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Appleby Magna & Parva Village Design Statement
affects EVERYONE in the village. The guidelines it contains are
aimed at retaining the special character of Appleby. They were
written by residents of the village. Everyone had a chance to be
involved, and every house in the parish will be sent a copy.
Now it is official planning policy, to be followed not
just by builders and developers, but anyone making changes to their
property. Everyone in the village will receive a copy, and
additional copies can be bought from the Parish Council. The Design
Team hope that everyone will read the statement and use the
guidelines. The aim is to keep Appleby a pleasant and friendly
place to live.
Moat House Meadow
On Tuesday 22nd August 2000, North West
Leicestershire District Council formally adopted the Appleby Magna and
Parva Village Design Statement as Supplementary Planning
Guidance. That means that the guidelines in this document must
be taken into account when determining any planning applications in
Appleby Magna parish.
The Design Team, led by chairman Duncan
Saunders and supported by Appleby Magna Parish Council, spent over a
year canvassing the views of residents, putting together a draft
document that every house in the village received, and preparing the
final guidelines for submission to the Council. The final
document represents the consensus of opinion in the village.
A village design statement is about village
character and how it can be retained. New developments sometimes
ignore what is unique about a village, resulting in standard houses
and road scenes that look the same across the country. The
Design Team want to keep Appleby's special look and feel, and the
guidelines in the Statement are intended to do that.
We hope that everyone will read and use the
Design Statement. It doesn't just apply to developers, it
applies to everyone in the village.
What is a Village Design Statement?
A VDS is a document written by residents that describes the
character of a village and puts forward guidelines for the
conservation of that character. It records what local people value
about their home environment, so this can be considered when any
changes take place.
Now the guidelines have been accepted as Supplementary Planning
Guidance by the District Council, they have an official standing and
must be taken into account when planning applications are determined.
However the guidelines are not just for the planning department and
external developers. They are intended to apply to any changes,
including home improvements, and we hope everyone will read and apply
these guidelines when they make alterations to their own homes.
The planning context
The scope of a VDS is laid down in the guidelines produced by the
Countryside Agency. A VDS cannot influence whether or not development
takes place – it can only influence the design of a development,
through the council's planning process. Much as we might like to have
more influence, this is national policy and if the VDS is to have any
effect, we must work within it.
The Process
On 3rd July 1999 we held a Village Character Workshop,
open to everyone in the village. Over 30 people took part, in four
teams covering different aspects of the village environment. Each team
prepared its own contribution to the character statement. These were
combined to form a Statement of Character that was presented at a
public meeting on 19th August.
Subsequent comments were incorporated, and the guidelines added to
produce a consultation draft VDS, which was distributed to all
households in Appleby Magna and Appleby Parva. The District
Council and other relevant organisations were also asked to comment.
The final version was submitted to the Council in January
2000. They did their own consultation process, and eventually in
August 2000 it was adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance.
It is now official planning policy, supplementary to the District Plan
but offering more detailed guidelines specific to Appleby.
The final document is available to residents, developers, planners,
and anyone else interested in the future of Appleby.
Who has been involved
The VDS team has been flexible and involved many different people
in our open meetings and the Village Character Workshop in July
1999. Over 50 people contributed to the VDS in some way.
Working Group:
Duncan Saunders, Chairman
Marilyn Dunkelman, Project Co-ordinator
Elsie Jeffrey, Secretary
Jo Mason, Treasurer
Jacqui Dervan, Design
Team Leaders:
Duncan Saunders - The Built Environment
Michael Dyer and Jon Dunkelman – Highways
Chris Rush - Landscapes and Setting
Gerald Box and Jacqui Dervan - Historical Context
We would like to thank everyone else who has contributed – there
are too many people to mention individually.
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