Village Design Statements

The rich and varied character of rural settlements forms an important part of the beauty and distinctiveness of the English countryside. A number of local community-based environmental initiatives aim to protect that beauty and are already well established (e.g. Parish Plans) However, Village Design Statements are unique in that they set out to influence the statutory planning system by providing a context for new development, based on an identification and analysis of local character.

The purpose of Village Design Statements is to manage change, whether that change is major new development or just cumulative, small-scale additions and alterations. They are not about whether development should take place; that job is for the district council's Local Development Framework. Their concern is about how planned development should be carried out, so that it is in harmony with its setting and contributed to the conservation and, where possible, enhancement of the local environment.

Objectives of Village Design Statements

• To describe the distinctive character of the village and surrounding countryside
• To show how character can be identified at three levels:
• The landscape setting of the village
• The shape of the settlement
• The nature of the buildings themselves
• To draw up design principles based on the distinctive local character
• To work in partnership with the local planning authority, in the context of existing local planning policy, and to influence future policies.

An effective Village Design Statement

• Is developed, researched, written and edited by local people
• Is representative of the views of the village as a whole
• Has involved a wide section of the village community in its production
• Describes the visual character of the village
• Demonstrates how local character and distinctiveness can be protected and enhanced in new development
• Is compatible with the statutory planning system and the local planning context
• Is applicable to all forms of development
• Is about managing change in the village, not preventing it

Your Village Design Statement can:

• Give designers and developers positive guidance on acceptable design from the community’s point of view, which can help avoid conflict later on in planning negotiations
• Improve design in rural areas by being applied consistently in the development control process.
• Can help local planning authorities reject applications on the grounds of poor design
• Help protect visually important buildings and open spaces

Producing a VDS can establish better understanding between the community, the local planning authority, designers and developers. It will also strengthen and support the role of the parish council when consulted over planning applications and can be used as material evidence at appeals.

To find out more about Village Design Statements, or to request a Village Design Statement Information Pack, contact: Paul Edwards Community Council of Devon, County Hall, Exeter, EX2 4QB (01392) 382535 or e-mail to: [ paul@devonrcc.org.uk ]. Or download the VDS Toolkit below.

IMPORTANT ADDENDUM TO DOWNLOADS

The Village Design Statement Toolkit refers to being able to have a Village Design Statement taken up as Supplementary Planning Guidance by your local authority. This is no longer possible as the Government has added a requirement for a 'sustainability audit' to this process.

Currently, it is unclear what is meant by a sustainability audit and what the requirements are despite efforts by local authorities to get some clarity on this issue. Therefore is is not currently possible for Village Design Statements to be taken up as Supplementary Planning Guidance.

Village Design Statements still remain documents of strong influence on local planning considerations either by themselves or in conjunction with a parish plan.

Please [Click Here] to download the Village Design Statement Toolkit