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SCALE DESIGN GUIDE 1:XXXX April 2020 DATE CREATED NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN This drawing has been prepared for the use of AECOM’s client. It may not be used, modified, reproduced or relied upon by third parties, except as agreed AECOM required law. accepts no responsibility, and denies any liability whatsoever, to party that uses relies on this without express written consent. Do scale document. All meas urements must obtained from stated dimensions. XX/XX/XX MIDDLETON ST GEORGE DESIGN GUIDE
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Document Ref Prepared for Prepared by Date Reviewed by name
MSG DR-10652 MSG Nick Beedie, April Neighbourhood Neighbourhood Neighbourhood Elliot Jodrell Plan Steering Plan Design Plan Steering AECOM 2020 Group, Codes Group AECOM
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This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited (“AECOM”) in accordance with its contract with Locality (the “Client”) and in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or verified by AECOM, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. AECOM shall have no liability to any third party that makes use of or relies upon this document.
This document is intended to aid the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan, and can be used to guide decision making and as evidence to support Plan policies, if the Qualifying Body (QB) so chooses. It is not a neighbourhood plan policy document. It was developed by AECOM based on the evidence and data reasonably available at the time of assessment and therefore has the potential to become superseded by more recent information. The QB is not bound to accept its conclusions. If landowners or any other party can demonstrate that any of the evidence presented herein is inaccurate or out of date, such evidence can be presented to the QB at the consultation stage. Where evidence from elsewhere conflicts with this report, the QB should decide what policy position to take in the Neighbourhood Plan and that judgement should be documented so that it can be defended at the Examination stage.
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Contents
1. Introduction 1.1 Background 1.2 Purpose and scope 1.3 Methodology 1.4 Document Structure 1.5 Policy and Guidance 1.6 The Study Area
2. Assessment 2.1 Settlement Pattern 2.2 Movement and streets 2.3 Landscape and heritage 2.4 Neighbourhood Structure 2.5 Built-form and character
3. Design Codes 3.1 The Design Vision 3.2 General Guidance 3.2 Area Codes: Middleton St. George 3.3 Area Codes: Middleton One Row 3.4 Area 3: Oak Tree
4. Next Steps 4.1 Requirements for developers 4.2 Projects for further action
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1.0 Introduction ‘… design codes are – in appropriate circumstances – 1.1 Background valuable tools to deliver a range of more sustainable 1.4. Document structure processes and outcomes from development. It confirmed The Middleton St George Neighbourhood Plan Steering • Introduction that as a particularly robust form of design guidance, design Group (NPSG) are seeking to shape and influence codes can play a major role in delivering better quality development within their Parish via the process of producing • Parish Assessment development. They also have a significant role to play in a Neighbourhood Plan that will be put to a referendum within delivering a more certain design and development process, the Parish area. • Characterisation: Distinctively Middleton St George and – if properly managed – can provide the focus around which stakeholders can integrate their activities, delivering Locality is the national membership network for community • The Vision in the process a more coordinated and consensus driven organisations that bring local people together to produce process.’ neighbourhood plans. Through Locality’s support • Design Codes programme, AECOM (the lead author of this report) has (Preparing Design Codes A Practice Manual - CABE, 2006) been assigned to produce Design Codes that will provide an evidence base for Middleton St George’s emerging Neighbourhood Plan. 1.5. Policy and guidance The following documents have informed the preparation of 1.3 Methodology this report: 1.2 Objectives • Inception phone call with NP Group chair on scope and The specific focus of the report is to provide design background; i) Darlington Landscape Character Assessment (LUC for guidance for the three key sub-settlements of Middleton St Darlington BC, 2015) George (including Oak Tree and Middleton One Row). The key • Inception meeting with NP Group and locl planning objectives are: consultant; ii) Darlington Characterisation Study (Darlington BC, 2009)
A Design Code is an appropriate tool to: • Parish walking tour and photographic site survey; iii) Middleton One Row Conservation Area Character Appraisal (Darlington BC, 2010) • Add to and support existing policy and guidance; • Local planning policy and guidance review; • Clarify what is expected from local developers; iv) Revised Design of New Development Supplementary • Raise the quality of housing development; • Desktop village frameworks survey; Planning Document (Darlington BC, 2011) • Eliminate inappropriate development; and • Desktop characterisation study; • Deliver locally distinctively development.
