NORTH WARNBOROUGH Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals MARCH 2009 Prepared by The Conservation Studio 1 Querns Lane, Cirencester, GLOS, GL7 1RL Tel: 01285 642428 Fax: 01285 642488 Email: [email protected] www.theconservationstudio.co.uk Contents THE CHARACTER APPRAISAL 1 Introduction 1 1.1 The North Warnborough Conservation area 1 1.2 Summary of key characteristics and recommendations 1 1.3 The planning policy context 3 1.4 The local policy framework 3 1.5 Article 4 Directions 4 1.6 Community involvement 4 2 Location and landscape setting 5 2.1 Location and activities 5 2.2 Topography and geology 5 2.3 Relationship of the conservation area to its surroundings 6 2.4 Biodiversity 6 3 Historic development and archaeology 9 3.1 Historic development 9 3.2 Archaeology 12 4 Spatial analysis 13 4.1 Layout and street pattern 13 4.2 Open spaces, trees and landscape 13 4.3 Focal points, focal buildings, views and vistas 14 4.4 Boundaries 16 4.5 Public realm 16 5 The buildings of the conservation area 17 5.1 Building types 17 5.2 Listed buildings 17 5.3 Locally listed buildings 18 5.4 Positive buildings 19 5.5 Architectural styles, materials and detailing 20 6 Character Areas 21 7 Issues 25 7.1 Summary of Issues 25 7.2 The quality of new development 25 7.3 Traffi c management and car parking 25 7.4 Article 4 Direction and the control of unlisted buildings 25 7.5 Front boundary treatments 25 7.6 Trees and landscape 25 7.7 Overhead wires and telegraph poles 25 7.8 Conservation area boundary review 25 North Warnborough Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals Contents THE MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS 8 Introduction 27 8.1 Format of the Management Proposals 27 9 Issues and recommendations 29 9.1 The quality of new development 29 9.2 Traffi c management and car parking 29 9.3 Article 4 Direction and the control of unlisted buildings 30 9.4 Front boundary treatments 31 9.5 Trees and landscape 31 9.6 Overhead wires and telegraph poles 32 9.7 Conservation area boundary review 32 10 Monitoring and review 33 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Townscape Appraisal Map and Character Areas Map Appendix 2 Article 4 (2) Direction Appendix 3 Bibliography Appendix 4 Contact details North Warnborough Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals 1. The Character Appraisal: Introduction 1.1 The North Warnborough The North Warnborough Conservation Area was Conservation Area designated in 1978 by Hart District Council and reviewed and the area of the conservation area North Warnborough is an attractive, very linear extended in 1992 and covers Bridge Road and village, loosely arranged along the line of the North Warnborough Street from Mill Corner in River Whitewater, which shaped its development the north of the village to Hockley Farm in the and provided a ready source of water for south, as well as North Warnborough Green and both industrial and domestic uses. Much of Odiham Castle. It includes a number of varied the attractive water meadows and commons listed buildings including a mill and Odiham are designated as special areas for nature Castle. conservation. The conservation area is large and encompasses both buildings and extensive Some of the land within the conservation areas of open land which are managed carefully area is also included in the Basingstoke Canal to sustain the rich variety of animal and plant life. Conservation Area which runs east-west across There is a Methodist Church, two public houses North Warnborough. The canal area is land and a variety of houses and cottages, some of is included within the scope of this Character them late medieval in date. The landscape and Appraisal, to refl ect its importance and relevance the village have changed little over time, with to the setting of both areas. the original line of the main through road and the spread out form of the settlement remaining unaltered. 1.2 Summary of key characteristics and recommendations This Character Appraisal concludes that the key positive characteristics of the North Warnborough Conservation Area are: • Rural conservation area based on the River Whitewater, part of the Basingstoke Canal, North Warnborough Green, and the buildings in Bridge Road and The Street; • Notable green spaces and trees, interwoven with man-made and natural water features; Images, from top left to right: • The River Whitewater • The Street, looking south west • The Basingstoke Canal where it passes below North Warnborough Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals 1 • Popular footpaths cross and lead out of the conservation area, particularly along the canal and the river; • A number of very important historic buildings, particularly the ruins of Odiham Castle (listed grade I); • The Green meets the road opposite The Jolly Miller, connecting the open green space to the rest of the conservation area; • The open space opposite The Cat and south of Nevills on Hook Road allows long views out of the village, bringing the countryside into