Planning for Real is about planning improvements in a particular area and fully involving everyone who is affected. It is a 'bottom up' process which is committed to listening to the views of those who live and work in an area because they are most affected by changes and know best what needs to be changed. Planning for Real facilitates and enables but it does not impose change and improvement. It is a powerful way of encouraging hill community involvement in local improvements to the area.

Planning for Real is part of The Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation and can be contacted at
The Poplars, Lightmoor, Telford, Shropshire, TF4 3QN
Tel: 01952 590777 e-mail nif@cableinet.co.uk
Their website www.nif.co.uk explains more about Planning for Real and how you can get involved,.

Stafford Borough Council initiated the project and launched it in the Silkmore area through the Silkmore Partnership, a community organisation which works closely to support a range of needs for residents, and, Silkmore Primary School, which is in the heart of the community with pupils who are tomorrow's citizens who spend majority of their lives on the estate.

Officers from the borough council arranged with Silkmore Primary to make a plan of the estate. This was done as an after school activity and parents were invited to help. It was made clear to local residents, Pupils and parents that the school would only be a venue and would not try to
influence the sort of decisions that could be suggested. The staff did not live on the estate and therefore did not have a right to influence decisions. The response was extremely good. Parents and pupils turned out to paint the ground plan and make the models of the houses. They were pleased to be able to identify their homes and key buildings etc. Some parents even turned up when their children were on a residential course at Shugborough. Such was their commitment. The children enjoyed locating their homes and they developed map reading skills in a practical and natural way.

The youth club, which uses Silkmore's buildings, was also involved and young people made posters to advertise 'Planning for Real'.

Over the weeks the model was completed and it travelled to a number of venues to allow local residents to place their flags on the model to indicate the improvements they wanted. This proved to be an enormous
success and more effective than a normal survey. People could look at the model, find their houses and identify the need for improvement so much better than any response to a usual survey or questionnaire.

After touring the estate, the model returned to Silkmore primary on 6th November. It was already laden with suggestion flags, completed by residents who had called to view the model. Every pupil at the school, from
4+ to 11, examined the model and made their suggestions for improvement. It was wonderful to observe even the youngest pupils trying to orientate themselves, the model and their houses. Staff were overwhelmed and touched
by the sensitivity of pupils and their care for the environment;