The Bosham Association
Strategic Planning
Bosham Village Design Statement
The Bosham Village Design Statement describes the essential characteristics of our village, those that are worth keeping and what changes are acceptable. It aims to take some of the subjectivity out of planning decisions. Before seeking adoption, the draft document was given the widest possible exposure for public consultation.
It has been drawn up by a team of volunteers, led by Dick Pratt, a member of the BA Committee, from the Parish Council and the Bosham Association, supported by Chichester District Council's Design Team and Chichester Harbour Conservancy. It is hoped that this will be adopted by Chichester District Council as formal Supplementary Planning Guidance and be used within the planning system. It will assist with the management of change and will give detailed design guidance based on the distinctive character of the Parish of Bosham.
Character change is not only brought about by new infill buildings or large-scale developments, but also by multiple smaller-scale developments and alterations such as domestic extensions or replacement dwellings. These are, of course, currently scrutinized during the planning process, but the Design Statement should give added guidance to those who propose development or who may wish to object.
There are currently guidelines for the Conservation Area, which will be brought up to date and included in the overall document. There are also design guidelines published by the Conservancy for developments within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and these have been taken into account in this new document which addresses the whole parish area.
In addition to the text, there are maps showing how the parish is divided into different character areas. Photographs illustrating each of seven character areas by which the village has been described may be found in the ‘Picasa’ files also reached via the pdf file.
To those of us who have worked on this document it has been a fascinating journey. Whilst understanding our village in greater depth we have gained a deep appreciation of how fortunate we all are to live in such a favoured place. Indeed it has highlighted the countless development decisions made over past generations that have bequeathed to us the place we love.
We have attempted to describe what we have found in order to give some guidance of what we expect from the future. This is not easy – many decisions of the past we would now call reprehensible, but nonetheless form an integral part of the village of today. There is no rigid style of what is right or wrong, no colour, shape or form but there is, we believe, a feel of what is quintessentially Bosham in its various character areas. It is that we are so keen to retain when future developments are discussed.
We have tried not to criticise, but we hope we have made plain our objections to grossly inappropriate additions to our village scene.
The BVDS has now (6/12/11) been adopted by the CDC as a 'material consideration' with respect to any planning applications.
Core Strategy: Housing Numbers and Locations Consultation
Chichester District Council is preparing a new plan for the future of the Chichester District (excluding the area covered by the South Downs National Park). This plan will be called the Core Strategy and will cover the period to 2028.
The first step in preparing this plan is to decide how many homes are needed, and where they should be located. A public consultation was run from 26 August to 23 September 2011 to help make these two key decisions.
The consultation document can be viewed on the website, together with responses, at http://chichester-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/
Chichester District Council Local Development Framework and LDF Newsletter Dec. 2011
Chichester Harbour Conservancy (10/11/11) has warned that the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is under threat from the Government’s proposed National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The Government’s intention is to move away from the current plan-led system to one that gives priority to economic growth. The Conservancy are concerned that this will allow development to go ahead without due regard to its quality or location. At present, the Conservancy are consulted on all planning applications within and near to the AONB and are able to comment and advise so that developments have a minimal impact on the protected landscape.
Siun Cranny, the Director said, ‘These new plans could fundamentally affect both the AONB and the wider landscape.’ As one of the smallest AONBs, Chichester Harbour is particularly vulnerable as it lies so near to the main towns of Chichester and Havant. Development within or close to its boundaries would threaten the landscape quality and the quality of life for the local communities. ‘
Siun adds, ‘We urge everyone to be aware of the Government’s proposals. On our website you will find our position statement with five key areas that we wish the Government to consider when developing the proposed NPPF. We are not against new developments but want to ensure that the right developments happen in the right places to the benefit of our communities now and in the future.’
The Bosham Association Chairman has written to the Chichester MP, Andrew Tyrie, regarding the Government's proposed NPPF.
Chichester Harbour Conservancy
Environment Agency Emsworth to East Head Flood and Coastal Risk Strategy