Kilnwick Percy Design Survey:
How was this design statement for Kilnwick Percy put together?
We sent 37 questionnaires to all of the households in Kilnwick Percy (as defined by the electoral register – Appendix 1) which asked residents about their satisfaction with a range of things broken down into:
• Community
• Services
• Safety and security
• Environment and sustainability
It also asked questions about whether residents would like to set up a Neighbourhood Watch.
Who returned the questionnaire?
Sixteen residents returned a completed questionnaire; 12 told us their name and 4 replied anonymously. This represents a 43% response rate which compared to national opinion surveys is a good response rate; but it also means that less than half of the residents replied to questions about their local environment. It does however provide us with a statistically robust response on which to base conclusions although it should be noted that not all residents responded to all questions.
What did people tell us?
| Community | Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
| I think that there is a sense of community in Kilnwick Percy | 1 | 11 | 2 | 2 | - |
| Being part of a local community is important to me | 1 | 11 | 3 | - | - |
| I would like to see more community events | 1 | 5 | 9 | - | - |
Q: What does being part of a community mean to you?
• A sense of local pride and a sense of belonging
• Feeling part of a group of people, linked both geographically and relationally. Mutual support is essential to us
• Security
• Sense of security and not being alone in an emergency
• Knowing your neighbours, helping out in times of need. The odd party
• Mutual support
• A sense of belonging and a caring environment
• Consideration of social connections and a willingness to help and be helped
• Good relationship with neighbours and mutual support when necessary
• Being neighbourly and friendly; helping each other out; respecting privacy
• Feeling comfortable and safe where we live
Q: What would make it better?
• Perhaps more social gatherings or functions; otherwise it is great as it is
• A little bit more give and take (parking etc)
• Perhaps 2 community events annually
• Not sure – its fairly good now
• Allotments and a concerted effort to improve our environment
• Improved economic prosperity instead of shop premisies [?] standing empty, pubs struggling to make ends meet [?]
| Services | Very satisfied | Satisfied | Neutral | Dis-satisfied | Very Dis-satisfied |
| How satisfied are you with the following services | |||||
| a) lighting | 8 | 4 | - | 2 | - |
| b) drainage | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| c) electricity supply | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | – |
| d) water | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | - |
| e) sewage | 5 | 1 | 7 | - | 1 |
| f) road conditions | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | - |
| g) telephone supply | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | - |
| h) car parking | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| i) disability access | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | - |
| j) emergency service access | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| k) signage | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| l) education facilities | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - |
| m) refuse services | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | - |
| n) recycling services | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | - |
Comments about services
• Clearly drainage has been an issue for some households and time will tell whether this has been rectified. We still experience a number of power cutrs and it would be so much better of the power cables/lines were buried rather than overhead
• Very satisfied overall
• A shredding service would be useful – in Pocklington if possible
• Grateful to find any services available to an isolated location
• Too much signage – less is more!
• For all of those marked dissatisfied (drainage, road conditions, signage) there needs to be a community plan especially for maintenance of road and drain system to elicit good emergency access
• Would not want to see more external lighting – in appropriate in the country and creates light pollution
• It should be made clear that this is a no light zone during the hours of darkness; we need an efficient and carbon neutral sewerage plant; Millington Lane should have speed restrictions; there is no indication to house names on Millington Lane; too much refuse collection and not enough recycling
• We chose to live in a rural location and do not want to see the area become more like a town with lighting, signs, parking areas etc
Safety and security
| Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I feel safe in my home | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | - |
| I feel safe in the surrounding area | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | - |
Comments
• Never see a uniformed police officer
• Its nice to know that we call on our any of our neighbours if we had a problem. Perhaps the fact that people still struggle to find our homes is a benefit in terms of security
• Speeding is a problem on the road – also parked cars in the passing places.
