Chiltern & South Bucks District Councils Chiltern and South Bucks Townscape Character Study Part 3 November 2017 Chiltern & South Bucks District Councils Chiltern and South Bucks Townscape Character Study Part 3 Approved Dominic Watkins Position Director Date 10th November 2017 Revision FINAL CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 5 4.0 PLANNING AND DESIGN PRINCIPLES 151 1.1 Background 5 4.1 Introduction 151 1.2 Approach 7 4.2 Tightly Formed Centres 152 1.3 Review of Local Plan Policy Approaches 9 4.3 Clustered Centres 154 4.4 Woodland Roads 156 2.0 CHILTERN SETTLEMENTS 12 4.5 Green Suburban Roads 158 2.1 Amersham 13 4.6 Suburban Roads 160 2.2 Little Chalfont 21 4.7 Open Plan Suburban 162 2.3 Chesham 27 4.8 Formal Suburban 164 2.4 Chalfont St. Peter 34 4.9 Inconsistent Suburban 166 2.5 Chalfont St. Giles 41 4.10 Park Edge 172 2.6 Great Missenden 47 4.11 Town Centre Fringes 174 2.7 Prestwood 53 4.12 Out of Centre Commercial 178 2.8 Heath End 60 4.13 Apartments 180 2.9 Holmer Green 63 2.10 Knotty Green 66 2.11 Chesham Bois 73 2.12 Seer Green 80 2.13 Penn 87 2.14 Nashleigh Hill and Lycrome Road 90 3.0 SOUTH BUCKS SETTLEMENTS 93 3.1 Beaconsfield 94 3.2 Gerrards Cross 102 3.3 Denham Green 109 3.4 Burnham 112 3.5 Farnham Common 116 3.6 Farnham Royal 119 3.7 Stoke Poges 122 3.8 Iver Heath 125 3.9 Iver Village 131 3.10 Richings Park 135 3.11 New Denham and Willowbank 140 3.12 Taplow Riverside 143 3.13 Denham 146 November 2017 CHILTERN & SOUTH BUCKS TOWNSCAPE CHARACTER STUDY PART 3 11125601-TCS-F-Report-1.0.indd Chris Blandford Associates CHILTERN & SOUTH BUCKS TOWNSCAPE CHARACTER STUDY PART 3 November 2017 Chris Blandford Associates 11125601-TCS-F-Report-1.0.indd 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Natural Beauty (AONB), which also extends into South Bucks, covering protecting existing townscape character. 2.9% of the District. Because of these extensive designations, both 1.1.9 In this context, the key objectives of the Part 3 Townscape Character 1.1.1 Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils are preparing a joint districts have traditionally been an area of development restraint, Study are to: local plan. The Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan will review both with current planning policy directing necessary development to the Councils planning polices and seek to meet collective development main built up areas, protecting the Green Belt from inappropriate • Review the different policy approaches to protection of needs through a new local plan to cover the period up to 2036. development. townscape character in the Councils’ existing local plans and 1.1.2 In December 2016, the Councils commissioned Chris Blandford 1.1.6 The settlements excluded from the Green Belt across Chiltern and assess the scope for alignment. Associates (CBA) to undertake a Townscape Character Study (Part South Bucks each have their own distinctive character, which varies 3) for both Districts to inform the joint Local Plan. This Study is the from place to place. Many established residential areas within the • Undertake a consistent townscape character assessment of third of a three-part Townscape Character Study undertaken for both towns and villages, particularly in Chiltern District, have a distinctive settlements excluded from the Green Belt for both Districts. Districts. The Chiltern Townscape Character Study comprises the “Metro-land” character, comprising very high quality, low density following documents: housing with spacious detached and semi-detached dwellings set in • Identify any areas in the settlements with potential for change large well-landscaped plots alongside leafy tree-lined streets. Metro- (including areas where density may be increased with least harm • Chiltern Townscape Character Assessment (February 2011) land housing was associated with the extension of the Metropolitan to the townscape character of the settlement). Railway from central London. Metro-land suburbs, predominantly • Chiltern Townscape Character Assessment: Review dating to 1920s and 30s, were designed as an escape from the bustle • Identify any areas in the settlements that have a special of Established Residential Areas of Special Character of London to provide the leafy, idyllic ‘countryside’ lifestyles of the townscape character and are particularly vulnerable to change, (February 2011) smaller towns that orbited London but were, crucially, connected to and therefore merit protection from intensification and other the capital by rail. Initially marketed to the upper middle classes who forms of insensitive development. • Chiltern Townscape Character Assessment: Supplementary could afford to buy the ‘cottages’ and the cost of the daily commute Report (October 2013) • Provide appropriate planning and design principles to guide into London, the appeal of the Metro-land suburbs gradually filtered appropriate change within the different townscape character 1.1.3 The above reports were prepared by Chris Blandford Associates on down with more and more development aimed at other social