Guidance Note for Defining Village Confines

Guidance note for defining village confines

Version 3 – February 2020

Village confines (also referred to as settlement/village boundaries) can only be defined or amended through the production of a local plan or neighbourhood development plan. This guidance note has been prepared to assist neighbourhood development plan groups define village confines for their neighbourhood plans. This is the third version of this resource, however, we would appreciate feedback on the usefulness of this tool in order to improve it for the benefit of other groups. Please send any comments to [email protected]

The Council has re-defined the confines of what are now termed ‘Primary Service Villages’ and ‘Secondary Service Villages’ in the adopted Settlements and Countryside Local Plan (Part 2). Where neighbourhood plans have been adopted and the Council agreed with the definition of those confines, these have been carried over into the adopted Local Plan.

Smaller settlements fall into the categories of ‘Other Villages’ and ‘Small Settlements/Hamlets’. The ‘Other’ villages are identified as; Church Stowe Clipston Dodford Hannington Lower Newnham Norton Old Onley Overstone Ravensthorpe Thornby Watford Welton

The small settlements/hamlets are identified as; Brockhall Coton Draughton Elkington Lamport Little Preston Long Lower Muscott Buckby Catesby Wharf Guidance Note for Defining Village Confines

Nobottle Snorscomb Stanford on Avon Sulby Upper Upper West Harlestone Stowe Farndon Whilton Winwick Locks

The Council has not defined the confines for ‘Other Villages’ and the adopted local plan has confirmed that neighbourhood development plan groups may wish to define these for the first time. ‘Small Settlements/Hamlets’ are extremely small in scale and are considered to be in the open countryside. It is therefore not appropriate for neighbourhood plan groups to define confines for such settlements.

The Part 2 Local Plan (table 3 page xx) sets out the criteria for defining confines for ‘Other Villages’ which are as follows-:

Criteria for defining village confines for Other Villages

The following will be classified as being inside the confines: A. Buildings and curtilages which are contained and visually separate from the open countryside that are clearly part of a coherent network of buildings that form the village.

B. Areas of land with planning permission for housing or community use that are directly adjacent to the village and are under construction.

The following will be regarded as being outside the village confines: C. Gardens or areas of open space which relate to the open countryside taking into account the character and appearance of the garden and the surrounding area. D. Individual and groups of dwellings and buildings that are detached or peripheral to the village and relate to the open countryside rather than the built form of the village E. Areas of employment or leisure use, including public open space, that is detached or peripheral to the village F. Land which would otherwise be outside the confines, even if it is between the edge of the village and a bypass G. Rural Exception Sites

Guidance Note for Defining Village Confines

Groups may feel that they wish to add locally specific principles. These may be acceptable if they conform with the principles set out in the adopted Part 2 Local Plan (reflected in this guide), are justifiable and meet the basic conditions.

A record of confines definition or amendment should be kept, this will form part of the evidence base for the neighbourhood development plan.

This is part of a series of tools to help Neighbourhood Planning Groups, which currently includes:

 Site Assessment Form

 Evidence Base Checklist

 Project Management Template

 Referendum Expenses