Land off Hill Close, Bunbury 13 Portal Business Park Eaton Lane, Tarporley Cheshire, CW6 9DL 01829 730 244 www.cbhomes.co.uk Reserved Matters Design Statement October 2017 Russell Baker, Architect B.A.(Hons), B.Arch www.russbaker.co.uk
Contents 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Summary 2.0 Design Guidance 2.1 Cheshire East Borough Design Guide 2.2 Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan 3.0 Design Evolution 3.1 Siting and Layout 3.2 Highways and Parking 3.3 Scale and Massing 3.4 Appearance, Materials and Features 3.5 Sustainability 3.6 Landscaping 4.0 Building For Life 12 4.1 BfL12 Assessment 5.0 Conclusions
1.0 Introduction 1.1 Summary This Reserved Matters Design Statement has been produced on behalf of CB Homes Ltd in support of 15 new dwellings on land off Hill Close, Bunbury Lane, Bunbury. The Reserved Matters application is submitted following Outline Approval 17/4220N on 23 rd November 2017 including Detailed Approval of the Access. The proposals include 5 new Affordable dwellings, an improved access on to Bunbury Lane, new landscaping and an oversized Public Open Space that provides pedestrian / cycle links to the village centre and adjacent playing fields. A paddock is retained to the southern boundary. A Design Statement is not mandatory at Reserved Matters stage but is recommended to explain how the Reserved Matters application accords with the Design and Access Statement submitted at Outline Approval stage and to show the design evolution. The Outline stage Design and Access Statement covered the Village Context and Site Analysis, Site Constraints, the Bunbury Village Design Statement, the Landscape Setting, the Design and Layout Principles and suggested Materials. This document explains the detailed development of the design, with further reference made to the Adopted Cheshire East Borough Design Guide, Building For Life 12, Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan and Manual For Streets 1 + 2.
0 2.0 Design Guidance 2.1 Cheshire East Borough Design Guide The Cheshire East Borough Design Guide was adopted in May 2017. Its aim is to provide developers with a framework of advice to aid them to produce high quality designs that create a strong sense of place, are integrated well in to the existing context and respect the existing vernacular, which in turn reassures communities that development within their settlements will be delivered to a high standard. Volume 1 of the Design Guide provides an overview of the Planning Policy context and describes the Settlement Character Areas within Cheshire East Borough giving a contextual understanding of the local vernacular as a starting point for the proposed design. Bunbury is described as being on the north western boundary of the Market Towns and Estate Villages Settlement Character Area. In this area the fields are small to large and regular, semi-regular and irregular in pattern. Boundaries are demarcated with hedgerows and singular trees. The combination of the flat topography, low hedgerows and post and wire fences creates a large scale landscape with extensive views across the Cheshire Plain. Paragraph ii242 states Positive design solutions look to arrange built form fronting on to a street or lane, bordered by boundary treatments which are in keeping with their location. Solutions in all settlement character areas should not look to screen development from the countryside, but to soften and ground development in its setting, in keeping with local character. Bunbury is included as one of the sample Settlements and described as a dispersed rural settlement evolved from four hamlets. Bunbury is a characterful village with many periods well represented in the archetypes. The Key Bunbury Settlement Design Cues are referred to later in Section 3.4 - Appearance, Materials and Features. Volume 2 of the Design Guide provides the more detailed guidance to implement best practice design in housing developments. It provides checklists for each of 6 topic chapters. These checklists have been fully consulted and referred to in the layout of the proposed development. They are not reproduced extensively here as this is not an Outline or Full application Design and Access Statement, but a Building For Life 12 Assessment is included later that asks very similar questions.
