Blewbury Parish Plan Project
Policies for the Blewbury Parish Plan
Archive Page
The Parish Plan was completed in 2004. This page has not been updated since then.For current information on Blewbury go to the main Blewbury site.
Blewbury Parish Plan Project |
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Policies for the Blewbury Parish PlanArchive PageThe Parish Plan was completed in 2004. This page has not been updated since then.For current information on Blewbury go to the main Blewbury site. |
Introduction; Blewbury Parish Plan; Acknowledgements; Village Design Statement; Environment and Planning;Social Policies;Roads and Parking; Physical Recreation; Meetings and Indoor Activities; Conclusion
The policies it is suggested should be included in the Blewbury Parish Plan will be presented at an event in Blewbury Village Hall on Sunday 29th February.
A Poster display can be viewed between 17:00 and 20:00, with an opportunity for feedback. Then a meeting at 20:00 will discuss any policy which has proved controversial, and will then vote on whether to proceed to publish a Blewbury Parish Plan based on the consensus of this meeting.
This page presents the Policies currently proposed for the plan. It does not include the pictures and maps which will be part of the final report, and omits most of the discussion of these policies.
This Blewbury Parish Plan was commissioned by the Blewbury Village Society (BVS) and the Blewbury Parish Council in November 2002, and approved in March 2004. It is intended to be valid for the next 10 years. It also provides useful reference material on the Parish.
The Parish plan is in the context of the Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2011. The Parish Plan does not repeat policies that are already established in the Local Plan. While the Parish Plan was being developed, the relevant version of the Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2011was the First Deposit Draft dated November 2002.
While the Parish Plan was being developed Oxfordshire County Council commissioned a transport survey in South Oxfordshire. This survey makes recommendations for the major roads in the area, and so the transport proposals of the Parish Plan are concerned only with minor roads in the Parish.
This Parish Plan begins with a short appraisal of the Parish. This is followed by the sections that give the conclusions of the planning process:
This Village Design Statement is intended as a contribution of supplementary Planning Guidance for the benefit of the Vale of the White Horse District Council. It contains considered local policies that the Parish wishes to be considered in any planning decisions affecting the Parish. This Village Design Statement contains those parts of the plan which will only be fully useful and effective if they have weight in planning consents and related deliberations of the District Council. We hope that this section will be found sufficiently relevant and helpful that it can be adopted by the District as Supplementary Planning Guidance. We also hope that the limited scope of this Village Design Statement will ease such an adoption.
The Parish Initiatives Statement is intended primarily for use by the Parish Council and other Village organisations and residents. It assumes a general knowledge of Blewbury and records policies and proposed actions where Blewbury is expecting to take the initiative.
The Action Plan records where organisations have accepted responsibility for carrying forward different policies in the plan.
Appendices and maps provide background information to support the understanding of Blewbury and the proposals in this Plan. There are three appendices, one discusses the issues raised which did not lead to proposals in this Plan, one provides information from the 2001 census, and the third provides the Listed Buildings in the Parish.
The following maps are included at the end of the plan:
Blewbury has produced two earlier plans, one in 1967 and a second in 1985. These provided a good basis for the preparation of this plan. In 1998 there was a comprehensive Village Appraisal which is still believed to be valid in most particulars.
Preparation of the Parish Plan was organised by a steering committee set up by the BVS Environment Group and the Parish Council. Members of the Steering Committee came from different areas in the Parish, and included a number of current and previous members of the Parish Council and other Village organisations.
BVS members have continued to provide considerable assistance in the preparation of the plan. The work has been assisted by a grant from the Countryside Agency Vital Villages Programme where we had helpful advice from Laura Cooke. We also have been assisted by David Fisher and others from the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council .
In line with such advice we have been very happy to seek the widest possible input from the community both in the issues to be tackled and in the solutions recommended. Progress on the plan and a record of all comments received was reported on the Blewbury web site (www.blewbury.co.uk).