• Workshop on Design Vision.
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1.6. Study Area and development sites The Parish of Middleton St. George includes the sub settlements of Middleton St George, Middleton One Row and Oak Tree. It also includes part of the airport, however this is excluded from the plan area due to its strategic role.
The Neighbourhood plan area covers the three sub- settlements and their rural surrounds but excludes the Middleton St. airport due to its strategic role in the region. George Oak Tree Over the last few years planning permission has been granted for a number of large housing sites in Middleton St George, some of which have been constructed or are Tees Valley currently under construction. There are also further sites Airport being proposed in the emerging Local Plan.
Middleton The potential sites in this report (p.13) are contiguous to the One Row village boundary and are included within the design code study area should the local plan pass examination with the included.
Neighbourhood Plan boundary area
Figure 1: Study Area
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2.0 Parish Assessment
2.1 Village Growth and Settlement Pattern i) 1858 – Dinsdale Park Spa hotel (now apartments) and the iii) 1957 - The Oak Tree and Virginia housing estates for RAF settlement at Middleton One Row (forming the main part personnel is underway adjacent to the RAF airbase to the of a conservation area) overlooks the River Tees Valley. east. The Stockton and Darlington Railway line (1825) serves Middleton Station and the Brick / Tileworks and workers iv) 1991 – The airbase, now an airport has since become housing to the north. Durham Tees Valley International Airport. Until the mid- 1990’s, Middleton St George was relatively small with a ii) 1899 - The Darlington and Saltburn branch line is built, population of approximately 1,800. splitting at Oak Tree Junction and serving the new Dinsdale Station and Middleton Ironworks. A new village centre is v) Present day - Following the demise of industry and the created north of Dinsdale Station alongside the iron workers availability of brownfield sites, the population grew rapidly to row houses. the current level of approximately 4,500. The A67 bypasses have been built to the north of Middleton St George.
Figure 2: Historical Development
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Figure 3: Map extracts (clockwise from top left); HELAA Assessment sites; Landscape Character and Designations (Darlington BC); Land uses (Openstreetmap.co.uk) and Ordnance Survey (C)
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2.2 Landscape and Open Space
2.2.1. Landscape Character, features and & by the Parish Council, but the former pumping station is now topography a Community Centre and now belongs to the Community Association, a registered charity, which offers a range of The landscape character area surrounding Middleton St. leisure and community activities and which also houses a George and Oak Tree is categorised as ‘Middleton Farmland’ nursery and play area. which is a largely flat, farmed plateau north of the River Tees. To the south, from Middleton One Row, this change to the 2.2.3. Statutory Designations ‘Tees Valley’ character area with a dramatic incised Valley cut in by the River Tees with views over the flood plain and valley. Tower Hill motte castle is a Scheduled Monument north- Key landscape features across the area include woodland, east of Dinsdale Spa. The monument includes a well the River Tees, and associated banks (part of Village Green preserved Norman motte situated in a prominent position status). A historic Roman Road links Tower Hill Earthworks overlooking the River Tees, although now it is on private land and Pounty’s Bridge (site of former crossing) in Middleton and largely screened from view. There is also a Deserted One Row with the Middleton St. George to the north. medieval village (of West Hartburn) north of the A67, another scheduled monument. There are 16 listed buildings in the 2.2.2. Open Spaces and Recreation study area.
