Retaining the essence of village life in a growing community and delivering high quality infrastructure and amenities

The Vision sets out what the people of Lytchett Matravers wish their parish to be like in the years to 2031 and beyond.

The Lytchett Matravers Neighbourhood Plan is one for a village which will grow and play its part in meeting local housing need. It will be a village where residents are able to move about easily and safely and feel a full part of the community at all stages of life, integrating with their neighbours across the parish and able to avail themselves of services that reflect the community’s full needs. Residents now and in the future should be able to enjoy living in a parish which has maintained the strong semi-rural and natural character that distinguishes it from more urban areas close by; and which is making a positive contribution to a low carbon economy. The people of Lytchett Matravers wish to see a single vibrant, caring, engaged, inclusive and safe community in which all residents feel comfortably at home and valued. The close integration of any new developments with the village and significant improvements to infrastructure and amenities are essential to their Vision.

• The Lytchett Matravers of 2031 is clearly established self-contained community providing a full range of facilities and services to its resident and adjacent villages in its role as a Key Service Village.
• The village retains its character of a distinct, predominantly dispersed settlement along minor roads and country lanes but with a much improved village centre and improved facilities around the school.
• Lytchett Matravers provides sufficient affordable housing for those residents who have a strong established connection with the village.
• The village is more environmentally focused (higher proportion of economically active residents employed in village, buses, pedestrian friendly, access to countryside, housing design and build)
• The village provides a significant portion of the employment opportunities for residents, thereby providing a more balanced economic environment which further benefits the village centre economy.
• Ensure there is a regular usable set of village bus routes that properly service the community.
• Traffic flow through the village is discouraged.
• All the village children are able to attend the village school.
• Walking to school through a safe, traffic free village is the norm, from whichever part of the village.
• Residents gather at the village hall, the community centre, the library, the cafe and the digital hub for chatting, serious discussions and a wide range of leisure activities.
• Health and dentistry centre in the centre of the village.
• The tree-lined village green provides seating and picnic areas and play areas for children of all ages.
• The village retains facilities which provide for everyday needs.
• Employees from the various village light industrial parks can walk to the centre to use the village retail facilities.
• The post office provides banking and financial services for all residents.
• The village hall and community centre have a full range of evening activities.
• There is an expanded sports centre next to school and MUGA with 2 shared pitches (flat pitches), MUGA and tennis courts with changing facilities. Shared between community and school (difficulty over pitch sizes for primary and adult?).
• There is adequate parking in the vicinity of the school (to be shared with the expanded sports centre).
• The design and build of all publically-funded amenities are realistically future-proofed (i.e. there is space to grow without congestion).