Input on the issues that concern the Parish were obtained by:
Policies to address these issues were developed by Working Parties involving people with interests in the different topics being discussed. Five working parties involving a total of thirty people covered:
The policies were then presented for discussion and refinement:
The proposed contents of the plan are being presented for review by the Parish in the Village Hall in February 2004, and then the final version will be approved by the Parish Council before publication.
Those who have taken an active role in the preparation of this plan include:
Anita Rendell, Anthony Stiff, Audrey Long, Bernardine Shirley Smith, Bill Gore, Bruce Brock,
Bruce Gibson, Catherine Howard, Chris Whatmore, Christina Duckett, Coral Richards, Derek Smith,
Dru Spork, Edward Salter, Emma Austin, , Grant Tuff, Hilary Savage, Hugh Osborn, Iain Hope,
Ian Parsons, Joanna Thompson, John Richards (co-ordinator), Judy Lloyd Jones, Kathy Edmunds,
Keith Ifould, Mark Phillips, Martin Brassell, Martin Murray, Mary Jarvis, Mike Edmunds,
Mike Marshall, Mike Stephens, Penny Brassell, Peter Cockrell, Peter Tankard, Peter Willison,
Richard Bird, Richard Farrell, Ron Freeborn, Sue Berry and Tony Salter.
The Steering Committee would like to thank all of them and everyone else who contributed to this project.
This section presents the policies adopted for land use and housing, and backs these up with assessments of the Parish landscape and Village building design. The policies are additions to the recommendations in the Vale of White Horse Local Plan, and compatible with it.
Policy U1. There should be no major changes in land use in the Parish in the period of this Parish Plan.
Policy U2. There must be no developments on the green spaces within the Village Conservation Area shown as open land on the Conservation and Growth Map.
Policy U3. The Village Envelope as shown in the Conservation and Growth Map must be retained. Thus there should be no further development east of Bessels Way; on Woodway Road or south of Pilgrims Way. The green corridors seen from the main road (A417and B4016) approaches to the Village should be preserved.
Policy U4. Where circumstances allow, developments of small,
mainly affordable housing would be encouraged. The building of any new larger
dwellings would be resisted. This is in line with the policies in the Vale
of White Horse District Plan.
Affordable housing is defined as housing which caters
for people who are unable to buy or rent a home, suitable for their needs,
on the open market. The recent development replacing the bungalows in Eastfields
and is a welcome example.
Policy U5. Provision of sufficient parking spaces is required on any new development.
Policy H1. In alteration or extension, particularly of the older Village properties, the use of traditional materials (brick, thatch and plain clay tile) to match or complement the existing is essential. The use of reclaimed or second hand materials should be encouraged. The scale of any extension should be subordinate to the existing building. The relationship with adjacent properties, and the form and massing, materials, scale, proportions and details of the existing building and proposed works should be carefully considered.
Detail of roof edges, window and door jambs and sills and the style, proportion of fenestration is of utmost importance.
Property owners should take account of the Vale of White Horse District Council published guidelines for design whenever alterations, extensions are contemplated. An assessment of the current features of buildings in Blewbury is given below.
Policy H2. In the design of any new development relationships with other buildings, form and massing, materials, scale, proportion and detail are also of great importance. Consideration should be given to the relationship of buildings and other features to the street, and to the desirability of providing enclosure and interest.
Policy H3. Building and property owners are encouraged in all instances to seek qualified advice from the district council or an appropriate professional and to strive for the highest architectural standards.
The draft plan then includes a detailed assessment of the Village Landscape and Buildings.
The main discussion on Village Design is in the associated Village Design Statement. This section covers the environmental and planning issues which the Parish Council and the Community aims to address during the life of this plan.
E1 Policy - The Conservation Area should be expanded to include some houses and frontages to the west of Westbrook Street as shown in the attached plan. e.g. Wall at Downside, Bakers Cottage, Green Bushes.