2.2 Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan The Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan (BNP) was adopted via Referendum in March 2016. At this Reserved Matters stage the BNP Policy H3 Design gives some requirements as to the quality required of new residential development. Policy H3 Design All new housing proposals should be in small groups of up to 15 dwellings to reflect the character of Bunbury and will be expected to be of a high quality of design taking in to account the Bunbury Village Design Statement 2009 and:- Complement the size, height, scale, mass, rural skyline, materials, layout, access and density of existing development in the plan area including where appropriate the provision of chimneys. Demonstrate that the ameni es of neighbouring dwellings will not be adversely affected through overlooking, loss of light or outlook, over dominance or noise and disturbance. Provide garden space commensurate with the size of dwelling proposed, the prevailing pattern of development in the locality and the likely needs of prospective occupiers. Consider the changing needs and lifestyles of an ageing population and will be encouraged to build to Lifetime Homes standard in accordance with current national guidance, Building for Life 12 Innova on to achieve low carbon sustainable design that meets the BREEAM Quality Mark Standard will be encouraged. New development will be encouraged to adopt a fabric first approach to reduce energy demand and provide energy in the most cost effective way. Good design should provide sufficient external amenity space, refuse and recycling storage and car and bicycle parking to ensure a high quality and well managed streetscape. 3.0 Design Evolution This section sets out the detailed design evolution of the Design Principles laid out in the Design and Access Statement submitted with the Outline Planning application. It responds to the various Design Guidance mentioned in both Statements, plus the Village Context, Site Analysis and Constraints previously recorded.
3.1 Siting and Layout
3.2 Highways and Parking Layout
3.3 Scale and Massing The majority of the homes will be 1.5 storey dwellings with a variety of roof lines and dormer windows that cut the roof at eaves level. This keeps ridge heights to a minimum in this rural transition location. There are also single storey outriggers and porch canopies and single storey detached garages across the site. The only fully two storey property is Plot 12 which is a Key Vista in the development and an important Header / Corner dwelling in the design layout. There are two single storey bungalows, one of which is sited adjacent to existing properties on Queen Street to reduce impact. Overall, this creates a large variety of roof heights and massing across the site for added interest, and which respects the massing of buildings within Bunbury generally. Unlike much developer housing, which have deep footprints and shallower roof pitches, all of the dwellings (apart from the bungalows) have relatively narrow gable proportions as the footprint depth is kept close to the proportions of traditional dwellings. This allows a steeper, traditional roof pitch to be applied creating attractive traditional gable elevation proportions which are often visible in the streetscene. Front and rear elevations then have gables protruded, again with traditional proportions, as the solution to provide the additional floorspace that modern homes require. To the rear of the dwellings a gable is often protruded that creates an L-shaped rear elevation (see Plots 1, 7-11, 13-15). Due to the west or north-west orientation of many of the plots, this L-shape protrusion allows the dwelling to receive the sunshine up to 6 hours earlier in the day than for a straight rear elevation. This L-shape rear gable also provides screening and privacy for the patios and reduces overlooking from neighbours generally. Plots 2 and 6 (the 3-bed Affordables) are rotated side on to the road to create interest. For Plot 6, this also helps create a Corner dwelling with elevations facing both the Adoptable road and the Private side road. 3.4 Appearance, Materials and Features Volume 1 of the Cheshire East Borough Design Guide gives Cues for the Market Towns and Estate Villages as follows:- Predominant materials are brick, slate and stone. A number of black and white and half-timbered buildings, some with jettying storeys create strong elements within the townscape. Tall chimney stacks are a prominent feature of many buildings. Boundary treatements include brick / stone walls and commonly metal railings with hedgerows. Juxtaposi on of townhouses providing strong enclosure to the street alongside detached proper es with large gardens. Village focal points in the form of schools, village greens and churches.
