Tim Forrest
Housing Heritage & Design Working Group – Visionettes and Objectives
Overall vision
All of Waverley’s draft housing scenarios call for an increase in the numbers of homes built in the larger villages such as Chiddingfold. Current indications are that they will set us a target which could be in the region of 5 houses a year.
Chiddingfold residents show a desire for more homes in Chiddingfold, but of a different kind from what is currently available. The village will therefore undoubtedly change over the next 18 years of the plan, but we can all influence where that change takes place, what kind of homes are built and to an extent for whom they are built.
Green Belt
The Parish of Chiddingfold will remain in the Green Belt and the most of the area will be protected further by the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the remainder by policies carried forward relating to the Area of Great Landscape Value. The village of Chiddingfold will either continue to be washed over by the Green Belt or will be inset within it and will be defined by a new development envelope that links the two existing Settlement Boundaries together making the village more cohesive centred around Coxcombe Lane and the Village Green.
Waverley Officers to ensure present levels of protection are maintained. Develop a longer term strategy of development to gradually balance the village around its natural centres of activity and services.
Refer Map 1 Chiddingfold – Waverley Green Belt Review
Map 2 Chiddingfold – Neighbourhood Plan Boundary
Map 3 Chiddingfold – Waverley AGLV Review
Matching Housing development to local need
Current shortfalls of housing available for people wishing to downsize to smaller quality homes, people in need of starter homes and people currently living in overcrowded homes in the village wishing to move to affordable homes, will gradually be met by a steady development of small sites around the village.
Specific Resident Requests included
– 25 Affordable homes with mostly one bedroom
– 16 Starter Homes
– 25 to 50 quality 2 & 3 bedroom homes for people to down size to which included a
significant number seeking accommodation in a Bungalow or Flat
Confirm demand for each type of housing, prioritise the most pressing needs, call for further review of available sites, discuss with developers and finalise proposals for each site, bearing in mind sustainability, landscape, conservation and environmental considerations and policies.
Landscape & open spaces
Create a best fit between the need to find more housing and work space within the parish and the need to conserve the nature of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in which the village and much of the Parish reside. At the same time preserve the present open spaces in the village and preserve areas where surrounding countryside infiltrates the centre.
Review the AMEC Consultants Landscape sensitivity and capacity report produced for Waverley and develop detailed assessments of the immediate surroundings of the present settlement to decide the areas where the landscape has capacity to absorb some development without harming the nature of the AONB, the Conservation Area and the open spaces within and adjacent to the village.
Refer Map 4 Chiddingfold – Waverley Landscape Review
Map 5 Chiddingfold Conservation Area
Defining the Village Settlement
The village is currently defined for planning purposes as two settlements with a gap in the middle. This can be divisive and therefore an aim of future development will be to reduce this separation so that as far as possible the village can have a clearly defined centre where the majority of the facilities, shops and services can be found.
Work with Waverley, (who can alter the Settlement Boundaries or create a new village envelope inset within the Green Belt), to review the results of the local landscape assessment, the local housing need and site availability and assessments, and agree a revised definition of the village boundary that creates scope for the village to evolve as a cohesive whole.
Refer Map 6 Chiddingfold Settlement Boundary
Housing design and location
Just as Chiddingfold today has examples of housing representing the design fashions of each century the new built homes will also represent the besto f modern design although this will need to harmonise with the existing streetscape in the areas close to the Conservation Area. The design of the new developments will be more individual and tailored more specifically to the aims of the expected residents. Thus if possible homes intended for a more elderly population should be located closer to the centre of the village, whereas those aimed at younger couples might be closer to sporting or education facilities.
Seek more specific views of residents and match these with developer aspirations for individual sites. Also carry out extensive research into house design and village layout to enable a greater sense of community and cohesion, potentially making use of community living areas, communal gardens, or vegetable growing areas.
npChidd261114 TF Housing Heritage visionette
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