EB154 Margaretting Village Design Statement
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MARGARETTING VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT Interim planning guidance. Approved by Chelmsford Borough Council March 2007 2 MARGARETTING VDS MARGARETTING VDS 3 CONTENTS Aerial photograph of Margaretting settlement Introduction. 04 The VDS and its purpose 04 VDS production 04 Consultation 05 Map showing the VDS coverage area 06 Area covered 06 Planning policy context 07 The development of Margaretting - a brief history The landscape and shape of Margaretting. 09 The Village and its landscape setting 10 Landscape character overview 12 Settlement patterns and shape 13 Special features of central village space 14 to 23 Details of special character in Margaretting. 16 Map of character areas of Margaretting Other design factors 25 Building design, materials and spaces 27 Local employment 27 Redundant farm buildings 28 Highways and infrastructure 30 Country lanes, footpaths and bridleways 31 Car parking Photograph: Peter Rogers 32 Community facilities and social activities 34 The future The photograph illustrates the open countryside which surrounds the Appendices built up area of the village and the contribution that the tree canopy makes to the approaches and the overall character of Margaretting. 25 Listed properties 27 Acknowledgements Front cover: War memorial at the village crossroads 4 MARGARETTING VDS MARGARETTING VDS 5 Introduction Margaretting Parish Writtle Parish Propose environmental The VDS and its purpose Hylands Park enhancements. The Village Design Statement (VDS) is a record of Margaretting village and its Assist Council officers and Highwood Parish country setting as seen through the Members of Chelmsford Coptfold Estate eyes of those living in the village in Borough Council in the Highlands Golf Course 2004/5. It sets out guidelines affirmed determination of planning Galleywood by these residents as to how the history Parish applications in the VDS area. Writtle Road and character of the village should be A414 Chelmsford Killigrews respected in any development or Ancient monument change. The purpose of the VDS is to : VDS Production A12 The Borough Council has encouraged Guide owners and occupiers Ivy Barn Lane A12 on care for this place. communities to produce individual Village Design Statements based upon Building group at Whitesbridge Guide developers on design consensus following full consultation of Building group at Village Hall aspects that are regarded as village residents. The Parish Council Handley Green Wantz Road Maldon Road acceptable to the community, has been fully supportive of the project including the setting of and several parish councillors have Main Settlement School buildings and the use of served upon the Village Statement Swan Lane materials. team. In early 2002 a working party was Railway set up to undertake the work for A12 Conservation area Guide people undertaking Margaretting. Building group at B1002 to Ingatestone small scale building work. Margaretting Tye River Wid and valley Assist in the protection of Consultation local heritage buildings and The Parish Council’s decision in late artefacts particularly in the 2001 to support the preparation of a Buildings grouped around conservation area. St Margaret's Church statement was reported via the village Stock Parish Newsletter in December and in the Protect and visually improve Ingatestone and following January some 54 businesses, open spaces and the street Fryerning Parish. landowners and village organisers were scene. individually approached for support and Brentwood Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the comment and invited to attend a permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ensure the conservation and Borough Council Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown meeting in March. During the spring of Copyright and may lead to prosecution of civil proceedings. protection of those qualities Chelmsford BC Licence No. 100023562 2004 2002 a number of people undertook and characteristics of the ‘walkabout’ surveys of all parts of the village and its environs village and submitted reports and which are most valued by its photographs. Conservation area inhabitants. Main settlement and groups of buildings Grade 2 protected lanes River Wid and valley slopes School and village hall 6 MARGARETTING VDS MARGARETTING VDS 7 Margaretting is designated as The development of Area covered a Defined Settlement Margaretting - a brief history (enclosed by the Metropolitan The VDS covers the village envelope Green Belt) where policies Although the historic settlement pattern and all the surrounding countryside are more supportive for of Margaretting we see today is within the parish boundary extending in limited development, including essentially medieval in origin, there was all to 1126.37 hectares (2783.29 acres). infilling, compared to areas earlier activity and occupation. See map on page 5. outside the Defined However, little is known of the pre- Settlement boundary. Local occupation in the area, although flint planning policy and PPG2 artefacts have been recovered from the Planning policy context seek to protect the Green Belt Wid valley indicating pre-historic activity, from inappropriate and there are Roman materials in the Planning policy affecting development, including church. Margaretting is contained in infilling. The settlement sits astride the Roman the Chelmsford Borough Road between London, Chelmsford and Local Development In Margaretting there are Colchester and its present strongest Framework and government However, a suggestion in the summer areas of loose ribbon focal point is the area around the cross planning policy guidance that Margaretting might again be eligible development or low density roads. A limited number of old buildings (PPG and PPS) replacing the for major development put the VDS work scattered development such and other evidence indicate that over Local Plan 1997. ‘on hold’. In February 2003 a as to the west side of Wantz the centuries development has been questionnaire was submitted to the 363 Road and north side of concentrated around the crossroads, The VDS also complements households in the village and there was Maldon Road which are in the with a secondary group of properties the Essex Design Guide, and a 40% response. The responses were Green Belt and these have close to the watercourse near the CBC Residential Design evaluated and used to develop been purposely excluded from junction of what is now Pennys Lane. recommended guidance for future Guidance. the Defined Settlement, as developments and in July a major designated in the Chelmsford exhibition was staged at the annual Borough planning policies Borough development plan, to Village Fete. In October a Village direct development and prevent consolidation into a Character Day was held at the Village change across the Borough continuous ribbon. Hall with some 40 people attending. as well as being responsible During 2004 several draft statements for the Defined Settlements Outside the village the land is were prepared and further photography and the countryside. recognised by planning policy undertaken. In May 2005 the final draft for its nature conservation text as prepared by the team was A strategic objective of and landscape values. submitted to over 152 village residents planning policies is to contain considered as representing a cross development in existing built- Margaretting has a section of the community and their up areas and prevent conservation area and 24 comments were taken into account in unplanned intrusion into the listed buildings covered by the preparation of the final draft. A countryside. specific policies. further presentation of the document was made at the Village Fete on July Another strategic objective is 2nd 2005. The final published to secure the best built document was agreed after consultation environment design for with Margaretting Parish Council. present and future character. pictured above: pictured right: Consultation at the village fete Killigrews 8 MARGARETTING VDS MARGARETTING VDS 9 The landscape and shape of Margaretting However, at Domesday (1086) and into house adjacent to the church was the medieval period the predominant demolished with the arrival of the parish church – much extended in the railway in 1841 and John Attwood of 15C - and associated hall, would have Hylands demolished the Coptfold manor formed the major focus of life in house in about 1850. Today, only Margaretting, possibly because the Killigrews, the house to Shenfields The Village and its living of the church incumbent may have manor remains on its ancient moated landscape setting been in the patronage of the Lord of site on the north-eastern edge of the Margaretting manor. It was only later parish. The village is set within a rural and that a change of focus occurred with a A map of 1777 depicts some of the older unspoilt area of Essex forming part of disassociation of church and buildings of the village including the the Metropolitan Green Belt. The mostly congregation and this may have been church, Canterburys, the Red Lion, arable land rises on both sides of the caused by the increased importance of Peacocks, the Parsonage, Coptfold river Wid valley to become gently the crossroads to traffic passing through Hall, Bearmans and Killigrews together undulating hills and ridges. The soil is a the village. with small clusters of buildings complex mosaic of well-drained, fine elsewhere, whilst a map of 1873 shows and coarse loam and seasonally the addition of several large houses waterlogged slowly permeable