Have your say about the future of rural Norfolk

By Cllr Greg Peck

Norfolk County Council (NCC) and Collison & Associates are working on a review of the Norfolk Rural Strategy and inviting people who live and work in Norfolk to have their say and help shape its future.

Previous versions of the strategy have been used to secure funding, such as the £9m awarded to hundreds of community and small business projects across Norfolk since 2016.

The previous strategy also initiated campaigns to improve rural digital connectivity and work to develop a detailed evidence base of our natural environment.

The aim of this survey is to ensure that rural Norfolk continues to thrive, setting out a blueprint to deliver a positive change for its rural communities.

NCC believes that to create this positive change, partnership with the community is important – and feedback from residents vital to its success.

The county council is really interested in what the community – residents, businesses, partnerships and academic institutions – think about how it can deliver the vibrant, healthy rural communities of the future.

For example, could the role of Reepham change, how do we use our world-class environment to support our vital tourism sector and how can the growth of clean energy fuel our homes and lives?

With an ageing population, rural Norfolk is also in the frontline of changes in healthcare so we need to understand how new technology can help meet future service delivery and business needs, through initiatives such as the Go Digital programme the council launched in December 2020.

Norfolk is a predominantly rural county with a rich history and an unrivalled diversity of landscapes, communities, market towns, villages and businesses.

With a proud history of innovation and “doing different” stretching back hundreds of years from the Agricultural Revolution to the first environmental land management schemes trialled in the Broads in the 1980s, which are now the central feature of the new UK agricultural policy.

There have been many changes to rural market towns. Digitalisation, online retailing, a rapid growth in remote working and an increasing desire to buy local products are combining to change the rural economy in new and fundamental ways.

One positive of the current pandemic is that many rural people are commuting less and accessing small shops and facilities in their community more.

If such changes are to become permanent, the steering group’s aim is to identify what should be done to support them.

If you would like to have your say on the future of rural Norfolk you can view the online survey HERE

You can review the draft strategy and comment on the issues that are most important to you, your community, business or organisation.

The steering group is also keen to collect ideas for rural projects.

Cllr Greg Peck, Norfolk County Council, Reepham Division
Tel: 07972 230282
Email:
greg.peck.cllr@norfolk.gov.uk