• Police response is inadequate
• Children at risk from careless and fast driving in the lane
Environment and sustainability
| Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I am concerned about environmental pollution in and around Kilnwick Percy | 2 | 6 | 6 | - | 1 |
Comments
• Fly tipping and litter in the passing places
• We are all dependant on oil fired central heating – this causes noise and noxious gases
• We don’t know what chemicals are used on surrounding fields
• Dumping of casual litter is prevalent
• Seems very clean and pure really
• Not sure what farm policy is on use of pesticides
• Concern re pollution from increased traffic but also the amount of crop spraying (although not sure what the farmer can do about that)
| Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I am concerned about light pollution in and around Kilnwick Percy | 8 | 4 | 3 | - | 1 |
Comments
• We have dark skies at night
• Full Sutton Prison is worst. People keeping exterior lights on all night
• Some people have bright and intrusive security lights
• Would not want to see a flood lit driving range or other light pollution
• The countryside should be able to be dark at night
• Its important to avoid street lighting and other unnatural lighting eg security lights
• Important to deter powerful security lights
| Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I am concerned about wildlife habitat etc in and around Kilnwick Percy | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Comments
• We would not wish the habitat to be damaged in any way
• By living in a converted farm building we have reduced habitat and we should try to replace it
especially for owls
• OK as long as no more tree felling or development
• Want to make sure we preserve the habitat of barn owls, house martins, red kites etc
• Plenty of wildlife around
• All seems well in this corner
• The density and habitat should be preserved
• Lapwings have stopped breeding and skylark habitat has been reduced
• Feel we should work to preserve existing habitat e.g. woodland, hedges, lake etc. It would be good to see more hedges around to enhance this. Less use of chemicals
| Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I am concerned about traffic and road issues | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Comments
• Area is used by walkers, joggers, cysclists as well as people who live here – increasingly traffic affects all of us
• Conflict of interest for between walkers and motorists
• The speed of traffic on Millington Road is worrying
• Traffic is sometimes too fast along Millington Lane
• The lack of proper drainage added to disposition of mud etc
• Vehicles turn in our gateway and a wooden gate has been broken and a metal one bent
• Traffic should be reduced
• Increased traffic of late – which we can do nothing about. However speed is an issue on the Millington Lane
• Noisy motor cycles using country roads as a race track. Motor vehicles generally driving too fast on country roads
Q:Do you have any ideas which could be implemented on a community basis?
• Installation of a community heat pump, together with allotments
• Speed limit and no more building especially near the golf club
• Enforce the requirement for ERYC to have some up to date drainage maps and restore ditches
• Not sure what we can actually do as a community apart from watching our own speed. Police have never seemed interested in others speeding on the road – could the Council put in a speed hump?
• Have more local events to attract visitors to spend money locally and support local businesses. Relaxation of planning to allow more people to build here
• Parish Council to put dog pooh bags in the Hall’s woods
Q: What do you like best about living here?
• Quiet, rural and peaceful
• Freedom, informality, friendliness, tolerance, walking in the demesne
• Peace and quiet
• Rural location
• Quiet and peaceful; not built up; special architecture
• Generally peaceful and quiet in beautiful surroundings
• The peace
• Its rural and non commercial character
• Quiet neighbourhood spirit; tranquil setting; access to the Wolds and the Hall’s woods
• Its quiet and rural and I have a big garden!
• We’re on our own
• Rural environment; peace and tranquillity
• Out of town
• Sense of community; also peace and quiet; scenery; wildlife; darkness at night; freedom to live in the way that we choose with no judgement
• Rural aspect and quiet pace of life; peace and quiet
• Peace and quiet; security
Q: What do you like least about living here?
• Distance to the nearest pub
• No street lights
• Endlessly having to direct people on how to get here and them not following instructions!
• The threat of the right to roam
• The conflict between the necessary road traffic and massed pedestrians and/or cyclists
• Car parking – everywhere you look there are cars; speed and traffic along Millington Lane
• The state of the arable land near to Horseshoe Cottage which appears to be a wasteland
• Difficultly of getting things delivered
• Far too many cars; or rather the use of garaging is very poor
• Absence of comprehensive range of shopping – have to go to York for anything but the basics
Q: What would you like to preserve or enhance?
• Landscape around Kilnwick Percy; restoration of traditional hedging and ditching of fields
• Like it the way it is; there has already been enough development for a small area
• Feeling of being in the countryside – not suburbia!
• No additional building or lighting; could power lines be put underground.
• The quiet and peace; the architecture
• The mix of open countryside and woodland
• The rural underdeveloped aspects of its character
• Tranquillity; the fact that not many people know that we are here!
• The quiet; the night sky; the sense of peace
• No street lighting or pleasure activities introduced
• Quiet
• Sense of community; peace and quiet; scenery; wildlife; darkness; freedom
• Local beauty e.g. hedgerows cut and kept tidy, drainage channels cleaned so roads not flooded
• Peace and tranquillity
Q: What development would you be comfortable with?
