light compared to only 29% of those living in Trelowth.
Only 24% of respondents indicated their approval for more new ‘open market’ housing developments taking place in St Mewan Parish; 51% ‘did not approve.’ However, a substantial minority (25%) indicated that this issue was of ‘no concern’ to them. Opposition to new ‘open market’ housing does not appear to be based solely on opposition to housing development per se but appears to reflect respondents concerns over the benefits, if any, such housing would offer to the local community and those already living within the village. For instance, 34% of those opposed to new ‘open market’ housing did so because they felt ‘local people would lose out’; while 18% felt new ‘open market’ housing posed a threat to the ‘character of the village’.
Location appears to exert the greatest influence on respondents’ views towards ‘open market’ housing; with approval for new ‘open market’ housing ranging from 34% in Sticker to only 12% in Trelowth. Age also seems to exert some influence, with 26% of those aged 19 to 65 approving of new ‘open market’ housing compared to only 20% of those aged over 65.
Whilst there is little obvious declared support for more ‘open market’ housing there is much stronger support amongst respondents for the provision of ‘affordable housing’. 64% indicated their approval for this housing type, 16% ‘don’t approve’ and 19% said it was of ‘no concern’.
Age and location seem to be important influences. In relation to age, those aged 18 and under exhibit the lowest levels of both ‘approval’ (50%) and ‘disapproval’ (5%); 45% said it was of ‘no concern’. Support was highest amongst those aged 19 to 65; possibly reflecting the desire of some within this age group to find a home for themselves or in the case of older members of this group for their children. Approval for ‘affordable housing’ is highest amongst those living in Trewoon (72%) and lowest in Polgooth (58%.)
96% of valid respondents would support measures designed to ‘target’ new homes at local people. Support for targeting new homes at local people is high across all age ranges and for males and females. Support is also generally high irrespective of where respondents reside, with the exception of Trelowth where 23% of respondents indicated that they ‘do not approve’ of targeting new homes for local people.
Affordable housing was defined as housing ‘.. priced at ¾ of the price of ‘open market’ housing.’
7. Energy
This section of the questionnaire was asked at the level of the household rather than at the level of individual respondents. Issues covered in this section relate to the sources of energy respondents use to heat their home, insulation measures and attitudes towards sources of energy generation.
Heating and Insulation
‘Gas’ is the main source of heating, used by 47% of all homes; 26% use ‘electricity’ and 21% use ‘oil.’
The types of heating source used by households varies depending on the village where homes are located. Trelowth has the highest proportion of gas’ usage, used by 86% of households. ‘Gas’ is also the main fuel source in Sticker, used by 68% of households. 50% of Polgooth households use gas, with a further 40% using ‘electric’. Use of ‘oil’ as the main household heating source is highest in Trewoon, with 46% of households indicating that ‘oil’ provides their main source of heating.
Just under three-quarters (72%) of households indicated that their homes have the ‘appropriate thickness’ of roof insulation in place.
93% of homes have ‘double glazing’ and 50% have ‘draught exclusion’ measures fitted.
There seems to be widespread support amongst households towards measures to encourage alternative methods of generating energy. Three-quarters (75%) of households would support ‘local waste to energy development initiatives’.
78% of females would support such initiatives, compared to 69% of males. Support for ‘local waste to energy development initiatives’ is highest in Polgooth (80%) and lowest in Trewoon (71%.)
89% of households indicated that they were in favour of support for more ‘renewable energy schemes / funding’. Support was higher amongst females than it was males, with 92% and 85% respectively indicating their support for renewable energy schemes/funding. Although there were high levels of support across all villages some variation in levels of support was observed, ranging from 82% for Trelowth households to 93% for households in Sticker.
8. Transport
The topics covered in this section of the report focus on car ownership, local bus services, parking, roads and foot access to local shops and services. One person per household was permitted to respond so the information provided is based upon the household as a whole rather than for individual respondents.
Being able to travel freely from one place to the next is an important issue for individuals as they go about their daily life. Whether it is for the purpose of doing their shopping, going out for access entertainment or other social events, educational purposes of for employment, access to a good transport infrastructure is an issue that affects all households and is likely to be of greater importance to those that live in dispersed rural households.
Transport Methods
The majority (96%) of households owned at least 1 car. Just over half (55%) of households are single car households, 33% have 2 cars and 8% have 3 or more cars. 52% of households contained someone who uses a car to ‘commute to work’. 47% of households that commute to work by car travel distances of ‘more than 10 miles’ and 37% commute between ‘4 to 10 miles’.
Over half (51%) of households had not used the bus service within the last 12 months. 23% of households used the bus service in excess of 10 times during the previous 12 months.