Variety provided by mix and juxtaposi on of housing typologies, including terraces, semi-detached and detached properties, often along the same street. Real variety in architectural styles and detailing. Importance of landscape features such as waterways, trees, public open spaces etc in providing a se ng for a buildings. Housing orienta on is varied with some proper es fron ng the roads and others side-on. The rela onship of buildings to streets creates pinch points at certain locations. The Design Guide goes on to list Bunbury as a sample Settlement within this area category. The Key Bunbury Settlement Design Cues are stated as :- Materials include Cheshire brick or timber frame with slate or tiled rooves with feature chimneys. Flemish and English bonded brickwork and banded courses evident with arched brickwork heads or feature stone heads and cills. Feature finials to roof ridges, to Victorian archetypes with feature chimneys and pots. Projec ng purlins to gable ends and projec ng ra ers to eaves. Mature trees to front gardens. Boundary treatments are predominantly hedges, low brick or sandstone walls. Village green (Higher Bunbury). The Outline Planning stage Design and Access Statement also highlighted the Architectural Features, Massing and Streetscape that are visible within Bunbury and referenced from the Bunbury Village Design Statement. All of the above are considered to be the primary starting point for the design, but shouldn t be copied slavishly thus creating a pastiche. The analysis of local character mentioned above strongly informs the design of the new dwellings. The massing of the dwellings is mentioned above with shallower dwelling footprints, traditional gable proportions, steeper pitched rooves, front and rear protruding gable features, dormer windows cutting the roof at eaves level and a variety of roof heights. The design details include painted timber boarding with ridge, purlin and wall plate gable end details. There are 3 types of brick banding 3 course brick protrusion, 3 course brick dentil and single course moulded red cast stone - plus red engineering brick plinths. Cills are red cast stone or occasionally two courses
of red engineering stretcher plinth brick. Window heads are an arched brick soldier course or occasionally red stone flat lintel style. There are 9 different entrance canopy designs, some in painted timber but most in natural oak. Dormer windows have either brick or lead cheeks. Horizontal timber composite weather board cladding (coloured) is used to a limited number of garages and to part of the rear of Plot 9 to create contrast and add to the rural aesthetic. Rooves are either finished with roll top ridge tiles and ball top finials or half round ridge tiles with no finial. Timber rafter feet are exposed at eaves level and the gable verges are finished with painted timber bargeboards open to the underside. All of these take their clues from the local vernacular and are mixed together with quite a high degree of variety across the site. There are an unusually high number of different bespoke house designs (compared to a larger house developer) to blend sympathetically with the village, which has a lot of varied architectural styles and a mix of different house designs and sizes placed next to each other within a streetscape. Red engineering plinth bricks to brick plinth detail and some window cills The proposed design has a number of Key Vistas, as seen in the Siting and Layout section above, particularly around the Plot 6, 7 and 9 Corner / Header dwellings which incorporate Cheshire railings, cobbles and a raised sandstone planted area as bespoke features to create further variety and locational pinpoints. Boundaries are often simple native hedgerows with some areas of feature Cheshire railings and traditional brick walling. There is a street hierarchy ranging from the main Adoptable road to the more informal character of the Private Road (plots 13 to 15) and the soft edged rural character of the Private Drive (Plots 9 to 12). The following photographs and text illustrate the materials that are listed in more detail on the house type drawings. There are two types of weathered, textured brick plus some limited areas of cream textured render or horizontal fibre cement weatherboard cladding for contrast. There are two different colours of small, plain roof tile and two different ridge tiles. Windows are cottage bar style or plain casement with leaded glazing and have two soft traditional colours, Painswick Green and Cream. The window frames are upvc for low maintenance. Painted timber boarding detail to gables and exposed timber rafter feet / barge boards in painted timber Wall and Roof Finishes 'Hathaway Brindled' by Wienerberger 'Kassandra Multi' by Wienerberger Cream or off white textured render Fibre cement horizontal weatherboard cladding Small plain tiles, sanded mid-brown finish Small plain tiles, sanded dark brown / grey finish
Windows Cottage bar style Plain casement with leaded glazing Conservation skylights 3.5 Sustainability The site is located very close to the centre of the village and its facilities and recreational opportunities. This encourages pedestrian journeys along the existing footpath as well as walking in the wider countryside. Bunbury is a small rural village, so there will inevitably be some reliance on car use, though Electric Vehicle Charging points will be provided to each dwelling to encourage sustainable forms of transport over time. Some limited Public Transport options are available nearby in the village. It is also evident that journeys can be made easily by bike in this location. Most of the dwellings provide a Study that can be used to work from home. Most dwellings also have garages where cycles can be stored and the Affordables have a rear garden shed to store a bike. The dwellings will be constructed from brick and block cavity walls with a concrete ground floor. This allows plenty of heavy thermal mass to store the warmth of the non-summer sunshine for release later in the day. There is plenty of glazing in the house designs to capture passive solar gain. Modern efficient A+ rated appliances and 90% efficient A-rated boilers will be used throughout. Sanitaryware will conform to modern water efficient Building Regs standards. 3.6 Landscaping A Full Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment was submitted previously by Sue Griffiths, Landscape Architect at the Outline Planning stage. The Soft Landscaping Plan has subsequently been developed in to a final scheme at the Reserved Matters stage by Sue Griffiths, Landscape Architect, and includes a Management and Maintenance Plan which will be implemented by a private management company. The Plan includes details of the Wildflower Meadow, new tree and hedge planting within the site and tree screen planting to both the boundary with Queen St and to the southern boundary of the Paddock. The Design Principles of the Landscape Plan are illustrated visually below.