the centre of the village; • Castlebridge Cottages are timber-framed and date to the 15th and 16th centuries; • Views from Swan Bridge along the canal; • High concentration of listed and ‘positive’ buildings in The Street; • Many barns and out-buildings refl ecting the agricultural roots of the village. • Mill Corner is notable for its closely packed cottages and winding lanes; • North Warnborough Green is a wet grassland managed by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust; • Two surviving water mills, one of which is listed now in use as a restaurant and private house; Images, from left to bottom right: • Odiham Castle • Former Water Mill in Hook Road, now a restaurant • Historic barns in The Street 2 North Warnborough Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals The Management Proposals make the following in conformity with English Heritage guidance Recommendations (summary): as set out in “Guidance on conservation area appraisals” (August 2005) and “Guidance on the • Improve the quality of new development management of conservation areas” (August and preserve the special character of the 2005). Additional government guidance conservation area; regarding the management of historic buildings and conservation areas is set out within “Planning • Consider additional traffi c management Policy Guidance 15: Planning and the Historic and car parking; Environment” (PPG15). Government advice on archaeology, which is relevant to the Kinston • Review the existing Article 4 Direction and Conservation Area, is set out in “Planning Policy ensure that positive unlisted buildings are Guidance Note 16: Archaeology” (PPG16). protected; This document therefore seeks to: • Encourage traditional front boundary treatments; • Defi ne the special interest of the North Warnborough Conservation Area and • Prepare a Tree Management Plan and identify the issues which threaten the protect the landscape within and on the special qualities of the conservation edges of the conservation area; area (in the form of the “Character Appraisal”); • Underground overhead wires and remove telegraph poles as funds allow; • Provide guidelines to prevent harm and achieve enhancement (in the form of the • Amend the conservation area boundary in Management proposals). two places: add Walnut Tree Cottage in The Street and the Methodist Church and neighbouring houses on Bridge Road. 1.4 The local policy framework These documents provide a fi rm basis on 1.3 The planning policy context which applications for development within the North Warnborough Conservation Area can be Conservation areas are designated under the assessed. The omission of any feature in either provisions of Section 69 of the Planning (Listed the appraisal or the management proposals Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. does not imply that it is of no interest, and A conservation area is defi ned as “an area of because both will be subject to regular review, it special architectural or historic interest the will be possible to amend any future documents character or appearance of which it is desirable accordingly. to preserve or enhance”. It should be read in conjunction with the wider Section 71 of the same Act requires local planning development plan policy framework as set out authorities to formulate and publish proposals in RPG9 – Regional Plan for the South East of for the preservation and enhancement of these England, The Hampshire County Structure Plan conservation areas. Section 72 also specifi es (Review) 1996-2011, adopted in March 2000 that, in making a decision on an application and Hart District Council’s Local Plan, adopted for development within a conservation area, in December 2002. special attention must be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or In the Local Plan, Inset Map No. 23 confi rms appearance of that area. that the following policies apply to the whole settlement of North Warnborough, including the In response to these statutory requirements, conservation area: this document defi nes and records the special architectural and historic interest of the • There is a settlement boundary which is North Warnborough Conservation Area and drawn fairly tightly around the built-up identifi es opportunities for enhancement. It is area of the village; North Warnborough Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals 3 • Both North Warnborough Green and the 1.5 Article 4 Directions Basingstoke Canal are designated as SSSIs; An Article 4 Direction was served in January 1988 in the North Warnborough Conservation Area. The aim of the Direction was to prevent the conservation area from being incrementally spoilt by unsympathetic changes which might otherwise have been allowed automatically under house owners’ “Permitted Development” rights. The Direction means that planning permission is required for a variety of works as follows: • Extensions, improvements or other alterations to a dwelling house; • Alterations to existing boundaries, or the creation of new boundaries.