Strong views expressed in Thatcham Vision Survey

The response to the survey was higher than expected with 1,870 people responding.
Thatcham Vision’s community survey was carried out to feed resident’s opinions into a major refresh of the Action Plan for the town, which is now under way.
The aim was to identify the issues that matter most to the local community and to enable and encourage projects to be taken forward in the future.
Chairwoman of Thatcham Vision, Stephanie Steevenson, said that the high response showed the depth of feeling residents had about their community.
She said: “We had a tremendous public response to our questionnaire so future actions and outcomes will truly reflect Thatcham residents’ opinions.
“Residents can see how many others agree with their views and everyone can see the data driving the refresh process.”
The results showed particularly strong views held by Thatcham’s residents on certain issues.
For instance, 74.4 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement – the green space separating Thatcham from Newbury should be reassigned for housing.
Safety was another area with strong views, with 81.2 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement – Thatcham is a safe place to be during the day, but that fell to 39.4 per cent when people were asked – Thatcham is a safe place to be during the evening.
Ms Steevenson added: “It seems the perception of crime levels in Thatcham do not match the reality.
“Thatcham is a safe place and we need to communicate that fact more thoroughly to our community.”
Thatcham Vision is calling for more volunteers to help further community projects.
To join the vision contact Vision Project Manager, Mireille Willan on