4.0 Building For Life 12 Building For Life 12 is a government endorsed industry standard for well designed homes and neighbourhoods. It provides a checklist of 12 Urban Design criteria for assessing any residential development using a red, amber or green traffic light system. On scoring a development it is recommended that red lights are avoided, amber lights are kept to a minimum and green lights should be attained for as many as possible of the categories. Each of the 12 sections is assessed below using the additional questions that are found within each of the 12 categories. 4.1 Building for Life 12 Assessment 1. Connections Does the scheme integrate into its surroundings by reinforcing existing connections and creating new ones, while also respecting existing buildings and land uses around the development. The line of the existing popular Public Footpath Bunbury FP16 (P.R.O.W.) has been retained and respected as a design constraint and edge to the developed area. The new houses overlook the Footpath and face outwards across it on to the Open Space. Houses haven t been designed on both sides of the Footpath in order to retain as much as possible of the Public Right of Way s open and green outlook. The new owners are likely to use the footpath extensively to access both the centre of the village and also the open countryside to the south. The new Adoptable road along Hill Close creates a new connection through the site and Hill Close would give access to the few houses to the east of the site and the Yew Tree Inn to the south. The existing footpath and new roads and pedestrian routes are all located to the fronts of the dwellings and, therefore, are overlooked and well lit. The Public Right of Way will benefit from some low level lighting overspill which will make it more accessible at night. The new dwellings are orientated to face outwards with open views across green areas whereby the Paddocks and Open Space create a green soft edge to the development in this rural transition location adjacent to open fields. This layout also avoids a closed internal cul de sac arrangement where the backs of houses and uninteresting garden fences would have faced the road and Open Space. The new development integrates with the three existing houses along Hill Close by blending in with their building line and maintaining the property frontages facing out on to Hill Close and the new Adoptable Road beyond. To the north side the site is bounded by the rear gardens of properties on Queen St. The development also places rear gardens against this boundary. Plot 12 presents a side elevation to the neighbouring Queen St properties and is moved away from the boundary with larger amenity distances than required and with a planted buffer proposed. Plot 14 is a bungalow to reduce impact and Plot 15 is turned side on to adjacent properties and separated from the boundary by a single storey garage.
2. Facilities and Services Does the development provide (or is it close to) community facilities, such as shops, workshops, parks, play areas, pubs or cafes? At the Outline Planning stage the submitted Design and Access Statement included an analysis of the Village Context including a graphic presentation of nearby facilities and services (see right). The site is located notably close to the village centre, particularly when the existing Public Footpath link is considered for direct and convenient pedestrian journeys. The oversized Open Space also provides a place to sit, meet and play in a natural environment in the immediate vicinity of the new dwellings. The development doesn t provide any new built community facilities due to the small number of houses proposed. 3. Public Transport Does the scheme have good access to public transport to help reduce car dependency? The development is not large enough to provide new public transport options. However, as the site is located closely to the centre of the village, new residents will be able to conveniently use all public transport options that Bunbury has available at present, though these have some limitations as it is a smaller village. Regular and School service bus stops are available near the end of Hill Close and in the village centre (see right) which are easily accessible via the new road and the existing Public Footpath through the site. Each of the new dwellings will have an Electric Vehicle Charging Point to encourage more sustainable forms of vehicular transport over time. It is also evident that journeys can be made easily by bike in this location.
