WARNING - This is a draft and is work in progress. Nothing in this draft should be relied upon. Please email HCERA if you notice mistakes or have suggestions for improvements or additions.
CONTENTS Page Number
Conservation Area Appraisal
Management Policies
Roofs
Facing Materials
Windows
Doors, Porches and Canopies
The Curtilage
Decoration
APPENDICES
PURPOSE OF DESIGN GUIDE
A conservation area (CA) is ‘an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’. Southampton City Council designated the Ethelburt Avenue (Bassett Green Estate) as a CA in September 1988 to conserve the special character and appearance of the area. An appraisal of the estate in a report prepared by the Director of Planning and Development was presented to the Council's Planning and Transportation Committee in July 1988, prior to designation as a Conservation Area. [The Council published the first Character Appraisal of the CA in XXXX.] This recognised that ‘the special quality of this early example of the Garden City Movement is derived from its residential character, architectural quality and its generous layout in terms of the ratio between open space and buildings.’ Planning applications for development in the CA are decided with regard to the need to preserve and to enhance it. Following the Article 4 Direction in 1992, Design Guidance for the CA was published in 1993.
A revised Appraisal, Management Plan and Article 4 Direction are needed to reflect changes in the legislation, and to clarify the Article 4 Direction for residents and planners alike. In addition, the City Council adopted a Core Strategy in January 2010, of which the supporting text of policy CS14 confirmed that ‘over the next three years character appraisals will be conducted for all the Conservation Areas in the city’. Appendix 2 summarises the relevant national and local planning policies.
The aim of this document is therefore two-fold:
To identify the unique characteristics of the area in support of local planning policies to preserve and enhance the special character and appearance of the area.
To provide residents, Council officers and Members, appeal inspectors and others with authoritative guidelines on the types of development and other changes that will preserve or enhance the area.
The document is in three parts:
The Ethelburt Avenue (Bassett Green Estate) Conservation Area Appraisal (pages X-XX) assesses what makes the area special, analyses its character and identifies issues and opportunities in the CA.
The Management Plan (pages XX-XX) contains guidance on specific features identified in the Appraisal as significant elements in the character of the CA.
The revised Article 4 Direction is appended, and will be subject to simultaneous consultation with the main part of the document.