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High Bickington Parish
Appraisal 2001
BUSINESS SURVEY
Introduction
As part of the High Bickington Parish Appraisal, undertaken
in August 2001, a separate survey questionnaire was sent to 85 residents in the
Parish who were believed to run a business in, or from, the Parish of High
Bickington. The survey gathered
specific information and views about:
·
the types of business being operated;
·
issues likely to affect the business in
the next 12 months;
·
skill requirements;
·
relocation and job creation;
·
types of advice needed;
·
whether local businesses would
participate in a local farmers/producers market;
·
the types of produce they might be able
to sell in this way; and
·
any perceived need for land buildings
or other facilities over the next two years.
Participants were
also invited to comment on “what they most liked and least liked about running
a business in or from High Bickington” and to share views they might have about
the future of the Community.
Thirty-nine forms
(46%) were returned and give details concerning 38 local businesses. Employment is provided within these
businesses for a total of 60 people in groups of one, two or three people.
The following pages
provide a statistical analysis of the data gained from the survey together with
a record of ‘Free Text’ comments made
by participants.
Q1 Business Categories
Agriculture
|
10 |
|
Trades allied to
agriculture |
2 |
|
Retail / Repairs |
2 |
|
Services e.g.
Hairdressing / shop / P.O. |
5 |
|
Hotels and Catering
/ Tourism |
5 |
|
Building /
Construction |
2 |
|
Plumbing |
1 |
|
Carpentry |
3 |
|
Painting and
Decorating |
1 |
|
Landscaping /
Gardening / Countryside Services |
2 |
|
Manufacturing |
2 |
|
Professional
Services e.g. Accountancy etc. |
4 |
Q2 Major Issues anticipated in the next
12 months
|
Interest rates |
10 |
|
General economic
Decline |
22 |
|
Skills shortages |
2 |
|
Agricultural policy
changes |
14 |
|
Infrastructure /
transport |
3 |
|
Exchange rate |
2 |
|
Local business rate |
8 |
|
Declining demand
for product or service |
12 |
|
Other
comments: Loss of business
due to Foot and Mouth and continuous bad weather |
|
Q3 Main Skill Requirements for
the Business
|
Unskilled manual |
2 |
|
Semi-skilled manual |
9 |
|
Skilled manual |
20 |
|
Clerical /
administration |
9 |
|
Professional /
technical |
9 |
|
Managerial |
4 |
Q4 Intentions regarding job creation if
considering starting
a business or relocating to the Parish
|
Yes |
5 |
|
No |
12 |
If yes how many jobs anticipated
in first year
|
Total
of 7 |
In
groups of 1 or 2 |
Q5 Advice on following aspects useful
|
Financing a
business |
3 |
|
Sources of help for
starting a business |
3 |
|
Finding suitable
premises |
3 |
|
Government
regulations |
8 |
|
Tax / VAT /
National Insurance |
4 |
|
Finding clients |
3 |
|
Marketing |
14 |
|
Managing a business |
1 |
|
Book-keeping /
accountancy |
5 |
|
Employing people |
2 |
|
New market
opportunities for rural land use e.g. organics and/or sustainable energy
projects |
6 |
Q6 Willing to participate in a Local
Farmers/Producers Market
|
Yes |
14 |
|
No |
8 |
|
Not applicable |
13 |
If Yes – What type of Produce?
|
Meat |
6 |
|
||
|
Fruit |
2 |
|
||
|
Vegetables |
6 |
||
|
Craft items |
3 |
||
|
Dairy Produce |
1 |
||
|
Home Baked Produce |
3 |
||
Anticipated needs in the next two years
|
Land without
buildings |
3 |
|
Land with buildings |
5 |
|
Storage facilities |
5 |
|
Office
accommodation |
1 |
|
Workshop facilities |
5 |
|
Selling space e.g.
Community Store |
4 |
|
Garaging for
vehicles |
3 |
|
Organic waste
disposal facilities |
2 |
|
Farmers Market |
1 |
|
Wood chipping
facility |
1 |
|
Undercover teaching
/ assessment facility |
1 |
Free Text Comments
What do you least like about running a business in High
Bickington?
·
“Insufficient time”
·
“I don’t like people in the
village who have never lived in a small country village before and don’t understand the way we
do things”
·
“Too many working while
claiming the dole”
·
“Hard to retail in such a
small rural community”
·
“Rates may well go over the
top”
·
“Travelling distance to
major clients. Lack of local (Devon)
work”
·
“Agriculture – not High
Bickington Generally – lack of small abattoir and for our 30-month scheme. We should not have to send our cattle into another county for OTMS.”
·
“When steel and aluminium
lorries deliver it blocks North Road and Lane to Surgery. They can’t get to my workshop entrance with articulated
lorries. Have to manually shift delivery on a hand
trolley – and it’s usually raining!”
·
“Very little passing trade”
·
“Roads!”
·
“Visitors perception that
it is a long way from anywhere and difficult to find”
·
“A little far from major suppliers”
What
do you most like about running a business in High Bickington?
·
“Friendly
co-operation with Parish Council – very helpful”
·
“Not too much interference”
·
“Mid-way location –
Barnstaple/Torrington/South Molton”
·
“Rural Location – quiet”
·
“Environment”
·
“Post Office with Bank
facilities”
·
“Own environment”
·
“Quiet”
·
“I can keep irregular hours
i.e. not just 9 – 5”
·
“I live on the same
premises”
·
“This is a rural area
geared to rural needs in a beautiful agricultural part of the country”
·
“Accessible to all areas of
Devon”
·
“Working in a friendly
community”
·
“Unspoiled rural
environment”
·
“Access to traditional
skills and training”
·
“Working from Home”
·
“Quiet and average road
services”
·
“Less travel expenses”
·
“I know the majority of
people I work for”
·
“Cuts down transport costs”
·
“I enjoy being my
own boss and also the countryside and its peacefulness”
·
“Doing a good job for local
people”
·
“Insufficient time”
·
“I actually run the
business from home, however workshop is outside the village where manufacturing occurs. It would be more convenient (to have local workshop) and cut down on transport costs to and fro”
Views
about the future of the community
·
“High Bickington’s main
strengths are its strong village community and unspoilt rural environment. Further suburbanisation will decrease its
attraction to visitors and residents. H.B. needs to focus on the qualities it has
to encourage visitors by providing attractions such as country activities including riding and walking in community woodland. Other attractions might be craft workshops
and products, sustainable energy projects, recycling
projects and agriculture related activities such as farmers markets and the
opportunity to buy local produce.”
·
“I would be interested in a
workshop for my business but this would be dependent on
size and business rates/costs etc. or whether a possibility of building a house with workshop adjoining.”
Analysis
carried out by David Brown, High Bickington Project 2000.
November 2001
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Page Created: December 2002
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