4. Meeting Local Housing Requirements Does the development have a mix of housing types and tenures that suit local requirements? The scheme proposes 15 No. new dwellings in good sized plots appropriate to the rural village context. 5 No. are semi-detached or terraced Affordable dwellings ranging from 590ft2 1-bed to 910ft2 3-bed and these are sited in a prominent part of the site with Plots 4, 5 and 6 acting as a Corner / Header building. These are designed in the same style and quality as the rest of the development so there is little differentiation between dwellings that are private and those that are shared ownership or rented. The Affordable dwellings are split as 3 No. Social Rented and 2 No. Shared Ownership in accordance with the S.106 agreement with the Council. 2 No. 1500ft2 3-bed Bungalows are provided in a quiet, internal part of the site for downsizers or the elderly. 8 No. are proposed as detached 1.5 or 2 storey dwellings for market sale, varying from 1900ft 2 4-bed dwellings to 2550ft 2 5-bed. 5. Character Does the scheme create a place with a locally inspired or otherwise distinctive character? At the Outline Planning stage the submitted Design and Access Statement included an analysis of the Architectural Appearance, Features, Massing and Streetscape of the higher quality buildings in Bunbury, especially within the Conservation Areas. The Bunbury Village Design Statement and Volume 1 of the Cheshire East Borough Design Guide contribute well to this assessment. The Outline Planning stage Design and Access Statement also explained the Design Principles of the Layout including the different Character Areas that would be included in the new development, despite its small size. These include Plots 1 to 3 set back to blend with the existing dwellings on Hill Close and Plots 4 to 9 set close to the road with few driveways / cars in the streetscene and looking out across the Paddock. Plots 10 to 12 have a softer, more rural feel looking out to the Open Space and Plots 13 to 15 create a quieter internal court. Boundaries are often simple native hedgerows with some areas of feature Cheshire railings and traditional brick walling. There is a street hierarchy ranging from the main Adoptable road to the more informal character of the Private Road to plots 13 to 15 and the soft edged rural character of the Private Drive to Plots 9 to 12. The analysis of local character mentioned above strongly informs the design of the new dwellings. Shallower dwelling footprints, traditional gable proportions, steeper pitched rooves, dormer windows, gable timber detailing, brick banding and plinths, heads and cills, entrance canopies, brick choice, flush casement windows all of these
take their clues from the local vernacular and are all mixed together with quite a high degree of variety across the site. There are Key Vistas, as illustrated earlier, particularly around the Plot 6, 7 and 9 Corner / Header dwellings which incorporate Cheshire railings, cobbles and a raised sandstone planted area as bespoke features to create further variety and locational pinpoints. There is an unusually high number of different / bespoke dwelling designs and types on the development, which creates greater interest rather than uniformity, which relates well to the local character. Greater detail on the above points is available in the earlier Design Evolution section of this Reserved Matters Design Statement. 6. Working with the Site and its Context Does the scheme take advantage of existing topography, landscape features (including water courses), trees and plants, wildlife habitats, existing buildings, site orientation and microclimate? The site has a flat existing topography amongst small fields with low lying hedge boundaries interspersed with occasional trees. This boundary character to the site is retained which, together with the Paddock and open Space, creates a soft green edge to the development. The existing Public Footpath is retained as a defining through route and constraint to the layout. The Paddock area is retained as a green buffer to the edge of the development and to any future development to the south. The Open Space also creates a green buffer to the development and enables the Footpath to be routed alongside a green amenity space. The Paddock is serviced by an existing stable block, which will continue to be in use with a couple of horses regularly grazing in the Paddock opposite the houses. Bunbury FP16 Public Right of Way Wildlife is to be encouraged and catered for via biodiversity enhancement such as the large wildflower meadow area that is fully connected to the existing fields to the east and gaps in hedges for hedgehogs and other small mammals. Dwellings are generally kept to 1.5 storey height, with one full two storey dwelling and some single storey bungalows and garages, creating a varied roof