Age would appear to be a factor influencing usage of bus services, with 60% of those aged over 65 having used the bus service in the last 12 months compared to only 40% of those aged 19 to 65.
Households from Sticker have the highest usage of bus services with only 41% not using bus services in the last 12 months compared to 53% for Trelowth and 58% for both Trewoon and Polgooth.
52% of those not currently using the bus service said that they would consider doing so if it was more convenient to use. 60 of those that do not currently use would consider doing so if there were ‘more frequent or regular services’; 38 would use the bus service if the cost of doing so was ‘cheaper’ and 22 would use it if there was greater choice offered by the addition of ‘more routes’.
Parking
Just over half (55%) of households indicated that ‘lack of parking’ was an issue in their village.
Age, gender and location all appear to have some influence in relation to the views and opinions expressed by households concerning a ‘lack of car parking’. 53% of those aged over 65 and 34% of those aged 19 to 65 said there was an issue of ‘lack of parking in their village’; as did 36% of males and 49% of females.
Trelowth (63%) has the highest percentage of households who perceive a ‘lack of car parking’ to be an issue within the village. The corresponding values for Polgooth, Trewoon and Sticker are 57%, 48% and 26% respectively.
41% of households would support increased restrictions for ‘on road parking’.
Although a smaller percentage of males felt there was a ‘lack of car parking’ within their village, it is males that are more likely to support increased parking restrictions, with 45% of males and 38% of females saying they would support increased restrictions on ‘on road parking’.
A similar picture emerges in relation to the village where respondents live. For example, support for ‘on road parking restrictions is lowest amongst Trelowth residents, with only 19% in favour of increased ‘on road parking restrictions’, despite having the highest proportion that saw a ‘lack of car parking’ as an issue. It is possible that this apparent contradiction reflects concerns that increasing the amount of parking restrictions may make matters worse by further limiting the number of parking options currently available. Support for increased parking restrictions was greatest in Trewoon, with 44% of households indicating their support for such measures.
Roads and Traffic Speed
46% of households believe that the ‘amount of traffic in the village’ to be an issue.
Concern over traffic volumes within their village is greatest amongst those households in Trewoon, with 83% identifying this to be an issue. Sticker has the lowest level of households that view traffic volumes to be an issue; with only 1 in 5 households (20%) expressing concern over traffic volumes.
69% of households indicated that they would ‘support additional speed control measures’.
Although over half of households within each of the villages in St Mewan Parish would ‘support additional speed control measures’ there is considerable variation between the villages. 87% of households in Trewoon indicated that they would be willing to ‘support additional speed control measures’, as would 66% from Sticker, 58% from Trelowth and 51% from Polgooth.
66% of households believe that the roads within the parish are ‘consistently in an adequate state of repair’. However there was considerable variation in level of responses depending on the village where respondents lived; ranging from a high of 78% of households in Trewoon that felt roads were ‘consistently in an adequate state of repair’ to a low of 50% for Trelowth households.
52%, of the 252 households that provided an answer said they would be prepared to walk up to a mile (the equivalent of a 20 minute walk) to access a shop or service. A further 28% said that they would be prepared to walk up to a maximum of 2 miles to access a shop or service.
Based upon an ‘average’ walking pace of 3 miles per hour for humans.
9. Education
This section focuses upon issues linked to non-compulsory educational activities provided within the St Mewan Parish, that is activities that are often provided within the village halls or outside of normal school hours.
There were only 76 respondents that indicated that they had or were intending to have young children; of which 71% said that they would make use of the ‘primary school’. 66% of valid respondents said they would use a ‘playgroup’, 50% would use a ‘children after school club’, 45% would use ‘rising 5’s’ and 37% would use a ‘breakfast club’. 24% of valid respondents said they would use ‘none of the above’.
266 (31%) of respondents provided information on the types of educational activities they currently undertook in and outside of their village and the types of educational activities they would like to take of they were to be made available within their village (see Table 1, below.)
23% of the 82 valid respondents currently participate in ‘art classes’, either within their own village or elsewhere. 24% of the 135 valid respondents currently undertake ‘computer classes’. 24% of 89 respondents are currently ‘learning a language’. 22% of 118 valid respondents are currently doing ‘evening classes. 40% of 110 respondents currently do ‘keep fit classes’ and 53% of the 41 respondents are current members of a ‘Woman’s Institute’.
There is an expressed desire to be able to undertake educational activities within respondents own village. 82% of valid respondents would like to be able to ‘learn a language’ within their own village, 81% would like to be able to access ‘evening classes’, 79% would like to do ‘art classes’, 78% mentioned ‘computer classes’, 63% for ‘keep fit classes’ and 51% for ‘Women’s Institute’. Age, gender and location all appear to be important in terms of respondents’ current participation in educational activities, whether this takes place within their village or elsewhere.