E2 Policy - The cob walls are a significant part of the character of the Village. It is vital that are they are preserved and regularly maintained.
All the cob walls are Listed Buildings.
E3 Policy - The rural character of the streams roads and footpaths should be conserved and, where appropriate, enhanced.
There is a strong desire to keep the Village rural. To this end there should be no more signs than absolutely necessary. Any necessary signs should be of good quality and to a standard design which complements the Village. There should only be the minimum road signs consistent with road safety requirements.
E4 Policy - Appropriate signs are needed to direct to the Village Hall, the Post Office, the Recreation Ground and its Car Park. Any necessary signs should be of good quality and to a standard design which complements the Village.
Street Lighting has been debated for many years. The conclusion of this review was to oppose street lighting on the grounds that it would create light pollution, obscure the night sky and spoil the rural character of the Village, even in the daytime from lighting columns.
E5 Policy - There should be no street lighting in Blewbury
Bright private security lights are also disliked.
E6 Policy - The Parish will seek to minimise light pollution at night, for example by encouraging reductions in light spillage and downgrading unnecessarily powerful lights.
In line with the VWH Local Plan 2011 deposit draft Policy NE6 particular regard will be paid to any proposals for external lighting when considering permission for any development within the Parish of Blewbury. Any lighting in public areas should minimimise spillage of light.
The attractiveness of the Village, and particularly of the Conservation Area, would be enhanced by the removal of overhead cables. The electricity cables are the most obtrusive.
E7 Policy - The Parish will seek reductions in the use of overhead cables in the core of the Village.
The whole of the parish of Blewbury is part of the North Wessex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It also contains one area of Special Scientific Interest. There is considerable interest in conserving the environment and enhancing it in appropriate ways.
E8 Policy - The Parish will encourage the enhancement of wildlife habitats, the planting of appropriate hedges and trees.
The Blewbury Village Society has an active Environment Group, which has already tackled a number of environmental projects including:
Desirable projects identified during the preparation of this plan include:
E9 Policy - The Parish Council will maintain a plan for enhancing the natural environment of the Parish.
It is not sufficient just to produce a plan, regular reviews are needed so that the Parish Council can take initiatives and also respond appropriately to offers for assistance for example in tree planting.
Retaining a surgery in Blewbury is very important particularly for the elderly. The effort to reach Woodlands by Public Transport is considerable.
S1 Policy - Every effort should be made to retain the provision of a surgery in Blewbury.
It is very important for the Village that it retains local shops including a grocers or convenience store.
S2 Policy - Every effort should be made to retain the provision of local shops in Blewbury. If this requires developments that allow them to flourish such changes should be considered favourably.
The water supply to the Recreation Ground and nearby properties is unsatisfactory, often no water reaches the Cemetery. The supply to the north edge of the Village along Bessels Way is also unsatisfactory.
S3 Policy - Agreement should be obtained with the public utility (Thames Water) to overcome the problems with water supply to the fringes of the Village.
The Parish contains many small businesses ranging from building tradesmen to home workers. There are also two business areas on Westbrook Street. The businesses are very welcome. The main request was to introduce broadband telecommunication facilities into the Village. No other parish level initiative was requested by the businesses. As a result of an effective pressure group this is now available.
The main concern raised about the businesses was the number of parked cars on Westbrook Street during the working day. These are associated with Ashbrook Mews.
Although Blewbury is in a relatively low crime rate area, there are significant concerns about the level of crime and the ability of the Police to combat it. It is not clear that there are many additional local initiatives that would help. However the Parish would welcome more local Policing, for example the use of the empty police house in the Village.
S4 Policy - The Parish will press the Police Authority to use the Police House in Blewbury in order to provide a more obvious local Police presence.
Although in some comparisons Blewbury is relatively litter free, the issue of litter raised the highest number of complaints in the surveys. The observed litter is most obvious at a limited number of places where no-one sees it to be their direct concern. Litter is rarely left on the frontage of houses.
