ASHBURTON'S long-awaited Town Plan, two years in the making, has at last been published. The impressive looking 93-page document was put together by the Town Steering Group chaired by Elaine Scown. Residents' views were gathered through a questionnaire, public meetings and open days. The plan provides a snapshot of Ashburton in September 2005 and shows a town at ease with itself, facing problems familiar to many other towns of similar size: affordable housing, parking, disaffected youth and the loss of services. One statistic which stands out is the gap between average house price – £207,400 and full-time earnings – £18,300 – a house price to earning ratio of 11.3. The report's main findings have been well-flagged in advance and several issues have been overtaken by subsequent developments. Top of the list is the future ownership of the town hall. The current owners, Teignbridge Council want to offload it. Although residents are keen to take it over they are reluctant to pay more council tax for its upkeep. The town council is now looking at letting off the downstairs to commercial users. Town centre parking is highlighted as a growing problem, with better enforcement needed. Traffic problems identified at Balland Lane are being tackled through a local traffic plan. Residents want to see the swimming pool covered to allow for year-round use. The sticking point, once again, is cash. Disaffected youth are another priority. While the Town Plan has been in preparation, the Ashburton Youth Issues Group has been set up to try to tackle the problem. Predictably, residents want to guard their facilities. Two worries flagged up are the possible loss of their post office – the owners want to retire – and the provision of NHS dentistry. Since the report was written, an NHS dental contract has been agreed. The document is available to view in the library, information centre or the town clerk's office. Alternatively, it can be read online at http://www.ashburton.org">www.ashburton.org.
