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AMBITION LAWRENCE WESTON

ORIGINS

Ambition Lawrence Weston is the local trusted organisation of Lawrence Weston, one of the most deprived areas in Bristol. It is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and registered Charity, which was established in autumn 2012 by a group of residents who wanted to improve the wellbeing of residents living in the area, after a decline in local services and the closure of community facilities. Ambition Lawrence Weston (ALW) is a resident led and driven organisation striving to make Lawrence Weston a better place to live and work. ALW works towards a regeneration project to improve the area and make it more attractive. Ambition Lawrence Weston works together with residents and partner organisations. LAWRENCE WESTON COMMUNITY PLAN

After training residents to carry out community research, door knocking and several consultations with residents, the Lawrence Weston Community Plan was created, in spring 2013. Lawrence Weston Community Plan  sets out aims for how residents want to see Lawrence Weston improved, based on ideas and feedback from residents. The Community Plan tried to include everything that is relevant to the people living and working in Lawrence Weston. The residents have worked hard to ensure that the plan includes everybody’s views, identifies what people like and dislike about Lawrence Weston, identifies local problems and opportunities, outlines how people in Lawrence Weston want the neighbourhood to develop in the future, sets out an action plan to achieve this and trains and supports residents as community leaders.

This document sets out a “10 year vision” for the changes residents would like to see and includes a “five year action plan” identifying what needs to change and who needs to be involved. Ambition Lawrence Weston works with partners to ensure that the actions in the plan are taken forward.

BIG LOCAL TRUST

Big Local Trust is a charitable trust that was established by Local Trust and the Big Lottery Fund with a National Lottery grant of £196,873,499. The grant is an endowment, which has to be spent by December 2026. It funds Big Local, supporting 150 communities in England to make their areas even better places to live. The Big Lottery Fund is the founder of Big Local Trust. Local Trust is the sole corporate trustee of Big Local Trust and it manages the Big Local Trust and ensures Big Local happens in a way that is in keeping the wishes of the Big Lottery Fund. In winter 2012 The Big Lottery announced that Lawrence Weston will be among the 150 communities who will receive £1million through the Big Local programme and in spring 2013 the Big Local lottery programme launched: ‘Big Local is NOT about your local authority, the government or a national organisation telling you what to do, it’s a 10 years or more plan to work on delivering the best options for you area’. Ambition Lawrence Weston was then appointed as the “accountable locally trusted organisation” for the Big Local funding for the 10 programme period. In November 2013 the Lawrence Weston Big Local Plan was created which forms part of the bigger Lawrence Weston Community Plan. The Big Local steering group, made up of residents and partner organisations in Lawrence Weston, decides how the £1million is to be spent. Big Local offers grants of up to £1,000 for any voluntary or community group that works with, or intends to work with, residents from Lawrence Weston.

‘ON YOUR DOORSTEP’ NEWSLETTER

In autumn 2012 the first edition of ‘On Your Doorstep’ newsletter, the most read community magazine in Lawrence Weston, was launched. The newsletter is produced four times a year and delivered to every household in Lawrence Weston with the latest happening in Lawrence Weston. ‘On Your Doorstep’ newsletter is funded by the £1million received from Big Local.

LAWRENCE WESTON YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE

Among the achievements of Ambition Lawrence Weston is the stoppage of the closure of Lawrence Weston Community Centre, where Ambition Lawrence Weston is now based, and opened the building back to the community so that it can be used by Lawrence Weston’s residents. The centre is open and available for everyone to use and a wide variety of activities and training courses take place throughout the week.

LAWRENCE WESTON NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN (NDP)

In spring 2012 the Neighbourhood Planning group was formed as a sub-group of Ambition Lawrence Weston. Lawrence Weston is an area with significant development potential, an exciting opportunity to bring about positive change for current a future residents. The Neighbourhood Planning Group is, therefore, very concerned to ensure that new housing, community facilities, green spaces and transport infrastructure meet the community’s needs as defined within the Community Plan and the Lawrence Weston Design Statement, and is able to fulfil the regeneration of the Lawrence Weston community and its community spirit

In early 2012, the Lawrence Weston Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) preparation started with extensive consultation and involvement of local people through door to door research, newsletters, the Ambition Lawrence Weston website, regular meetings, resident training events, drop-in sessions and press releases. The plan draws its priorities from the Community Plan and sets out objectives on key themes including housing, traffic and transport, parks and green spaces, jobs and skills, community facilities, retail, health and wellbeing and urban design.

The Lawrence Weston Neighbourhood Development Plan was agreed to go to referendum in February 2017, with the majority of residents voting in favour, and was made part of the Development Plan for Bristol and must be considered along with the Bristol Local Plan in relation to any development proposals. See https://www.bristol.gov.uk/en_US/planning-and-building-regulations/neighbourhood-planning-lawrence-weston Planning applications within Lawrence Weston must be considered against the Lawrence Weston Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) as well as existing planning policy. The NDP means local people now have more say in how Lawrence Weston will develop over the coming years.