Blewbury Parish Plan 2004
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.
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Blewbury Parish Plan 2004Archive 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. |
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| Blewbury Site; Planning Site; The Report; Contents |
The Parish supports the general proposals affecting Blewbury in the Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2011 (The Local Plan). During the development of the Parish Plan, the version of the Local Plan available was the First Deposit Draft dated November 2002.
While being open to any initiative which enhances the character, appearance or amenities of the Village, the Parish does not expect or desire major changes in land use in the Parish in the period of this Parish Plan.
The heart of Blewbury is a Conservation Area. This Area is shown on the Conservation and Growth Map. The District Council is committed to refusing permission for proposals for development or other works in this Area unless they can be shown to preserve or enhance the established character and appearance of the Area. The Parish believes that preservation of open green spaces within the Village Conservation Area is of particular importance to its character. Some key areas of this kind are shown as "Open Land" on the Landscape and Environment Map. However green spaces formed by the gardens of other houses are also important.
The draft Local Plan states that in villages such as Blewbury new building will not be permitted outside the built-up areas of existing settlements unless it is on land which has been identified for development in the Local Plan or is in accordance with other specific policies, such as those related to affordable housing.
The green corridors seen from the main road (A417 and B4016) approaches to the Village should be preserved. These are as illustrated on page 9.
The Local Plan policy GS1 allows small scale development in Blewbury. Subject to the particulars of the site, the Parish would expect to support small developments of affordable housing. Affordable housing is defined in the Local Plan 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 is a welcome example.
The need to make best use of land, as referred to in national guidance and the Local Plan, is recognised. However, as also noted in the Local Plan, the resulting form and layout of development should not affect those attributes special to Blewbury, including those highlighted in this Village Design Statement.
Because of the problems of car parking in the streets of the Village, any new development should, where relevant, provide off-street parking spaces sufficient to avoid additional on-street parking.
In alteration or extension, particularly of the older Village properties, the highest architectural standards should be employed. Wherever appropriate the use of traditional materials (brick, thatch and plain clay tile) is strongly recommended in order to match or complement the existing building. The use of reclaimed or second hand materials is 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, (such as details of roof edges, and of windows and doors, and the style and proportions of fenestration,) should be carefully considered.
Property owners should take account of the Vale of White Horse District Council’s current Local Plan, Supplementary Planning Guidelines and associated publications whenever alterations or extensions are contemplated.
An assessment of the current features of buildings in Blewbury is given below.
The design of new development should respond to and reflect the distinctive character of the existing houses in Blewbury. Consideration should be given to the relationship of buildings and other features to the street, and to the desirability of providing enclosure and interest.
Building and property owners are encouraged in all instances to seek advice from the District Council or from an appropriate professional and to strive for the highest architectural standards.
Blewbury is located within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and views play an important part in the general amenity and experience of living in the Village. Views out towards the Downs to the south, across open fields towards Didcot, to uninterrupted horizons of large fields and to the historic landscape of Blewburton Hill provide a variety and beauty that can be enjoyed by all. Views towards the Village are equally important. From most directions the Village is attractively screened by trees. As a result the Village has a soft edge with little residential development evident, this soft edge minimises its impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. From the east of the Village there is less planting, and the line of buildings is more obvious. However, the occupants of these buildings have the advantage of a clear view of attractive countryside.
One aim should be to retain and promote strategic planting around the Village to enhance the existing leafy and rural setting and landscape character. However any planting on the east of the Village needs to be with the support of the residents affected, and individual trees which break up the edge of the Village are preferred to any kind of continuous screen.
Key features of the Village are illustrated in the Landscape and Environment Map. Roads and paths in the Village are often lined with hedges, walls and houses. Intermittently this enclosure is broken with views of the important green open spaces within the Village. The network of streams is also an important part of the character, as are the groups of mature trees.
To the east there are magnificent uninterrupted vistas towards the historic landmark of Blewburton Hill. However in some places this is being eroded and screened by development and new planting.
The well defined eastern edge is emphasised by the ‘open road ahead', as the A417 heads east.
Views south towards the Downs from Bessels Way provide an important link to open countryside.
The landscape to the south of the new cemetery provides an attractive setting.
The view north west across open fields towards Didcot is also attractive.
The view north from Bessels Way is of pleasant tree-lined countryside. The riding stables and kennels along this road are fairly well screened.
The Downs provide wide open spaces with farmed land and race horse gallops.
The Recreation Ground is in an attractive country setting, although the pavilion is undistinguished.
Typical views of the Village looking north from the Downs show the core of the Village largely hidden by trees.
The view from the Downs looking north to the east of the Village illustrates that unscreened housing is less attractive than views dominated by vegetation.
The views from the east show that here the dominant features in the foreground are the buildings rather than vegetation.
The view south towards the Village along Bessels Way has a countryside appearance in which the Downs rise above farm buildings.
Views from footpaths west of the Village towards the school grounds have a green and leafy character with a feeling of containment and enclosure.
Views from A417 in the west towards the Village are largely of open countryside with intermittent screening by hedges and hedgerow trees.
