Every five years the Shoreham Society conducts a survey to find out what matters most about Shoreham to people who live or work here. It’s the largest survey of its kind in the town. The insights gained from the survey not only influence the Shoreham Society’s future priorities and activities, but are also widely shared and studied by local Councillors, Council officers and other local community groups.
The last Shoreham Survey was in 2020, and we will shortly be conducting another one to coincide with the Society’s 40th anniversary next year. The 2025 Shoreham Survey will be available online later this month for three weeks and we will publish the results in January.
The questions will be topical, thought-provoking and open-minded, so it is well worth spending 10 minutes having a go at it. Everyone’s opinions really do matter, and the Shoreham Society acts as an independent voice to gather, summarise and convey our major concerns about the town to those who need to listen.
Key themes from the 2020 Survey
Here’s a brief recap of the last survey in 2020.
668 people completed it, making 2,700 thoughtful comments to our open-ended questions. We distilled those into five themes which captured the main hopes and concerns about Shoreham which were expressed at the time.
Bringing People Together
Most people felt part of the community in 2020, valuing its friendliness, events and activities. But many were also fearful about the impact of new development. Back then, some newer residents said they did not feel welcome.
The Shoreham Society has since advocated that the Council takes a more holistic view about planning and development. We are mildly optimistic that the message is finally getting through.
Having a Local Say
In 2020 many people felt their views about development were not being listened to. The impact of increased traffic and pressure on infrastructure was already a big issue. Perhaps more attention has been paid to residents’ concerns since, but is it a case of too little, too late?
A Vibrant Town Centre
People thought that Shoreham would benefit from more independent shops and a better street environment. Do you think it has improved since 2020? Or is it just the same or worse?
Getting Around in Shoreham
The amount of traffic concerned people in 2020 more than anything else. Better public transport around town, more pedestrian-friendly and safe cycle routes were top priorities. Has anything changed?
Loving Where We Live
Protecting our local environment was the most important thing in 2020. That has been underlined since by the success of the Save the Poplar Tree campaign amongst many other green initiatives.
Read the full report of the 2020 Shoreham Survey.
Get ready to take the 2025 Shoreham Survey
What do you think about Shoreham now? What’s changed since 2020? What are your concerns for the future? The Shoreham Survey 2025 will address these questions as and the conclusions we draw from it will influence the Shoreham Society’s future direction.
The 2025 Shoreham Survey is now live. Click this button to do the survey!
