Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement 2015 Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement
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Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement 2015 Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement Introduction This Village Design Statement (VDS) was approved 2012. In July 2013, the Range Control Officer provided on 3 March 2015 as a draft Supplementary Planning the information used in the VDS covering Strensall Document (SPD) to the City of York Council’s draft Military Training Area. Local Plan. SPDs provide further details regarding The contribution of minor details such as windows policies in Development Plan Documents and hold and boundary treatments often cannot be controlled significant weight as a material consideration in the through the development control process. This means determination of planning decisions. This SPD will that the role of the individual property owner is ultimately form part of the City of York Local Plan as crucial to maintaining a traditional aspect to the a supporting document linked to design policies. Village. The VDS includes some aspirational elements This VDS covers all areas of Strensall with that are outside current planning regulations. Towthorpe within the existing Parish boundaries. Strensall with Towthorpe Parish Council appealed These are shown at Annex B. However, the Ministry for assistance in developing a VDS for Strensall of Defence (MOD) owns a significant estate within with Towthorpe in April 2010. By November 2010, these boundaries and a large portion of the MOD the Parish Council and interested Villagers had housing stock on this estate is now privatised. We developed the Terms of Reference for a Working expect the MOD and the owners of the privatised Group. This initial work had to take into account housing stock to conform to the spirit of this VDS the fact that, at that stage of a new Government, the for any future development. The Crown (Ministry of future of the Local Plan and the validity of a VDS Defence) is normally required to apply to the local for the Village were unclear. In the event, it was planning authority for planning permission. There decided that the Working Group would not develop are, however, certain provisions to help facilitate a Neighbourhood Plan but would concentrate on critical development and restrict access to sensitive producing a VDS. By June 2012, a group of interested information, mainly in the interests of national Villagers had identified itself. Displays were set up security and defence. The Garrison Staff Officer, at The Queen’s Jubilee celebration that month and Headquarters York Garrison and the Commanding at the Village Show in September 2012, to recruit Officer at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall were additional members and to inform Villagers about briefed on and consulted about the VDS in December the requirements of a VDS. From August 2012, the 2 Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement Working Group met on a monthly basis to research percent of the households in the Village. Strensall and to develop the VDS. These meetings were well with Towthorpe Parish Council was briefed on the publicised and open to all Villagers. In February 2013, results of the survey and presented with the analysis a Charter for the Working Group was agreed and a of the data in November 2013. From November 2013, website was set up to allow access to all Villagers the results of the survey have been published both to ongoing work and decisions. The draft VDS has on the website and through Outreach Magazine. been available on the website for comment since its These results underpin this VDS as they are the only inception in April 2013. Strensall with Towthorpe accurate assessment of the views of our Villagers. Parish Council was regularly briefed in open An Open Evening on the draft VDS was held in early session on progress with work and on the changing December 2013. intentions and requirements of the Working Group. A Final Draft of the VDS document was sent to the In addition, regular articles were placed in Outreach City of York Council for approval on 25 November Magazine which is delivered to every household 2013. Following internal circulations of the document in Strensall with Towthorpe on a monthly basis. among its officers, the City of York Council requested In July and August 2013, a survey of Villagers was amendments and additions to the document in carried out both on line and through a questionnaire. January, April and July 2014 . The Draft document This process was funded by the Strensall with was made available for public consultation from 21 Towthorpe Parish Council and a City of York Council July to 7 September 2014. In late September 2014, as Community Grant. The questionnaire was delivered the result of an adverse comment by a developer, to every household in the Village on two occasions the City of York Senior Solicitor recommended to during this period, once as an enclosure to Outreach separate elements within the document that are Magazine and once as a letterbox delivery. The beyond the remit of a VDS. This information was release of the questionnaire was also covered in therefore transferred to an Annex as background articles on Minster Radio and in Outreach Magazine. information. The Strensall with Towthorpe VDS All businesses in Strensall with Towthorpe acted Working Group has reluctantly accepted this final as both information stands and collection points change. for the questionnaires. The response rate was 13 3 Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement 4 Strensall with Towthorpe Village Design Statement Contents People. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. Page 6 How we see ourselves. ................................................................................................................................................................................ Page 6 What we would like to see. ........................................................................................................................................................................ Page 6 Settlement patterns. ................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 7 Population. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 8 Strensall Military Training Area (formerly Strensall and Towthorpe Common). .......................................................................... Page 8 Village context. ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Page 10 History. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. Page 10 Traditional layout. ......................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 11 Places of worship .......................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 12 Church of St Mary the Virgin. ..................................................................................................................................................................... Page 12 Strensall Methodist Church. ....................................................................................................................................................................... Page 12 The Garrison Church. .................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 13 Strensall Cemetery (burial ground). ......................................................................................................................................................... Page 13 Quaker burial ground. .................................................................................................................................................................................. Page 13 The River Foss. ............................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 14 The Foss Navigation Company. ................................................................................................................................................................. Page 15 Landscape setting. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 16 Approaches. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page 16 Strensall Conservation Area. ....................................................................................................................................................................