The view east towards Blewburton Hill from Bessels Lea provides a valuable glimpse of this historic landscape, which has a close association with the Village. Looking south along Westbrook Street provides distant glimpsed views of the Downs and of Churn Knob. In most of the Village, views are enclosed by houses, hedges and walls, as in the much-loved footpaths in the core of the Village.
The footpaths bordered by thatched Cob Walls are a key feature of the Village.These paths lead to views of the open spaces in the Village core.
Streams and lakes make a very important contribution of the attraction of Blewbury. The old Water Cress Beds at the Cleve form the principal public water feature.
There is a large number and great variety of trees in Blewbury. Together with hedgerows, they give a sense of intimacy and enclosure to houses and gardens, most noticeably in the Conservation Area.
The network of streams, open spaces and footpaths, which makes up the Village core, is bounded by trees and low growing natural vegetation. Some tree lines and clumps enhance spaces and roads, whereas others allow a glimpse through to the Downs or to farmland.
Some large, privately-owned trees adjacent to public land and roads are much valued for the positive impact which they make.
Hedges, walls, fences and railings have a significant role in providing character to individual properties, groups of properties, and the street scene in general.
Hedges provide enclosure and screening and control views, and add to the general level of vegetation, often softening the edges to developments and other hard structures.
Walls are perhaps the most important type of enclosing structures. They impart a solid and permanent quality with many examples contributing to the character of Blewbury’s streets. Warm brick colours provide a pleasing texture and appearance, often typical of the materials used for the house behind. Differing wall heights and profiles add variety, as do the styles of coping. Curved walls highlighting and opening out driveway entrances are an attractive and characteristic feature. Brickwork is typically pointed with struck or bucket- handle joints. The characteristic Cob Walls of Blewbury are especially worthy of conservation, either in thatched or tiled form. The use of clunch (chalk stone) and flint is also characteristic. The inclusion of new walls in keeping with the Village should be considered in new developments.
Fences and Railings do not have the permanence of walls but they are nonetheless important in defining boundaries and in influencing the character of a given area. Ranch-style post and rail fencing around paddocks or fields imparts a rural and almost estate-owned character. Railings (also barriers) and wrought iron gates also feature and can vary from the urban to suburban and the Victorian to the modern. When choosing styles of fences and railings appropriateness and appearance should be given due emphasis.
Edges in any environment are important in defining the character of an area. They form the transitions between surfaces and changes in levels. They can, by the choice of material and its appearance, change completely the character and quality of their surroundings. Similarly, surfaces can be appropriate or they can be inappropriate; they need to be functional while also fitting into their context. Road edges in the older parts of Blewbury and on the London Road are predominantly edged with granite setts. These are replaced by standard concrete kerbs in other parts of the Village. Granite setts, even on the A 417 London Road give the street a smaller ‘village’ scale, which would be lost if ordinary highway kerbs were in their place. Visually this is important for the character of the Village, but this may also provide a subliminal message to drivers that they are passing through a settlement and that they should slow down. Some road edges are little more than ‘grassy’ banks and this, in a rural village environment also works perfectly well.
Footpaths throughout the Village provide an essential means of communication, and provision of appropriate surfaces and widths are crucial in facilitating this. The informality of the footpaths (often surfaced in gravel without formal edges) in the Village is sometimes at the expense of the ‘usability’, but resolution of conflicts can often be achieved by low-key localised improvements. Footpaths in the rural village environment of Blewbury should be retained in an informal form, avoiding ‘black-top’ surfacing and concrete edgings that would give the Village’s open spaces (for example) the character of an urban park. Roadside footpaths in Blewbury are combined in some parts of the Village e.g. in Westbrook Street and London Road with grass verges between the footpath and the road. This provides a more pleasant environment for the pedestrian, but this factor must be balanced against the needs of those with buggies and wheelchair users. Grass verges should be retained where possible. Where there are roadside ditches these also are welcomed and should be retained.
Most older houses have exposed timber-framed construction. The panels were originally wattle and daub, but this has usually been replaced or overlaid with brick or plaster. Typically the frames are stained black, and the infill may be painted white.
Red hand-made bricks are common, with some snapheaders. Other options are painted brickwork and plastered or rendered surfaces. Rustic timber boarding is also used.
Dormer windows, generally with gabled ends, are subordinate to the main roof form. Rooms are often partially within the roof, reducing overall height and massing. Houses have gabled ends, brick chimneys, steep roof pitches and a limited width in plan. The roofing materials are thatch, red clay plain tiles and some grey slates. There are simple ridge and bargeboard details and exposed rafter feet.
A number of houses have vertical tile hanging with a projection at the base for water shedding.
Timber front doors are substantial with only small areas of glass. Doors are often relatively wide, and may be stable doors. Doors can be match boarded or panelled.
Windows are of narrow proportions, with slender glazing bars, small panes, weathered oak or painted (often black and/or white). There are typically symmetrical side hung casements though some windows have vertical sliding sashes. Purpose-made traditional joinery includes oriels and canopies.
Signage, lettering, ironmongery and light fittings are individual in style and can make a positive contribution to the character of the Village.
Traditional ironmongery includes wrought iron gates.
The barriers used to control access to footpaths, and to slow users where a path terminates at a road, are normally painted black and white.