Residents give their views on future of village (From Gazette & Herald)

Residents give their views on future of village

RESIDENTS of Hutton-le-Hole have given their views on the future of the beauty spot village.

A 68-page plan has been produced after 80 per cent of residents in the parish responded to a questionnaire.

It covered housing, transport, the environment, highways, community facilities, recreation, crime and policing and tourism.

As a result an action plan has been drawn up and already one item on the list - an information board at the village hall - has already been provided

Other ideas to be

pursued include, asking the police to carry out a survey on the speed of traffic, to have a parish map, to improve the garden area at the rear of the

village hall for community use a meeting place for young people, and goalposts, basket ball nets and a play area on the playing field.

The comments made in the questionnaires are being pursued with organisations in the village and outside bodies and will be reviewed and updated each May.

While it is one of the most visited villages in Yorkshire, residents say they would not like to see an increase in attractions or accommodation. They also feel that more small businesses would also be "inappropriate"

However, there was support for encouraging people to work from home and for jobs in farm diversification. The number of homes being used for holiday lets or second homes has risen in the past five years from 15 per cent to 22 per cent, according to the findings.

Some 30 per cent of residents are retired and nearly 30 per cent are self-employed. The survey revealed that 75 per cent of residents have moved into Hutton in

the last 15 year - 40 per cent in the last five years.

A big majority of those who responded - 80 per cent - said they did not want to see any more private houses built, while 43 per cent said there should be some low-cost housing.

Residents said they wanted overhead cables removed in Hutton, improved mobile phone reception, access to broadband internet, the introduction of a village news letter and more litter bins.

But street lighting was vetoed.

Updated: 15:06 Wednesday, February 16, 2005