Another happy year for Cranbrook
Community spirit and friendly people make it a special place to live!
Survey results reveal that East Devon’s new community of Cranbrook has continued to remain happy overall during the past 12 months. Results from the second survey of this kind show that community spirit and friendly people are what makes Cranbrook special.
Residents responded to questions in the Cranbrook Community Questionnaire across five sections entitled your community; services; Younghayes Centre; outdoor activity; and about you. The first one was carried out at the same time in 2013.
The headline results show that 88% of respondents feel Cranbrook is a good place to live, 86% get on well with the people they meet.
With almost a thousand homes now occupied, many of the emerging community andare looking forward to future facilities and developments. Just under half (48%) are currently satisfied with access to services overall in Cranbrook with residents keen to see new facilities and amenities open, particularly local shops and a doctorsn surgery.
Corena Ward, Cranbrook’s Community Development Worker and the person behind the survey said: “The shop and the doctors surgery are now within reach. The first local shops, including a Co-op, are now being built opposite the Younghayes Centre with construction due to complete in June. A doctor has just signed up to open a GP surgery which should be ready during springtime.”
Some 86% felt well informed about what’s going on in the community but 37% would like more information about travel and transport, 25% about youth and play and 21% about waste and recycling.
A lot of residents said that the time they spend walking, cycling and jogging or running would increase significantly after country park and cycleway improvements. These results will be used to show Cranbrook decision makers the benefits that these improvements would have.
The ‘about you’ section revealed that 46% had moved to Cranbrook from the Exeter area, while 28% had moved from elsewhere in East Devon and 16% moved from elsewhere in Devon. Only 7% came from outside of Devon and the majority of these came from the wider south west.
Corena Ward said: “It is really useful to see the results of this second survey and be able to compare it to last year’s findings. They give a real insight into not only what people want, but how they feel about their community and how this has changed since 2013. We will use the results of the questionnaire to inform our work in addressing needs in 2015, such as the ‘Our Place’ strategy and monitor progress”.
Councillor Paul Diviani, Leader of EDDC, said: “I am delighted with the outstanding progress being made at Cranbrook, which is fulfilling so expectations by providing new homes and economic growth. As a brand new community it combines all the best things about life in Devon, top of which, as has been shown by this survey, is a friendly, caring neighbourhood”.
To see more of the results go to: www.eastdevon.gov.uk/consultation-and-surveys/cranbrook-community-questionnaire