While education has a major role to play in this, the school already tries to educate children in the Village.
S5 Policy - The Parish will set up a scheme in which people are asked to look after the tidiness of specific areas of the Village.
S6 Policy - The Parish will recommend the placing of a few more litter bins to increase the coverage round the Village, and will ensure that these are emptied regularly.
'Wheelie bins’ have been suggested as an alternative to the current collection methods. However this does not appear to be practical or appropriate in many parts of Blewbury.
Dog Fouling is also a subject raised frequently in the survey. A dog fouling a public area is the responsibility of its owner. Fouling is particularly objectionable in the Recreation Ground and the Playclose, where it makes recreational activities unpleasant and unsafe.
S7 Policy - There should be an order prohibiting dogs being let off their leads on Ticker’s Folly Field and the Recreation Ground.
The main methods of publicising future events are in the monthly Blewbury Bulletin, in the associated web site, and by placing posters on telegraph and electricity poles in the Parish. Individual clubs select appropriate methods for their own needs - typically one or more of telephone, e-mail, newsletter, a club notice board and a club web site. There are links to the Club Web Sites from the Parish Web Site.
It has been suggested that clubs should do more to advertise their activities by contributing reports to the Blewbury Bulletin.
Anyone placing posters in the Parish is asked to remove them promptly when the poster is no longer needed.
Most traffic and most serious accidents occur on the two main roads – the A417 and the B4016. These issues are being addressed by the Didcot Area Integrated Transport Strategy project team, which is working with the Parish in producing its recommendations. Thus this Parish Initiatives statement does not cover these roads.
T1 Policy - A continuing effort should be made to persuade drivers not to park on footpaths and not to park where they are blocking access and causing a visual obstruction to other road users, including pedestrians.
Although the nature of the roads means that drivers on the internal roads rarely exceed 30 mph, many drivers have been observed to drive too fast for the prevailing road conditions. For example parents are nervous about allowing their children to walk to and from the school.
T2 Policy - The speed limit on the internal roads should be 20 mph.
The internal roads are not suitable for fast travel, and can be dangerous if drivers do not limit their speed. In most cases there is little that can be done to avoid the need for great care. The following places on the internal roads have identified as suitable for safety improvements.
T3 Policy - Prior's Corner is a blind corner with a junction leading to the Village Hall, the School and Manor Farm. It is dangerous for pedestrians and cars, and awkward for farm machinery and HGV's. It also suffers from severe flooding in wet weather. A comprehensive solution is required.
T4 Policy - Berry Lane is very narrow at the point it crosses the Mill Brook. Any pedestrian can be vulnerable. A solution which allows the pedestrians to walk the road without danger from motor vehicles is required.
T5 Policy - The maintenance of the internal roads should be improved. In particular Church End leading to the Church, parts of Church Road and Chapel Lane are dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians, especially at night.
T6 Policy - The Parish supports the proposed cycle paths to Upton and the Astons. It would be desirable to permit the use of the Hagbourne path by cycles. The permission of the landowners concerned should be sought and with this permission it would be necessary to replace the styles on the path.
T7 Policy - The footpath beside the A417 from Westbrook Street to Nottingham Fee is unsatisfactory, and is flooded for much of the winter. A long term solution is required not only to eliminate flooding, but also to give adequate width and stability for push chairs and wheel chairs.
The Village has an excellent set of internal footpaths. In the past these have been designated for pedestrians, and they have been blocked each end with barriers. In view of the traffic on the roads it now seems better to encourage cyclists – particularly young cyclists – and those in wheel chairs to use the internal paths. The necessary changes would also be more convenient for push chairs. However motor cycles and horses are inappropriate on these paths, and there is concern that adapting the paths for other traffic may make them less attractive for pedestrians. Some barriers are required to discourage cyclists from emerging directly onto roads. A barrier should be retained on the Bessels Lea Road end of the footpath from London Road to discourage the use of this path by motor cycles and horses. For the same reason the end barriers on the path between Rubble Pit Lane and Cow Lane should be retained.