Part of The Front in Middleton One Row is a designated 2.2.4. Other Designations village green, overlooking the banks of the River Tees with attractive views over the flood plain. In the centre of Local Nature reserve - The Whinnies - is located between the Middleton St George there are is a range of leisure and A67 and a path which is the former trackbed of the Stockton amenity facilities. There is a recreation ground, which and Darlington Railway route. The old spoilheaps here are includes a children’s play area and football pitch. Close by, calcium rich and have transformed over the years to create a there is a well-established cricket and social club with an variety of wildlife habitats including banks and pools. adjoining cricket pitch and outdoor bowls area. The Water Park is a well- used and well-loved public recreation area; The route of the former Stockton and Darlington Railway this was formerly a pumping station with four reservoirs, has been designated by Historic England as a Heritage but all were decommissioned (one is now used by the local Action Zone in recognition of its role as the birthplace of the Model Boating Club, two by a local Angling Club, with the modern railway system which opened in 1825. The section other being turned into a multi-use games area some years within the Middleton St George Parish is part of the 26 miles ago). The majority of the Water Park is owned and managed of the Heritage Action Zone.
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Figure 4: Landscape analysis
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2.3 Movement and Streets
2.3.1. Pedestrian and Cycle Routes Route structure 2.3.2. Public Transport
To the north of the settlement, National Trail 14 (cycle route) Spatially, Middleton St George is a predominantly a linear The village is served by rail via Dinsdale station which sits on runs via Middleton St. George between Darlington and settlement following the road pattern of the village. the Middlesbrough to Darlington Line with frequent services Middlesbrough. It consists of both off-road and on-road between both major service centres. sections, including the former route of the 1825 Stockton & The key street types are: Darlington Railway passing through Fighting Cocks. To the There is also a public bus service (hourly until 6pm during the south, the The Teesdale Way a Public Right of Way (PRoW) i) Main village streets (radial routes) week, though none on Sundays) which connects the village and long-distance footpath follows the River Tees on the with Darlington, and then on to the village of Hurworth. northern bank. In between, the three settlement areas are ii) Residential access streets linked via a network of public rights of way (PRoW) which run between the three urban areas. The greatest concentration iii) Closes and cul-de-sacs of PRoW routes is to the west of the settlement, from Palm Tree Villas in the north to the Dinsdale Park in the south, The Bypass road is excluded from this as it provides no including a segment of the Roman Road from Church Lane to frontage access. Neasham Road.
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Figure 5: Movement analysis
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2.4 Neighbourhood structure
2.4.1. Land uses, centres and facilities
The Parish is served by two shops, three barber shops, four pubs, one takeaway, a veterinary surgery, a pet food shop, a doctor’s surgery, a private day nursery, a dental surgery and a chemist. Schooling is provided for 4 to 11-year-old children at the St George’s Church of England Academy.
The St. George’s Medical Practice has moved to Yarm Road near Oak Tree. The dentists (MSG Dental Care) is still close to the centre of the village, at the top of Middleton Lane.
A small cluster of shops is located around The Square and is categorised as a Local Centre for the wider village.
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Figure 7: Neighbourhood structure
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2.5 Built form and Legibility
2.5.1. Townscape and Heritage
The main frontages of the village are positioned along the main routes and include; Station Road / Middleton Lane; The Front and Yarm Road frontage overlooking the Tees Valley. These frontages are the main ‘faces’ of the sub-settlements and important to overall village character.
The Church of St Laurence (Church Lane) is a historic landmark that contributes to legibility in One Row; otherwise The Square (Station Road) is a key ‘node’ (or junction) for orientation within the Middleton St. George. Likewise, the railway is both a barrier and strong linear features for orientation at crossing points. The gaps between the settlements and glimpses of views to the countryside also help to identify the sub-settlements.
Of the 16 listed buildings in the study area, most are Grade II and the majority located within Middleton One Row conservation area. Outside of this rich historic character area St. George’s Church is an outlying landmark of key importance to the Parish.
Low Middleton Hall is the one Grade II* listed building, south of St. George’s Church.
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Figure 9: Built-form and Legibility
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3.0 Characterisation Studies The sub-settlements and their retention are considered as important to retaining the village character. The principle sub-settlements are; Middleton St. George; Middleton One Row and Oak Tree (including the Virginia Estate).
