Village Design Statement Open Meeting

VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT OPEN MEETING
Wed 12^th September 2001

Notes

 

Jane Ivans from Rockingham Forest Trust set the scene and then Sian Bowdler from Northants ACRE described the Village Design Statement in more detail.

 

Jane Ivans – Rockingham Forest Trust

 

The area covered by the Rockingham Forest Trust extends to Stamford in the north, Kettering in the south with the rivers Nene and Welland marking the boundaries to the east and west. Although not physically within this area, Warmington is covered by the document “Building on Tradition” which the Trust have produced in an attempt to manage developmental change.

 

There are 4 main areas to the work of the Trust – education, conservation, resources and support for rural life. When asked 94% of Forest communities said that they were concerned about development. They considered that “Building on Tradition” can help with these concerns.

 

The document “Building on Tradition” is important because a) it covers all of the local authorities in the area and has been adopted as supplementary planning guidance. b) it encourages developers to look at developments in a certain way i.e. the landscape pattern – the development must fit in with what is there already, the settlement pattern the existing settlement pattern should be maintained as far as possible, the building style – the existing building style should be respected.

 

The future – Increasingly developers and local communities are using “Building on Tradition”

 

Sian Bowdler, Northants ACRE.

 

1. Definition  A Village Design Statement is a description of the local character of an area by local people. They were introduced in 1996 and since then have been able to be used in the planning process. 2 villages have already had their Statements adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance and there are more to follow. As Supplementary Planning Guidance they carry legal weight.

 

2. Aims and Objectives. VDSs describe the village on 3 levels, in terms of the landscape, the settlement pattern and the building style. They are about managing change and not preventing it.

 

3. Preparation. A VDS is a community project and a team would need to be assembled. People with particular expertise may be sought out and ideas gleaned from as many people as possible. Local Planning Officers will provide advice and support, as will ACRE and RFT. Other villages may also be able to offer mutual support.

 

4. The Process.  Local awareness needs to be increased. Information should be collected. There might be an official launch and/or an open day.

 

5. Key Principles.  The VDS should concentrate on character and design. Some history can be included but only as background. As many views as possible should be encouraged. All of the above needs to be within the planning context.

 

6. Funding and Timescales.  Funding may be available from local authority grants, Parish Council Donations or Awards for All grants. The VDS could be produced in a year, but it is more likely that it will take between 18 months and 2 years.

 

7. Benefits.  A VDS sets out the character of the village. It states how it is felt that it should develop. The VDS has been given weight in the Rural White Paper. A VDS can influence planning development. Local authorities are more likely to take notice of ideas from within a village.

 

8. Next Steps.  Get a group together and hold a steering group meeting. ACRE and RFT would be happy to be involved in this meeting.

 

Conclusions

 

After questions, the feeling was that the village would like to produce a VDS. Names and telephone numbers of those interested were taken and a meeting will be arranged, possibly October/November.