typologies. behalf of Chiltern District Council. Together, they provide a Part 1 groups. In contrast, the centres of some towns and villages within desk-based assessment and a more detailed Part 2 townscape study. both districts have distinctive tightly knit patterns of more historic Scope Victorian, Edwardian or even older buildings, many of which are listed 1.1.4 The South Bucks Townscape Character Study comprises the following 1.1.10 The Study includes settlements that are currently excluded from and included within Conservation Areas. documents: the Green Belt within Chiltern and South Bucks Districts, with the Purpose exception of Taplow Riverside and Denham where it is proposed to remove these settlements from the Green Belt through the new joint • South Bucks Townscape Character Study: Part 1 Desk- 1.1.7 T he purpose of the Study is to provide part of the evidence base for Local Plan. The settlements identified by the Councils for inclusion based Assessment (March 2010, prepared by Chris Blandford developing a consistent Development Management policy approach in the Part 3 Townscape Character Study are listed below (see Figure Associates for South Bucks District Council). to the protection of townscape character in the Chiltern and South 1.1). Bucks Local Plan. Having started along similar lines, the two districts • South Bucks Townscape Character Study: Part 2 (July 2015, diverged and have ended up with different policy approaches to the 1.1.11 For each settlement, the Study is limited to assessment of the Revision, prepared by Tibbalds for South Bucks District Council). protection of townscape character in their respective adopted local established built-up areas within the Settlement Boundaries as This Study was adopted by South Bucks District Council for plans. defined by the Councils. development management purposes in July 2014. 1.1.8 In order to accommodate the joint Objectively Assessed Housing Local Context Needs for the plan period up to 2036, the Councils are looking at how 1.1.5 Chiltern and South Bucks are predominantly rural districts within to accommodate new housing both in the Green Belt and within the Buckinghamshire. Chiltern has a population of around 92,600 and existing urban areas. The Councils wish to safeguard as much of the South Bucks has a population of around 68,500, the majority of which Green Belt as possible and therefore need to accommodate housing live in the main settlements within the districts. Over 88% of Chiltern within the urban areas at a higher density where appropriate, whilst District and about 87% of South Bucks District is designated as Green Belt. The Green Belt boundaries are drawn tightly around the built up areas of settlements that are excluded from the Green Belt. 72% of Chiltern District is also within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding November 2017 5 CHILTERN & SOUTH BUCKS TOWNSCAPE CHARACTER STUDY PART 3 11125601-TCS-F-Report-1.0.indd Chris Blandford Associates Chiltern Settlements: Chiltern and South Bucks • Amersham Local Plan Boundary • Little Chalfont Local Authority Boundary • Chesham Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural • Chalfont St. Peter Nashleigh Hill & Beauty Lycrome Road • Chalfont St. Giles Green Belt Chesham Great Missenden • Great Missenden Settlement • Prestwood Prestwood Chesham Bois • Heath End CHILTERN DISTRICT Amersham • Holmer Green Heath End Little Chalfont • Knotty Green Holmer Green • Chesham Bois • Seer Green Chalfont St. Giles Penn • Penn • Nashleigh Hill and Lycrome Road Knotty Green Seer Green South Bucks Settlements: Beaconsfield Chalfont St. Peter • Beaconsfield • Gerrards Cross Denham Green Gerrards Cross • Denham Green • Burnham Denham Farnham Common SOUTH BUCKS • Farnham Common DISTRICT New Denham & Willowbank • Farnham Royal Stoke Poges Iver Heath • Stoke Poges Burnham Farnham Royal • Iver Heath • Iver Village Taplow Riverside Iver Village • Richings Park Richings Park • New Denham & Willowbank N 0 2 4 Kilometres • Taplow Riverside • Denham Figure 1.1 - Settlements within Study 0 3.25 6.5 13 Kilometers CHILTERN & SOUTH BUCKS TOWNSCAPE CHARACTER STUDY PART 3 6 November 2017 Chris Blandford Associates 11125601-TCS-F-Report-1.0.indd 1.2 Approach 1.2.1 The key steps in preparing the Study are outlined below. • Townscape Values – a summary of the key townscape 3. Planning and Design Principles characteristics and special qualities valued by the local 1.2.7 Informed by the assessments of each settlement’s townscape community (based on feedback from the stakeholder character, planning and design principles are provided in Section 1. Review of Local Plan Policy Approaches consultation workshops - see below for details). 4.0. These principles are intended to provide guidance for decision- 1.2.2 S ection 1.3 reviews the different approaches to protection of making by the local planning authority and to assist applicants in townscape character in the Councils’ existing local plan policy, and • Ar eas with Potential for Change – identification of areas and formulating development proposals.