• Development patterns have followed the incremental One Row, Oak Tree, Sadberge and linking to the A67, 3.1 Distinctively Middleton development of agricultural fields and latterly relate to with mainly residential uses set close to the back of the redevelopment of industrial uses along the railway. pavement and a Local Centre (The Square), Community Hub and parks; St. George The historic settlement of Middleton Saint George is the • Residential suburban streets, avenues and crescents main village and local centre within the parish. It is now LANDSCAPE provide limited permeability across the various housing bypassed by the A67 road and has no listed buildings. estates; permeability between the north and the south is • Middleton St George has a number of allotments, parks further compromised by the Darlington railway line; and The existing characteristics in the following section are set and greenspaces with edges on to the countryside and out according to the topics previously set out in Distinctly also major transport corridors; • The N14 cycle route takes advantage of the original Darlington Characterisation Study (Darlington BC, 2009). former railway route and infrastructure and links several • Varied levels of tree cover can be found throughout the greenspaces, parks and wildlife corridors; area; • Most properties have enclosed rear gardens with no rear Typical Existing Characteristics: • The interface with the countryside is typically via fenced access. gardens or with points of access between houses; and CONTEXT GRAIN + DENSITY • A range of created, preserved and opportunity wildlife • Middleton St George is the is largest sub-settlement and habitats can be found. • Most houses have a front garden of 5-10m in depth, main centre within the parish, its 19th century origins although there are notable exceptions such as chapel developing rapidly from the millennium; street where this not met (circa 1.5m);
• Mismatches in environmental quality are evident SPACE + MOVEMENT • A density of around 18-40 dwellings per hectare (DpH) between the south and north of the village, reflecting can be found in this area; and historic patterns of development and land use; and • Several radial routes (Middleton Lane / Station Road / Yarm Road) pass through this area, between Middleton
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Footpath The Park
Chapel The Square Figure 11: Grain and density plan for Middleton St George (with potential sites)
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• Building footprints are typically residential in scale • Roof forms include simple pitches sloping away from the and consist of a mix of semi-detached, terraces and street, hipped-roofs; semi-gabled or rarely gables facing detached houses in differing locations. Flats are not the street; and common and are limited to two storeys in height. • Dormers are occasionally found in some development HEIGHT + SKYLINE and may be used as a design solution in some bungalows and houses; • Buildings are typically within the range of 1 to 2 storeys with occasional 3 storeys on main routes near the Local MATERIALS Centre; The Crescent village greens / level change • Brick is the predominant wall material with some pebble- • No individual buildings stand out within or penetrate the dash and render applied to former iron workers row skyline (as a landmark); houses;
• Occasional views across to the countryside are had from • Bricks are typically red in colour or buff coloured on the end of streets (Chapel Street) or periphery (Station modern developments; and Rd./Sadberge Road); and • Roofs are typically tile or slate. • Rows and streets of buildings are all of similar heights.
DETAILS MASSING + ROOFSCAPE • Entrances face the street;
Broad Street mix of architecture • Porches and canopies over doors are found;
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Shop fronts Painted brick Bay windows Gable ends
Boundary wall with piers Flemish bond brick Painted brick Lintels and sills
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LANDSCAPE • The settlement is linear and the single-sided terraced 3.1.1. Middleton One Row street provides connectivity between The Front and The The historic settlement of Middleton One Row is a sub- • The River Tees (and views over the valley) is a key feature Green; and settlement to the south of the parish of Middleton St of the area; George. Middleton One Row is sited north of a bend in the • Some terraces have back lanes for service access. River Tees. It has nine listed buildings, all are Grade II. • The river corridor and it’s steep banks has value as a habitat; The existing characteristics in the following section are set out according to the topics previously set out in Distinctly • Trees are found on the riverside and around the GRAIN + DENSITY Darlington Characterisation Study (Darlington BC, 2009). scheduled monument; and • Almost all buildings are built up to the pavement edge or • Trees can be seen sporadically between and behind built have a small defensible space of no more than 2m frontages; to the west significant levels of tree cover are Typical Existing Characteristics: in evidence. • A density of around 8-25 dwellings per hectare can be found in this area CONTEXT • Buildings are predominantly detached to the west with a • This settlement likely grew from a crossing point on the SPACE + MOVEMENT smaller concentration of terraces to the east; and Bank of the River Tees around the Norman motte and bailey castle in medieval times; and • The street pattern is predominantly organic with a • Building footprints range from small terraced units to variety of widths and curvature; large detached villas. • There is a hierarchy of buildings in terms of scale, decoration and materials from The Front moving out • Several key radial routes converge in this area along the main radial routes. connecting to the surrounding settlements;
