12.1 The 2017 household questionnaire responses highlighted the need for a range of different house types, with a slightly greater need for 1 and 2 bedroom homes than larger 3 and 4 bedroom homes (although some residents did comment that larger family homes were difficult to find). There was also a need for other housing types such as homes with an annexe to accommodate family members.
12.2 There is considerable emphasis in both national and Local Plan policies on achieving high quality and sustainability in design, reflecting character and distinctiveness of local areas.
12.3 With the exception of the historic part of Chickerell Village which has been designated as a Conservation Area, much of the development has occurred in post-war period (after 1945). On this basis it is perhaps hardly surprising that many of the existing built-up areas lack a distinctive ‘Chickerell’ character.
12.4 Based on recent appraisals undertaken by developers looking to reinforce local distinctiveness, the household questionnaire sought to gauge what aspects local residents most valued. All of the following characteristics were clearly supported as something that local residents wished to be encouraged in new developments:
Within Chickerell's built up area there are very few 'street trees', although the larger private gardens tend to contain trees that contribute to the character of the area. However there is little the Local Planning Authority can do to prevent existing trees from being felled unless tree preservation orders are in place or a tree is within the Conservation Area. Local residents responding to the household questionnaire generally said that they valued the hedgerows, mature trees and wildlife areas within the parish, including those within large private gardens.
12.5 The provision of swales, ponds and rain gardens (designed to temporarily hold and soak in rain water runoff) within the green spaces within a development can have additional benefits as part of a sustainable drainage system, reducing flood risk and also enhancing biodiversity and water quality. This should be integrated with hard and soft landscaping, with consideration given to how the place will look and be used by the public during the wetter and drier seasons.
12.6 The following local design guidance should be read in conjunction with the new national design guidelines issued in October 2019, which can be downloaded from the following link:
12.7 Nationally, there is increasing emphasis on ensuring designs are rising to the challenge of climate change, with improvements to designs being required through changes to Building Regulations. For example, during the time this plan was in preparation, the Government consulted on changes to Building Regulations to require chargepoint and cable routes for electric vehicle in all new premises (July 2019) and to strengthen energy efficiency standards further through a “Future Homes Standard” (October 2019).
Policy CNP 11. General Design Principles
Development should be located and designed so that it does not detract from and, where reasonable, enhances the local landscape character. All applications for new development should demonstrate a high quality of design, including details and materials that are sympathetic to the character of the local area. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate how they have taken into account local characteristics and views of the development site, to create visual interest, and should have regard to the following local priorities:
Designs that exceed the minimum building regulation standards for energy and water efficiency, and provide easy access for charging electric vehicles, should be encouraged.
12.8 Most developments (whether new buildings, changes to existing buildings, and changes that impact on the function of exterior spaces) have the opportunity to contribute to the area’s biodiversity. This is regardless of whether an area has been designated as a wildlife site. It is illegal to harm, injure, disturb or kill protected species3, and in many cases to damage or destroy the places they use for rest (even if the protected species is not present at the time).
12.9 The first step is to understand the importance of any existing habitats and features to local wildlife. This requires an appropriate level of survey(s), undertaken by a suitably experienced ecologist, to assess the biodiversity of the site of the proposed development and also its use by protected species. Even where a planning application is not required (e.g. where the development is consented through permitted development rights) the legal requirements around the safeguarding of protected species still apply, and it is the householder’s legal responsibility to ensure sufficient ecological assessment has been undertaken to ensure those requirements are met.
12.10 Guidance on the requirements for such ecological surveys is set out in the Dorset Biodiversity Appraisal Protocol (DBAP)4. The next step is to use the information from the ecology survey to prepare a Biodiversity Plan (BP), which will set out:
12.11 The Biodiversity Plan will meet the requirement under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which seeks to ensure not only appropriate mitigation for damage caused by a development is implemented, but that positive enhancements for biodiversity are included as part of any development. At the end of 2019 the Government tabled the Environment Bill which, when enacted, is likely to require all planning are bring in an environmental law that will require all developments to achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity.
12.12 One such example is understanding the importance of hedgerows. Within the parish hedgerows are of mixed quality. Some are rich, varied habitats, with a wide range of species and providing a thick and continuous corridor for wildlife to move through. Others are of poorer quality, both in terms of the number of species present and/or the continuity and thickness of the cover available. Hedgerows often play an important role in the ecological network, providing the ability of wildlife to move around the parish. If a hedgerow is removed, becomes fragments or is poorly managed (losing its biodiversity) its wildlife value will be reduced or lost. The presumption with all developments within the parish is that all hedgerows, regardless of size, should be retained, and where possible enhanced (through, for instance, under planting and ‘gapping up’), as part of any development. Where retention is not possible, the removal of a hedgerow must be fully justified, and that justification must be supported by a full ecological assessment of all options relating to both its removal and retention. Such an assessment must also include a detailed mitigation plan, including an appropriate planting programme (using native species) that will ensure at least the same length of hedgerow is created, with the replacement hedgerow being fully connected into the wider ecological network.
Policy CNP 12. Enhancing Biodiversity
Development should protect and, wherever practicable, enhance biodiversity, through an understanding of the wildlife interest that may be affected by development, and the inclusion of measures that will secure an overall biodiversity gain. To demonstrate this is achieved, a certified Biodiversity Plan as required by the Dorset Biodiversity Appraisal Protocol where a development would involve any of the following:
Where developments do not trigger the need for a Biodiversity Plan, ecological enhancements, such as bat, bird or bee boxes, and native planting schemes, should be incorporated into the development if at all feasible. Site plans should clearly show the provision of any wildlife corridors and biodiversity features that are to be retained or provided as part of the layout and design of the development.
3 More information on protected species can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-species-how-to-review-planning-applications
4 Details can be found on https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/countryside-coast-parks/countryside-management/biodiversity/biodiversity-appraisal-in-dorset.aspx
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