Table 5 – Educational Activities Undertaken And Desired Activities
|
Activity Type |
Respondents |
Do In Village |
Do Outside Village |
Would Like To Do |
|
Art Classes |
82 |
16% |
7% |
79% |
|
Computer Class |
135 |
17% |
7% |
78% |
|
Learn a Language |
89 |
13% |
9% |
82% |
|
Evening Classes |
118 |
14% |
8% |
81% |
|
Keep Fit Classes |
110 |
22% |
18% |
63% |
|
Woman's Institute |
41 |
46% |
7% |
51% |
10. Children and Youth
The information presented within this section relates to questions asked to only those respondents aged under 18 years of age. In this section the term ‘children’ refers to those respondents that are of primary school age, i.e. 5 – 10 years of age, and ‘youths’ refer to those aged 11 to 17 years of age.
Sample Characteristics
91 respondents completed the dedicated ‘children’s’ and ‘youths’ sections of the St Mewan Parish Plan survey; 50 of which were aged 5 to 10 years of age and 41 were aged 11 to 17.
42 of the 50 ‘children’ attend St Mewan primary school; 3 attend Pondhu Primary school and 1 each attend Biscovey School, Grampound Road, Penrice, Grampound with Creed and Doubletrees schools. Of the 16 ‘youths’ attend Penrice, 9 attend Roseland and 4 attend St Austell College.
Getting To And From School
Children of primary school age (i.e. those aged 5 to 10 year olds) appear to be quite reliant upon their parents or another adult, for example a childminder, to take them to and from school. For example, 80% of children of primary school age travel to school by car and 58% also used this mode of transport to return home at the end of the school day. 8% of young children travel to school by bus, rising to 24% that use the bus at the end of the school day.
In contrast to the apparent ‘dependency’ younger children have on being taken to and from school by an adult it appears that ‘youths’ (i.e. children age 11 to 17 years of age) enjoy greater independence in relation to school journeys. 46% of youths travel to school or college by bus and the same proportion use the bus to travel home from school as well. 44% of ‘youths’ use a car to get to school, with the same percentage also using this method to travel home at the end of the school day.
Leisure Activities
‘Children’s’ leisure activities would appear to be more ‘structured’ in nature than that of ‘youths’, possibly reflecting the greater freedom that becomes available to children as they get older and gain greater independence from their parents.
27 ‘children’ are members of some type of ‘sports organisation’, 22 are members of a organisation such as ‘Beavers’ and 17 are members of an organisation linked to ‘arts and craft’ activities. ‘Children’ appear to derive a great deal of fun from being active. 31 children aged 5 – 10 said that they get their fun by participating in ‘sporting activities’, 27 get fun from ‘general play’ and 9 indulge in ‘arts and craft’ activities for fun. ‘Childrens’ interest in sporting activities is mirrored in the types of leisure provision they would like to see available within the St Mewan Parish. 11 children would like to see more ‘sports clubs / sports events’ provided within St Mewan Parish, 9 want more ‘youth clubs / youth organisations’, 8 would like more ‘art and craft projects’ and 7 would like to see more ‘play equipment’ provided.
In contrast to the apparently ‘structured’ nature of ‘childrens’ leisure activities it would seem that ‘youths’ have greater autonomy over deciding how to spend their leisure time. This is possibly best demonstrated by ‘youths’ lower levels of participation of organised ‘youth groups’; only 20% doing so compared to 64% of ‘children’. ‘Youths’ participation in group leisure activities appear to be less formal, with ‘going out with friends’ the most popular means for ‘youths’ to spend their free time; cited by 89% of ‘youths’. 29 (78%) spent some of their free time ‘watching TV / play video games’, 28 (76%) have an ‘interest in computers’, 26 (70%) do ‘homework’ and 16 (43%) participate in ‘sport and sporting activities’. 8 (44%) of youths feel that it would be good to have a ‘youth club / youth centre’, 7 (39%) would like ‘sports facilities’ and 5 (28%) wanted a ‘skate park’.
Future Residency
‘Youths’ were asked a question linked to their expectations of living in St Mewan Parish in 5 years time, i.e. in 2014.
26 of the ‘youths’ that answered the question said that they still expected to live in the Parish in 2014. 4 of those that indicated that they expected to leave the Parish stated that this was due to a lack of employment opportunities; while 3 intended to leave the area in order to continue with their education. A lack of affordable housing was also cited as a reason by one ‘youth’ as to why they expected to have left the Parish within the next 5 years.
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