Collingtree Village Conservation Area Summary of Consultation

March – April 2008

Planning Policy & Conservation Section, Borough Council, Cliftonville House, Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7NR Schedule of Comments Text in italics denotes the Councils response

Comments relating to the proposed boundary changes ♦ The changes make sense. ♦ Seems sensible. ♦ [ Conservation Area Advisory Committee] Why does the new boundary include the road and footpath opposite in Spinney Drive and Lodge Avenue? The boundary currently runs down the middle of the road, moving the boundary to include both footpaths will assist in regularisation and enable a consistent approach to be adopted.

Comments relating to the Re-appraisal ♦ It is good to see the exercise being undertaken. ♦ [Collingtree Conservation Area Advisory Committee] We are concerned that the conservation area should be referred to as the Village Conservation Area, not as a residential urban area with a conservation area. We are reminded of the fate of the old villages such as and . The appraisal notes that the ‘village’ remains separate from encroaching development. The word ‘village ‘ will be included in the title. Collingtree does not just” retain the character of a village” it is a village consisting of 278 hectares. According to the Domesday Book the village was known as Columtrev or Colytrough as is indicated in the History of the church booklet. As above The Grange was demolished in the 1960’s for housing development incorporating Spinney Drive, Lake Walk and Lodge Avenue. This information has been incorporated into the appraisal The village Room was a gift from the Phipps family connection. Noted We are surprised that you say that trees do not play a major role in defining the appearance of the conservation area. Lime trees were allowed to be felled in Ward’ s Farm and a lovely yew tree has been hacked down by developers at 6-8 High Street and a superb beech tree was also felled in the school grounds. In fact we do have a tree warden who looks after the wellbeing of the tree population in the village. The appraisal does identify individual and groups of trees which make a positive contribution to the Conservation Area. There is no mention of the Parish Council or indeed of the Conservation Area Committee. In general anything that increases the conservation area is a good thing for the village and we are pleased the pocket park has been included together with the delightful cottages in Barn Corner. Common sense has prevailed so that the boundary does not cross gardens of properties but why the boundary should extend to the opposite pathway is interesting. Noted

Comments relating to the Management Plan ♦ [Collingtree Conservation Area Advisory Committee] That it is Collingtree village conservation area as we still have a Parish Council. As above

Any other comments ♦ It would be an irreplaceable loss if the identity of Collingtree disappeared completely in future developments. It is the purpose of the appraisal and Management plan to protect the identified character of the Conservation Area. ♦ I would hope that in the new plan which includes the neglected lake near to the golf course & the nursing home, that the lake area included is now restored to its former beauty, as currently it is a disgrace to its owners. Noted ♦ The Gables is Grade II. When we added the extension we wanted to use leaded windows as in the original part of the house. This was refused and we were "forced" to have "Georgian". This seems totally inconsistent & therefore a management plan would hopefully make "practical" & "consistent" decisions. Similarly, a window in the roof in the original plans when we bought the property in 1998 was refused despite no objections from Ash Lane! This has given us a bedroom which wouldn't pass current Health & Safety rules. The window frame itself was grade II acceptable. I would hope that management plans would be sufficiently practical for inhabitants of grade II buildings & not be bogged down in petty impractical rulings made by people who do not live in the property. Arbitration in our case was a farce. The arbitrator never bothered to even come into the house. Alterations to Listed Buildings are subject to other, more stringent, considerations which are designed to protect the historic integrity of the particular building. Conservation Area designation considers the character of the area as a whole. ♦ 1. It seems very strange to me that so much effort can be put into a study of this type with virtually no mention of road noise. Safe-guarding the environment and atmosphere of this type of beautiful village should include noise. The M1 is terrible! As a matter of priority noise reduction measures should be put in place. Presently Conservation Area legislation does not enable the consideration of road noise to be taken into account when identifying the historic character of an area 2. There is little point in setting planning restrictions and protecting trees when developers take no notice of them and get away with it. The Councils Planning Enforcement Team and Arboricultural Officer will deal with breaches of planning control ♦ [Collingtree Conservation Area Advisory Committee] Having established the Collingtree village conservation area, we are concerned that gardens are deemed brownfield sites and development will be allowed. Whilst PPS3 identifies that gardens may form ‘previously developed land’, it also confirms that there is no presumption that the land is suitable for development (Appendix B –definitions)