emsworth design statement

The Emsworth Design Statement records the distinctive character the town and its relationship with the surrounding environment. It defines design principles or guidelines which have the objective of maintaining or enhancing this distinctive character.

Change is inevitable, but the objective the Design Statement is to help channel this change constructively, giving guidance on what is considered important by the community to those involved in planning and development decisions. It should also provide an information source for members of the community when they wish to comment on proposals.

There has been significant change in planning processes since the EDS project started five years ago and as a result the permitted role and scope of a Design Statement has changed, not least in its status and 'authority'.

 
For Havant Borough Council (HBC) to adopt the EDS as a material consideration for Development Control purposes within the Planning Department some content needed to be removed and Design Points needed to be redrafted as Design Considerations. Much of the excluded material relates to planning policy requirements, which are now matters for the Local Development Framework (LDF), which will replace the Local Plan (LP).

The purpose of the EDS is to contribute to the protection and wherever possible the enhancement of the human, economic, structural and environmental qualities identified by the project so that Emsworth continues to be a thriving community in an attractive setting.

Given the wealth of character that can be found throughout Emsworth it is considered essential to consider more than the historic core. In many cases it has proved possible to specify individual Design Considerations in such a way that they should be applicable throughout Emsworth. Though it is not possible to focus in detail on individual features, properties or streets in the same way as would be the case for smaller communities, it is believed that the range of photos should provide a good introduction to Emsworth's character. Particular care has been taken to ensure that the end result reflects important and widely held views of the community and not just those of the core group.

This document has been submitted to Havant Borough Council and at the Executive meeting on July 16th 2008 it was recommended That the Council approve the Emsworth Village Design Statement and the Design Considerations it contains as a material consideration in Development Control.

Subsequently, at the full council meeting on 23rd July the Emsworth Village Design Statement was approved and adopted.

Download the final document (8.8MB) )