The Parish Plan 2004
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The Parish Plan 2004 CONTENTS Page Preface 1 1. Introduction 2 1.1 Objectives 2 1.2 History of Gotherington 2 1.3 Present Day Gotherington 2 2. The Parish Plan 3 2.1 Environment 4 Design Statement - Environment 4 2.2 Housing 4 Design Statement - Housing 5 2.3 Traffic and Parking 5 Design Statement – Traffic & Parking 7 2.4 Local Services 7 Design Statement – Local Services 8 2.5 Crime and Nuisance Reduction 8 Design Statement – Crime & Nuisance Reduction 8 2.6 Leisure Activities 8 Design Statement – Leisure Activities 9 3. The Action Plan 10-11 4. References and Acknowledgements 12 PREFACE TO GOTHERINGTON PARISH PLAN This document is the result of collaboration by the whole village. Following in the footsteps of the 1994 Village Appraisal, every household was circulated with a questionnaire that provided the opportunity to give information, to express views and to play a part in shaping our vision for the next few years. Further consultation took place at the “Day for Ideas” exhibition and following the Treasure Trail around Gotherington. The result is not just a snapshot of our situation now, but also a close look at issues that will affect us in the future. The Parish Plan has been written on behalf of the Parish Council with their financial backing, but with the majority of the project being financed by the Countryside Agency. An exercise on this scale will not produce unanimity on every topic. Our population is around 1100 souls, many of whom responded with a variety of opinions. Where there were significant differences these have been shown in the body of the text. There was, however, an overall consensus in the conclusions reached, showing that residents have a strong sense of the identity of the village as it is now and as they would like it to develop. This exercise has caused us to review our surroundings – housing, amenities, transport, and leisure. Before publication it has already generated a number of responses to identified problem areas. More work will follow as a result. The Parish Council thanks all who have taken part and contributed to this Plan for the Parish, particularly members of the sub-committee: David Ward (chair), Peter Boyle, Edward Catchpole, Brian Eldridge, Margaret Eldridge, Christine Godsell, Eddy Godsell, Don Newman, Phil Smith, Bill Spragg, Bob Thomas, Brenda Thomas and John Whitehead. Ellen Cooke Chairman, Gotherington Parish Council November 2003 1 Gotherington Parish Plan Introduction community through to the sixteenth century and it appears that the population was 200 to 250 people at that 1.1 Objectives time. The objective of this Parish Plan is to produce a Census figures show that during the nineteenth century document which sets out a comprehensive statement of the population grew to a maximum of 424 in 1851 falling the views and aspirations of the parish residents. It back to 334 in 1901. An interesting aspect hidden by includes a Design Statement and an Action Plan which these figures is the amount of immigration and together will allow the community, through the Parish emigration whereby half the population moved in or out Council, to influence and guide proposed developments every ten years. This explains why no family recorded in in the parish and to tackle issues of concern. 1851 still lives with unbroken succession in the village today. Our aim, which has been developed from a number of resident "surveys", is to strengthen and enhance the In 1851 there were six farms of about 25 acres each and a existing sense of village community and safeguard and further five of over 100 acres. After this time agricultural improve the quality of life of present and future activity declined and there was an upsurge in market residents. In particular our objective is to: gardening in the village. Other changes also occurred with the appearance of a number of shops in the village; · Maintain the distinctive historical character and rural the school started in 1881 and a post office opened in quality of the parish 1894; the Parish Council was inaugurated in 1894. The · Provide a safe, clean and comfortable environment G.W.R. Honeybourne to Cheltenham railway line, which served Gotherington, was completed in 1906; trains · Maintain access to appropriate local services ceased stopping at Gotherington by 1960 and operated · Ensure a mixed and thriving community until 1976. As part of the Toddington-Cheltenham · Provide a range of social activities for all ages. Racecourse restored line, trains now pass through Gretton, Stanley Pontlarge and Far Stanley, through 1.2 History of Gotherington Dixton Cutting and occasionally stopping (on request) at Gotherington Halt. The history of Gotherington is recorded in an excellent book written by a group of local people and published in In the past forty years Gotherington has almost 1993 (see ref. p. 12). Other publications have recorded completed its transformation from a working village to a the history of the Free Church and reminiscences of the mainly rural residential community but fortunately there village in the early part of the twentieth century. are still many visible reminders of its long and interesting history. 