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The Front
The Paddock Figure 12: Grain and density plan of One Row (with potential sites)
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HEIGHT + SKYLINE MATERIALS
• Buildings are typically 2 storeys except on Hill Rise which • Walls are mostly red brick with stone sills and lintels at are one storey; openings in the conservation area; and
• The church spire is an important skyline feature; • Roofing materials are mainly natural slate, although some pantiles can be found. • Commanding views of the distant landscape are afforded from The Front;
• Rows of buildings tend to be of similar heights; and DETAILS Marker building, The Front • Some apparently single storey buildings in this area are • Bay windows are common; split-level to deal with the steep sided valley. • Brick soldier coursing found on much of the historic development on The Front; and
MASSING + ROOFSCAPE • Villas are often set back behind red brick boundary walls with curved gate entrance. • Roof forms are predominantly simple pitches, sloping away from the street
• Gable ends occasional address the street in key For a detailed assessment of the conservation area see buildings; Middleton One Row Conservation Area Character Appraisal (Darlington BC, 2010). • Where the roofline is broken the wall material continues Attached dwellings, The Front upwards creating a parapet gable;
• Wider spans are achieved with two steep pitches or a lower pitched roof;
• Dormers are common often as a retrofit feature; and
• Hipped roofs are an occasional feature.
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Soldier courses Transom / bow bay Lintels Chimneys Well proportioned windows on wide-gable
Views out across River Tees flood plain The Green - water pump
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3.1.2 Oak Tree Typical Existing Characteristics: SPACE + MOVEMENT The sub-settlement of Oak Tree principally consists of two CONTEXT • A single radial route (Yarm Road) passes through this estates (Virginia Estate and Oak Tree Estate) and a historic area, between Middleton St. George and the Airport/ farmsted based around the Oak Tree pub and the recently • Oak Tree is a sub-settlement within the village, largely Yarm, with predominantly residential uses slightly set refurbished Oak Tree farm cottages on Yarm Road, near the developed in the mid-to-late twentieth century; back behind verges and access lanes, except the site of the former Oak Tree railway junction. historic cottages and pub; • Mismatches in environmental quality are evident ‘Virginia Estate is a small residential estate on the eastern between the south and north of the village, reflecting • Looping suburban streets and avenues provide outskirts of Middleton St. George. Originally built in the 1950s historic patterns of development and land use; and permeability across the Virginia estate; at Oak Tree this the houses served as married quarters for the RAF personnel more limited by an inward looking crescent and cul-de- based at the local airfield. Since 1983 the houses have been • Development patterns have followed the incremental sac development; privately owned but the estate has remained unadopted by development of agricultural fields. the local borough council. The common land, footpaths, • Both estates are surrounded and separated by green roads and surface water drains are maintained by Middle space but linked by a public right of way; and Oak Management Ltd. Arranged as widely spaced roads with large verges and plenty of green space...’ GRAIN + DENSITY • Most properties have enclosed rear gardens with no rear access. (virginiaestate.co.uk) • Most houses have a front garden of around 3-8m in depth on the Virginia Estate, Oak Tree is typically 7-13m; The existing characteristics in the following section are set out according to the topics previously set out in Distinctly • A density of around 18-24 dwellings per hectare (DpH) LANDSCAPE Darlington Characterisation Study (Darlington BC, 2009). can be found in Virginia Estate; Oak Tree is much lower at approximately 8-15 DpH; • Oak Tree has a number of greenspaces and edges on to the countryside; • Buildings are predominantly semi-detached on Virginia Estate and detached on Oak Tree; and • The interface with the countryside is typically via fenced gardens or with points of access between houses. • Building footprints are typically residential in scale.
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