Community Consulation, Parish Plans & Village Design Statements
Both Parish Plans and Village Design Statements are community led processes that involve wide and effective consultation with the whole community to find out their opinions their local area.
How does a Parish Plan differ from a Village Design Statement?
Parish Plans consider all the factors that have impact into the quality of life for those that live within the parish. This can include social, transport, housing, village facilities, recreation and planning issues etc.
Village Design Statement primary purpose is to consider the built environment and allows communities to review how they would like to see their community evolve over the coming years.
Cheshire Community Action is the lead organisation available to provide advice and support on how best to approach a parish plan. For more detailed explanation of the parish plans please click on the link Parish Plans.
Cheshire Landscape Trust is the lead organisation offering advice and delivery of Village Design Statements.
Village/Town Design Statements and Parish Landscape Statements
Who are the Cheshire Landscape Trust?
Cheshire Landscape Trust works with local communities to produce and implement their own Village/Town Design Statements and Parish Landscape Statements. Both documents deal with spatial planning. These documents can stand alone or be combined to form a Village/Town Design and Parish Landscape Statement. They can be undertaken independently of a Parish Plan or can form part of such a document.
What is a Village Design Statement?
A Village/Town Design Statement (VDS/TDS) sets out design guidance for new development based on distinctive local character. It is drawn up by local people and demonstrates local commitment to good design and appropriate development. They can be adopted by the local planning authority as a Supplementary Planning Document. It describes the character of the village/town and what makes it a special place in which to live and work. The three key topic areas being: (i) the landscape setting; (ii) the pattern of settlement and (iii) building character. They set out design objectives that residents and developers should meet when thinking about buildings in the village/town. A VDS/TDS is a tool, which can help you manage physical change in your village/town. It is a non-statutory document, which supplements the statutory processes of the Development Plan (Structure Plan, Local Plans and Unitary Plans).
What is a Parish Landscape Statement?
A Parish Landscape Statement (PLS) is developed, researched, written and edited by local people. It represents the views of the village as a whole. It describes the landscape character of the Parish, showing how local character and distinctiveness can be protected and enhanced in new development. It must be compatible with the Development Plan, (Structure Plan, Local Plan and Unitary Plan). It can be adopted by the Local Planning Authority as a non-statutory Supplementary Planning Document. It is based on the Countryside Agency/Scottish Natural Heritage's Landscape Character Assessment Methodology. A PLS describes the distinctive character of the parish in terms of its local distinctiveness, diversity, harmony - landscape, settlement pattern, buildings and sense of place. It describes the parish landscape in a more depth than a Village/Town Design Statement.
NB: Under the new planning legislation which came into effect in September 2004, Village Design/Town Design Statements and Parish Landscape Statements are linked into the Local Development Framework of the local Planning Authority.
For further information on any of the above topics please contact Cheshire Landscape Trust on Chester (01244) 376333 or e-mail: cheshire@landscapetrust.fsnet.co.uk
