Dear Member

In my first Chairman’s Report in October 2012, I stated my aim to give members of WPAG better value for their annual subscription. At the AGM members then responded positively and asked that your Committee does more to involve the membership in the broad debate on key planning issues.  We agreed to respond by finding ways of sharing, with you, much of the data and information that Committee members acquire.

I am pleased therefore to announce that we have now created this website which we will use as the primary tool for achieving these objectives. We hope very much that you will like this website, and use it.

Our new website is still at an early stage of development, but as you look around it, you will see that it already holds useful information. Alongside news items, the aim is to provide you with a convenient method for finding things out for yourself, so that as a member of WPAG you will a) be better informed on planning matters, and b) be able to use the website and join in the debate on live issues, with an appropriate Committee member.

The ‘Links‘ Page will take you to appropriate external websites, and we will gradually build up a ‘knowledge base‘ of our own, initially created by a series of articles entitled – ‘What is..’, or ‘What does..’.

We want your comments!  – It is important for all of us that when you have had a chance to look around the new website, you complete the ‘Comment’ boxes provided on many of the pages, so that we can be sure that you are happy with the form, shape, and style of the website, and that it reflects your wishes and aspirations as an existing member of WPAG. We hope it is self-evident that this website should place us in a stronger position to attract a new audience, and strengthen the WPAG membership for the future.

One final point to note. Although currently accessible by the general public,  ultimately www.wpag.org.uk will be a ‘Members Only’ site, but with a public face to encourage wider interest and applications to join WPAG . However, it will remain ‘public’ until the majority of those WPAG members who have email addresses, ‘subscribe’ (see below), and do become users. When that happens, we will introduce a ‘sign-on’ routine so that parts of the site will be accessible exclusively for paid-up members of WPAG only.

You can subscribe now, if you wish to, but we will soon be sending an email to members with an invitation to subscribe.

With thanks for your continuing interest and support.

John Roper
Chairman

30th November 2012