Community Plan Rural Proofing Report - Document C, Section 1
A Better Future Together for Causeway Coast and Glens
Rural Proofing Screening Report
The aim of this report is to determine if the Community Plan requires an in-depth rural proofing exercise to be undertaken. The report considers:
• The design of the Community Plan and the extent to which there was engagement in rural areas
• The evidence base for development of the Community Plan
• The consultation and engagement process
• The monitoring and evaluation arrangements for the Plan.
Policy Stage
Section 1:
Design What are the policy objectives in terms of problem/outcome?
The Community plan has the following vision
Causeway Coast and Glens – ‘A Better Future Together’ associated Delivery Plan
By producing an outcomes focused Community Plan, Causeway Coast and Glens
will be a great place to live, work and visit. The Community Plan will work towards
the achievement of three population outcomes, twelve high level outcomes and a
range of intermediate outcomes over the period 2017 to 2030.
All people of Causeway Coast and Glens:
1. Will contribute to and benefit from a healthy, connected and safe community that
nurtures resilience, promotes respect and supports everyone to live well together.
2. Will value and benefit from a diverse, sustainable, and accessible environment
with an infrastructure that is fit for purpose and that enables connections.
3. Will contribute to and benefit from a thriving economy built on a culture of growth,
entrepreneurship, innovation, and learning.
The outcomes-based approach will help to support an increased focus on people’s
personal wellbeing via the increased use of evidence-based decision making.
What are the rural specific impacts of the policy?
Are there any potential indirect impacts?
The Community Plan is intended to benefit all residents of the Borough directly
and indirectly through needs-based approaches to service delivery and co-design
of actions.
As such the plan is expected to impact positively on all areas including residents
of rural areas. That said, based on the issues identified in the baseline study,
some issues, such as access to affordable transport, recreation, employment,
childcare, housing, and social isolation are more prevalent in rural areas and
will require a focused and appropriate approach to the development of relevant
actions.
Are there any potential local impacts that will differ from the Borough
wide impact?
Community Planning in Causeway Coast and Glens takes an evidence-based
approach reflecting the belief that issues affecting residents and communities
are often localised and will needed to be considered on an individual or
localised basis. It is therefore anticipated that local impacts will vary and differ
from impact found at a Borough wide level however this is a positive reflection
of the evidence-based approach.
Is there a need for pre-consultation with rural stakeholders to get better
insight into potential rural impacts?
As part of the Community Plan Review engagement process significant
engagement was undertaken to ensure representation of opinion from across
the Borough. This included
• 4 x sessions with Action Leads, and Statutory Partners
• 2 x sessions with Community Engagement Platform
• 1 x survey issued to Delivery Plan Action Leads, Statutory Partners, Equality
Forum Members, Elected Members and Public
• 1 x session with Cedar Foundation
• 10 x public events via Libraries
This engagement process was useful in updating the issues which are more
pertinent or prevalent in rural areas for their inclusion in the Community Plan.
Is there a need for actions to mitigate against impacts in rural areas?
No – the impact in rural areas from the Community Plan should be positive rather
than negative. The Community Plan aims to address a range of issues with a
focus on areas where there is the greatest need, that being the case where an
issue is more particular to or more pronounced in a rural area it will be prioritised.
Examples include actions contained within the Community Plan Delivery Plan on
addressing Local Housing Need, Local Transport, Age Friendly Strategy,
Loneliness Network, Anti-Poverty, collaborative working for Children and Young
People and protection of natural heritage, led by DAERA.
If you screen out rural proofing, what is your reason?
The engagement process prior to development of the Community Plan, combined
with the engagement process undertaken as part of the Community Plan Review
and the evidence-based approach to the development of subsequent strategic
actions within the associated Delivery Plan action plans is considered to mitigate
the need for rural proofing. The Community Plan, Delivery Plan and Community
Planning process will be equitable in approach and will positively impact on rural
areas. The Community Plan has therefore been screened out regarding Rural
Proofing.