The unattributed comments in each section of the questionnaire have been processed and the five or six most commented-on issues in each section are reported on this page.

Objective 1: Housing
Comments not yet processed.

Objective 2: Our Infrastructure
The top six areas of concern are:
1. Broadband
2. Traffic
3. Footpaths
4. Parking
5. Road Crossing
6. School Buses

1. Broadband was commented on approximately 182 times and every comment was negative regarding the speed. This issue is currently being addressed and should be improved by September 2017.

2. Traffic. After broadband the speed of through traffic in The High Road, Felmersham and Moor End, Radwell were the main issues. The speeding issue in Felmersham is being address by the Parish Council with the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit throughout the village. However with a speed limit in Moor End of 20 mph, speed was still an issue in Moor End. Some suggested average speed cameras were required and a few thought speed monitoring was the answer. Speed bumps were definitely not required. Traffic was considered to be a hazard, at the school, during school start and finishing times.

3. Footpaths
Many respondents thought the Parish needed more footpaths. Serval said there was a need for a footpath from Felmersham to Sharnbrook Upper School giving students the opportunity to walk to school and provide parishioners with a safe means of walking to Sharnbrook. Whilst others thought a footpath from Radwell to Milton Ernest would be beneficial. Within in the parish footpaths were proposed in Moor End, Pavenham Road and the High Road from the junction of Grange Road to Memorial Lane. Pedestrians were also at risk walking along the Old Road during school starting and finishing times.

4. Parking
This was an issue in Pavenham Road, the School and Village Hall, Church End, The Sun and on the path at the junction of Grange Road and The High Road.

5. Road Crossing
Crossing The High Road near the bus shelter, especially at peak periods, was seen as a major safety problem for both children and adults. Several suggest a pedestrian crossing. Speeding traffic did not help in this regard.

6. School Busses
School busses and lorries are a risk to motorists and pedestrians at peak periods. They travel too fast.

Objective 3: Environment and Heritage
Comments not yet processed.

Objective 4: Recreational, sporting and community facilities
The first aim of this objective was to establish which of the existing Parish facilities are valued and contribute to the community, and secondly the provision sought for new or upgraded facilities, ensuring that community life continues to flourish.

Focusing first on Question 4 (In your opinion, how strong is the sense of community in this Parish?) the sense of community was said to be excellent and good by 66% of those who responded to the questionnaire, with 29% judging it to be average.

People enjoy living in the Parish with over 90% of respondents in Question 5 (What do you enjoy about living in Felmersham and Radwell?) valuing these 4 factors of Parish life: the quietness, the easy access to the countryside, the rural atmosphere and a peaceful and safe neighbourhood.

Of all the community facilities listed in Question 1, (Which community facilities do you use within the Parish and how often?) over 75% had used at some point the Church, the Village Hall, the Sun; to a lesser extent of 60%, the play area and the memorial garden. 47% had used the bus service, with 15% and 12% respectively The Villager bus and the mobile library.

Having said that, the latter two in Question 2 (How important to you are the following Parish facilities?) were deemed to be important or very important, with all of the others listed gaining overwhelming support as valued Parish facilities.

Question 3 (Bearing in mind the potential small scale development that will occur in the Parish to meet housing needs, what additional or improved community facilities would you like to see in the Parish in the period to 2035?) suggested some additional and improved facilities; a local bus service and a community shop both had strong support of over 70%, followed by medical and mobile library at 46%.

Question 6 (When considering provision for young people in the Parish, do you consider the following to be important?) All listed were deemed to be important between 53% for sports facilities and 68% for children’s play area.

From the comments made at the launch event in April 2016, and those made on the last page of the questionnaire, many suggestions were forthcoming. There was an overlap to other Objectives.

More consultation is required to secure a way forward, but some of the most frequent suggestions were as follows:

• A community shop/occasional cafes/events which encourage the community to mix and come together

• A community building for meetings in Radwell, as well as a play area

• Purpose built Village Hall separate from the School that could be used for meetings in the day

• Extension of Harrold/Odell Country Park as a designated conservation area of the Ouse Valley with, for example, improved footpath provision to Sharnbrook

• Further community groups such as garden/allotment club, group for conservation of wildlife, drama group, cinema club etc, and clubs for the youth of the Parish

• More sports provision for all, including adults: bigger play equipment, football goals/pitch, cricket facilities, tennis court etc

Objective 5: Business and Employment
It was interesting to find out how many people work from home or operate a business from Felmersham and Radwell. The response was excellent from residents and brought to light how many people depend on key services, such as broadband. Residents feedback regarding broadband and its inadequate performance was overwhelming.

The villages of Felmersham and Radwell are attractive because of the rural aspects. However, because of the good train links to London this attracts commuters to the villages.
The villages have a good selection of Trades and Services that cover lots of different capabilities.
The main employment groups in the village are:
• Building & Maintenance Services i.e. Electrician/Plumber etc.
• Agriculture
• Animal Care
• Public House
• Home Office

The questionnaire results clearly stated that going forward the majority of residents believed that the future employment opportunity would come from Leisure & Tourism.
The residents also responded positively to the new Leisure proposals; however, they do not want this venture to impact on the peace and quiet that they enjoy. But recognise that jobs created would potentially be beneficial.
In addition, the need for a Shop and Community Hub got a very positive response and The Sun pub was highly regarded as our top community asset and village employer.

Issues to address in the future:
• Broadband - Fibre is coming but required urgently
• Leisure proposal
• Shop
• Community Hub for meetings, networking etc.