HARGRAVE Design Codes DRAFT REPORT February 2021 Hargrave | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines Quality information Project role Name Position Action summary Signature Date Qualifying body Jonathan Gunthorpe Hargrave Parish Council Chair Draft Report Submitted for Comments Jonathan Gunthorpe 14.01.2021 Director / QA Ben Castell Technical Director Review BC 01.02.2021 Researcher Angus McNeill Peel Graduate Planner Research, text AMP 01.02.2021 Researcher Hoorieh Morshedi Graduate Urban Designer Drawings HM 01.02.2021 Project Coordinator Mary Kucharska Project Coordinator Review MK 30.11.2020 This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited (“AECOM”) in accordance with its contract with Locality (the “Client”) and in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or verified by AECOM, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. AECOM shall have no liability to any third party that makes use of or relies upon this document. 2 AECOM Hargrave | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines Contents 1. Introduction ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 1.1. Introduction 6 1.2. Objective 6 1.3. Process 6 1.4. Area of study 8 2. Area analysis �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������12 2.1. Introduction 12 2.2. Policy context 14 2.3. Heritage 16 2.4. Landscape character 20 2.5. Green infrastructure 20 2.6. Housing typology 22 3. Design guidance ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 3.1. Introduction 26 3.2. Hargrave design principles and codes 26 3.3. Checklists 53 4. Next steps and delivery �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 58 AECOM 3 Introduction 01 Hargrave | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines 1. Introduction 1.1. Introduction 1.3. Process Through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Following an inception meeting and a virtual site visit, owing Government (MHCLG) Neighbourhood Planning Programme to Covid-19 government restrictions on social gathering in led by Locality, AECOM has been commissioned to provide October 2020, AECOM and the Hargrave Neighbourhood Plan design support to Hargrave Parish Council. steering group members carried out a high level assessment of the village. This was informed by some notes on important The Steering Group is making excellent progress in the design principles that the steering group had prepared. Later, production of its Neighbourhood Plan and has requested to the steering group provided photographs for this report. The access professional advice on design guidelines for future following steps were agreed with the group to produce this development within the village of Hargrave. This document report: should support Neighbourhood Plan policies that guide the assessment of future development proposals and encourage • Initial meeting and virtual site visit using videos provided Figure 1: Grade II* listed Church of All Hallows' in Hargrave. high quality design. It advises on physical development by the Steering Group (owing to Covid-19 government helping to create distinctive places integrated with the restrictions on social gathering in October 2020); existing villages. • Built environment design analysis; 1.2. Objective • Preparation of design principles and guidance to be used The main objective of this report is to develop design to assess future developments; guidelines that future housing and other development in • Draft report with design guidance; and Hargrave should follow to retain and protect the rural, tranquil character and scenic beauty of the area. • Final report. Figure 2: Village scene in Hargrave. Figure 3: The local plateau landscape in summer. 6 AECOM KEY Towards Parish boundary Peterboro' TITCHMARSH Settlement built-up area Main roads A6116 A605 Railway line THRAPSTON Towards Ket tering , A14 Corby B662 B660 WOODFORD MOLESWORTH RINGSTEAD BYTHORN ALCONBURY KEYSTON GREAT ADDINGTON B663 A14 LITTLE ADDINGTON A45 RAUNDS CATWORTH Towards Huntingdon, SPALDWICK Cambridge STANWICK ELLINGTON HARGRAVE COVINGTON IRTHLINGBOROUGH B645 B645 TILBROOK SHELTON GRAFTHAM WATER A6 KIMBOLTON UPPER DEAN STONELY RUSHDEN PERRY B661 IRCHESTER GREAT STAUGHTON Towards B660 Bedford Figure 4: Map showing Hargrave Neighbourhood Plan Area and surroundings. RISELEY Hargrave | Neighbourhood Plan Design Guidelines Settlement Street (which meet at right angles by the village church) are also single width in parts. At the village's centre lies the Grade The parish of Hargrave is named after its sole settlement 1.4. Area of study II* listed Church of All Hallows', some of which dates to the Hargrave which is a small village lying towards the south of the 12th century. There are 7 further listed buildings in the parish Location parish. The 2011 census recorded 241 residents. Hargrave is and 4 listed monuments. adjacent to the border of Bedfordshire to the south and close The parish of Hargrave is located in the district of East to Cambridgeshire to the east. Hargrave is a characteristically The layout of the village encompasses green areas and Northamptonshire in the county of Northamptonshire. The small settlement of this part of East Northamptonshire which screening into which the houses are set, providing a discrete parish is located 7 miles south of Thrapston, 19 miles west of tends to be sparsely populated and rural. Hargrave is still and rural ambience to the heart of the village settlement. The Huntingdon, 20 miles north of Bedford, 7 miles north east of very much part of the rural community of small villages and wider parish includes several farmhouses and an extensive Rushden and 3 miles south east of Raunds. It is situated in a hamlets in its immediate surroundings - the neighbouring network of public rights of way which are used frequently by gently undulating landscape in a broad shallow valley close to villages of Covington, Chelveston, Upper and Lower Dean, the village residents for exercise, dog walking and horseriding. the borders of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The parish Shelton and Tilbrook and the small market town of Kimbolton There are several patches of woodland and most fields have is predominantly agricultural and lies on an elevated plateau – which all straddle the borders of the three counties and mature hedgerows which contribute to the visual quality of the between the River Nene to the north and River Great Ouse to enjoy their own rural ambience. landscape and the bountiful quality of both wildlife and flora. the south. In this manner the village is entirely distinct from a Transport Landscape more urbanised corridor running north-south through Northamptonshire including the towns of Wellingborough, The nearest station is in Wellingborough which lies 11 miles Hargrave lies in a shallow valley of approximately 60 metres Rushden, Kettering and Corby. However, these towns to the west and approximately a 20 minute drive. The station elevation in a plateau of 80-90 metres elevation. This generate traffic on local roads which sometimes impacts offers regular rail services on the Midland Line with East plateau is the north east extremity of the limestone Yardley negatively on the agriculture and natural environment in and Midlands Railway to destinations including Corby, Kettering, Whittlewood Ridge (National Character Area 91) which acts surrounding Hargrave. This is an impact and enroachment Leicester, London and Nottingham. Nearby Raunds has a bus as a watershed between the River Nene and River Great Ouse on rural life which the steering group seeks to constrain service to Northampton, the X47, which also stops at Rushden river valleys. Hargrave lies close to the end of this ridgeline appropriately through its neighbourhood plan and this design and Wellingborough. However, Hargrave itself is not served by where it merges into the Northamptonshire Vales to the north guide. Whilst the small village of Hargrave has no facilities a bus route. Raunds is 3 miles or 5 minute drive to the north and Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands to the east. other than a village hall, the closest town, Raunds, which lies west and has a wide service array including several shops, The Northamptonshire Current Landscape Assessment slightly to the north west of the village, provides a modest supermarkets, schools, a library and post office. describes the Hargrave area as the Chelveston and Caldecott array of basic services including schools and healthcare. Claylands. This is an expansive landscape with sparse The village has certain issues with road safety and traffic as settlement, and villages tend to be linear in nature formed Hargrave itself is a small linear settlement focused around a result of its proximity to urban areas and arterial routes. around natural topographic features. The underlying geology three spokes: Church Road connecting the B645 to the village Commercial