T8 Policy - The aim is to allow the internal paths to be used by young cyclists and wheel chairs. The experiment of opening Watts Lane as an off road route for cyclists and others is to be monitored with the possibility of extending the scheme to other paths.
T9 Policy - The width and surface treatment of internal footpaths (including those across the Playclose) should be maintained so that they are convenient for wheel chairs and push chairs.
With the relatively elderly population, there is a benefit in off road paths suitable for fairly short walks.
T10 Policy – Permission to use additional routes linking existing footpaths to allow circular walks from the Village should be sought from landowners.
It is not necessary for such links to be official rights of way.
The Recreation Ground is managed by the Recreation Ground Management Committee. This is a Parish Council committee with representatives from the clubs using the Ground. Under the current central direction the sports clubs using the ground do not appear to take on collective responsibility for the development of central facilities and the overall development of the recreation ground. It is also likely that a different management structure would be better placed to obtain grants for the development of the common facilities of the Recreation Ground. This was the advice given to the Parish during the preparation of a lottery bid for the Recreation Ground.
Any solution must be compatible with the terms on which the land for the Recreation Ground was given to the Parish, and must also consider the interests of users of the Recreation Ground who are not members of the sports clubs. It is also very desirable that the youth of the Parish are involved in plans for the ground, even though they are not normally in official positions in individual sports clubs.
The pavilion has proved difficult to maintain as an attractive and welcoming facility. It is believed that an improved venue on the site could be run in a way which generates the funds to maintain it.
L1 Policy - The management of the Recreation Ground should be reconsidered with a view to setting up a management structure devolving more responsibility for developments on the Recreation Ground and its management on the users of the Recreation Ground, and particularly the active sports clubs using the ground and the Pavilion.
L2 Policy - Additional provision for sport is to be welcomed provided there is a suitable group or club who will sponsor and oversee the provision. The community should not develop such provisions speculatively without such sponsorship.
L3 Policy - Any new provision for active outdoor sport should be sited on the Recreation Ground. This allows best use of the common facilities on the site such as the pavilion.
L4 Policy - A larger pavilion with more facilities is required. Redevelopment on the current site may be appropriate.
L5 Policy - The Parish Council should seek to regain responsibility for the Scout Hut so that this valuable asset can be used more effectively. Ideally it should be managed with the rest of the Recreation Ground.
As new sporting facilities should be on the Recreation Ground The Old Tennis Court Site is now redundant.
L6 Policy - Consideration should be given to selling the old tennis court opposite the Barley Mow and using the money to improve other facilities in the Village, provided the relatives of the donor who kindly provided this tennis court for the Village are happy with the proposal.
M1 Policy - The Parish supports efforts to upgrade the facilities at the Methodist Church.
M2 Policy - The Parish should enhance the Village Hall, providing a third attractive meeting and activity room in the Village Hall Complex. This should be able to be let independently and be larger than the Vale Room. It should be linked to the other meeting rooms so that functions may use all three when appropriate, but should not be affected by noise in the main hall. It should be able to be shared with the School. It will require additional storage, catering and toilet facilities. A joint development with the School for shared use should be sought.
Parking for large events with participants from outside the Village can be a problem.
M3 Policy - Public events should make use of existing parking facilities at the Village Hall and/or Ticker's Folly Field.
These need sign posting as specified in Policy E3, and any such use must be agreed with the appropriate Management.
More should be done to work with the surrounding villages to provide activities which may not be viable in a single village. Examples might be ‘Evening classes’ on topics of interest to residents in all co-operating villages.
M4 Policy - The Parish will actively seek greater co-operation with its neighbours, including the use of each other's facilities and shared initiatives.
Blewbury is already a very attractive village, with a lively community, many communal activities, and some excellent facilities.
This Parish Initiatives section of the Parish Plan provides a set of policies to maintain and enhance the Parish over the next ten years.