• It would be good to see a farmhouse in / around the farmyard. It would also be nice to see land adjacent to Horseshoe Cottage used in a more productive way either for crops or for wildlife.
• House for farmer in farm buildings or possibly on site of collapsed barn
• As little as possible. We should be very cautious of any building development or commercial plans
• As little as possible
• Very little
• Very little – certainly no new build apart from farm house
• Improvements to the buildings at Home Farm. Happy for farmhouse but no other residential development
• None
• None; with the Buddhist Centre and the Golf Course there is already enough development for such a small community
• A farmhouse on the adjoining farm. Plan for KP to become carbon neutral
• None
• Modest housing development ie good quality, high class individual properties
What development would you not want to see?
• Industrial plant or wind farms
• Any further development or housing of any kind
• Road widening
• Expansion of golf course; anything that creates noise or traffic. No driving range
• Don’t want to see anymore – already have large numbers of cars and houses in a small area
• No additional residential development other than farmhouse
• New build on any in-fill
• Don’t want to see street lighting on private road
• Holiday village’ traveller site; composting site; wind farm; intensive livestock units
• Anything that destroyed the present peaceful and rural character. No extension to the golf course
• Housing estate or any commercial buildings or race tracks etc
• Houses
• Additional housing
Q: What would you personally like to change?
• Nothing
• Nothing
• Contribute to a communal renewable energy system. To offer a system of emergency help – particularly for the elderly
• The weedy field to the north of Kilnwick Percy which should be part of the estate for the community
• It would be nice to have an entrance and exit to development for emergency
• Would like to see a more attractive vibrant place that people are proud of not embarrassed to be part of
Additional comments
• Whilst general littering / fly tipping seems to be better of late, could we organise the occasional community litter clearing session – perhaps accompanied byu a sloe gin or vodka!? [named]
• I think that more needs to be done during the winter months with regards to the roads during heavy snow and ice as at times it is difficult to walk along the roads and very dangerous driving conditions. Also dirt and sludge and muck left on the roads by tractors etc is never removed which can be dangerous and also makes the area look scruffy. I think that these points need addressing urgently as does the problem with speeding cars etc. [anonymous]
• The authorities need to increase their effort against fly tipping. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute. [named]
• Whilst people say they like living here and enjoy the sense of community there is a certain complacency – few people put themselves forward to be on the Parish Council for example or to organise community events. Would be useful to see the field in front of Horseshoe Cottage cultivated or give over for properly managed wildlife conservation [named]
• Some advice would be helpful in relation to renewable energy and eco-friendly ways of living as a community. Woulf there be access to someone from the Council who might be able to come and address us a group? [named]
• Kilnwick Percy is a good, if conservative community. I would like to believe that we could raise interest and enthusiasm to go carbon neutral here. 14 households in the KP model farm; 8 further households within the demesne using the walled garden as a frontier; KP Hall community including 8? Flatlets. To the best of my knowledge, most of these are dependent on diesel boilers for central heating and hot water. The status of energy saving/ insulation in each dwelling is unknown.
Yorkshire now has considerable experience of heat pumps, both ground and air source and there are many such projects both for single dwellings (including a castle!) and communities where grants of up to £2,500 per household have been made. I note that a further 18 are in the pipeline. Benefits: all year even temperature within each dwelling; constant hot water; no use of fossil fuels and no round trips of oil tankers (estimate 8 per annum for each dwelling). Virtually maintenance free for at least 25 years which as Harrogate Council discovered meant that even gas fired solutions, supposedly affordable were more expensive because of regular maintenance costs. Contra: high cost probably (4 bedroomed house installation is probably about £12k before grant reduction). Requirement for land if it is ground sourced. Still need some electricity to run the installation although minimal. Current payback period against diesel is about 5 years.
If we did some serious homework, including visiting other communities in Transition (Totnes is a whole town for heaven’s sake but there are complete streets that equate to the population of Kilnwick Percy and getting expert advice would the Parish Council lend its support? I for one would volunteer my time and knowledge. I am not quite so pre-occupied with running a business anymore. Although the case for heat pump technology is exceptionally good, I know that wood pellet boilers with virtually no emissions is also regarded with favour in Yorkshire: there may indeed be others.