1.3 Present Day Gotherington Truman’s Farm There is evidence to suggest that Gotherington was in The War Memorial and Free Church from Cleeve Road existence by about 780 and its name means "farmstead associated with Guthere". At some time after this, The parish of Gotherington is located some five miles probably by the end of the tenth century, the area was north of Cheltenham, on the A435 road to Evesham. It split into Upper and Lower Gotherington and this lies on one of the Severn River terraces at about 60 distinction continued into the sixteenth century. metres above sea level and below Nottingham Hill Gotherington appears in the Domesday Book as a one- which is an outlier off Cleeve Hill. The village line entry. population in mid 2003 was some 1100 people. Documents, in the form of manorial surveys and lists of Gotherington is a linear parish extending for nearly a taxpayers, exist to illustrate the development of the mile along an east-west axis and has its boundaries 2 defined by natural field hedges, the Dean Brook, various The horizons, as viewed from the village, are of the streams and the Tyrl Brook. The village has a main road Cotswolds escarpment and include two Areas of running from east to west and one other smaller road Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Nottingham Hill from the centre of the village, south to Bishop's Cleeve. to the East and the village of Woolstone to the North. The housing within the village gives it a "soft" tone as the All views are either wooded or of meadow and when majority of the buildings are of stone or of reconstituted these meadows have grazing sheep or cattle in them, as stone with roofs of stone or stone-like tiles. Even this they normally do, they serve as a reminder of profile is broken up with the occasional thatched roof, Gotherington's origins when it once supported eleven giving a "Cotswold village" feel. Scattered throughout working farms. Some of these views are protected by the village are nineteen listed buildings. being designated Special Landscape Areas (S.L.A.). Gotherington Village Primary School is situated toward the eastern end of the village and caters for approximately 200 pupils. It is a relatively new building and has all its facilities on one site including a playing field. It provides for pupils, not only from the village and neighbouring villages of Woolstone and Oxenton, but also a significant number from other areas outside its nominal catchment. (Approximately 80 pupils are from within the 3 villages of Gotherington, Woolstone and Oxenton). Looking towards Woolstone 2. The Parish Plan Overall the Parish Plan describes: · The current situation · The views of the residents in terms of what they wish to achieve in the parish · The way in which we wish to define the nature of any changes (The Design Statement) Gotherington School · The detailed plan by which the objectives are achieved (The Action Plan). In addition to the primary school, there is a village hall, shop and post office, two public houses (The Shutter Inn The Design Statement for each section is an expression and the Old Farmer’s Arms), a garden centre and a few of the character of certain aspects of the parish as seen working farms, (one incorporating a riding centre, a B&B by the local community together with a clear statement and a cider outlet) within the parish boundary. The local on how the residents wish to maintain this character in churches are situated in nearby Woolstone and Oxenton, the future. These statements will be used to help guide and there is a Free Church in Gotherington. and manage future change so that the existing identity of the parish's buildings and landscape are integral to any new design. The 1994 Village Appraisal has been used as background reference, but this Parish Plan was mainly compiled in 2002 using the Questionnaire and Gotherington Treasure Trail, which were circulated to everyone in the parish. Information was also derived from the discussion groups who subsequently attended the Day for Ideas, to which all villagers were invited, and from notes made at the regular Parish Plan Sub-committee meetings. At all stages everyone in the parish was given the opportunity to contribute. Ideas were categorised into subjects: Household, Transport, Housing Needs, Services, Parish Council, Gotherington Free Church and War Memorial Activities, and Ideas from Youngsters. These were given 3 ratings by a special sub-committee: Bishop's Cleeve, via the Church Walk (commonly A: Ideas for short-term action; referred to as the "Coffin Walk"), and to the adjacent B: Ideas for longer-term action; village of Woolstone.