line that generally blends with the massing of existing houses beyond. Plots 1 and 2 are set back to blend in to the existing building line along Hill Close. The design places rear gardens to the northern boundary adjacent to the rear gardens to existing Queen St dwellings. Plots 9 to 12 face outwards across the Open Space and will have views across to the Listed St. Boniface Church. The rear elevations and gardens are generally orientated from the south west to the north west, thus receiving sun later in the day. Many of the designs have L-shaped rear elevations to bring sunshine (and passive solar gain) in to the houses up to 6 hours earlier than for equivalent straight rear elevations. The existing stable block servicing the Paddock area
7. Creating Well Defined Streets and Spaces Are buildings designed and positioned with landscaping to define and enhance streets and spaces and are buildings designed to turn corners well? Plots 1 through 12 are deliberately orientated to face outwards to the road and across open green spaces. This creates a strong perimeter to the development and reinforces the streetscene. Plots 2 to 9 are in close proximity to the main Adoptable Road with native hedging or Cheshire railings delineating the boundary and few driveways puncturing the green landscaping between dwelling and pavement. Plots 6, 7 and 9 are used as Header / Corner dwellings to create architectural features and key vistas at the road junctions and to turn the corner well with strong elevations to both front and side. The internal court for Plots 13 to 15 is a more intimate, internal environment with Plots 13 and 15 facing each other. This is the only location on this small development where dwellings face each other across a streetscape as most homes face outwards across green spaces with the main Adoptable Road and the Private Drive to Plots 10 to 12 being open to one side. 8. Easy to Find your Way Around Is the development designed to make it easy to find your way around? Despite being a small development, there are many features in the layout that help create interest and to provide locational clues. The streets have a hierarchy from the main Adoptable Road to the Private Road to the most informal Private Drive, each having different characters, materials, shapes and boundary treatments. The different Character Areas were highlighted within the Outline stage Design and Access Statement (see qn. 5 above). Plots 6, 7 and 9 are used as Header / Corner dwellings in close proximity to the road which provide key vistas, with Plots 6 and 7 creating a narrower gateway feel to the Private Drive. The large variety of bespoke dwelling designs creates interest and legibility. The main Adoptable Road and the Public Footpath are clearly visible connections through the site. St. Boniface Church The Listed St. Boniface Church and adjacent fields are visible from within the site due to the low lying topography. The site is visible from across the fields to the south but are partially screened by existing hedges and some new tree planting and are buffered by the Paddock and Open Space to create a soft rural transition edge. The massing, height and varied rooflines of the proposed dwellings blend sensitively with the backdrop of buildings within Bunbury. Contrasting colour materials are used for hard surfaces to aid the visually impaired and kerbs are kept to a 25mm upstand which aids wheelchair users. The above points are highlighted in more detail within the Design Evolution section of this Statement.
9. Streets for All Are streets designed in a way that encourage low vehicle speeds and allow them to function as social spaces? The Adoptable Road has an irregular shaped chicane part way along to reduce car speeds. Both the main turning head and the junction with the Private Road are surfaced in a different material to highlight the lower speed turning environment. These also help break up the length of the Adopted Road. Plots 4 to 7 are used as Header / Corner dwellings placed in close proximity to the road so as to create a narrower gateway feel to the Private Road to help restrict vehicle speeds. The Private Drive to Plots 10 to 12 has an open rural character and is both narrower and curved to encourage slow driving. The Private Road turning head by Plots 13 to 15 would be an area that is very quiet and may encourage some on street play. The Private Drive to Plots 10 to 12 and the main turning head may also encourage some on street play at times, particularly as they are closely linked to the Open Space. Although some cars will regularly pass through this area, the layout and changes of materials help make it clear that very low speeds are required on approaching the main turning head adjacent to Plot 9. Pavement is provided for pedestrians along the main Adoptable Road. The Private Road and Private Drive are both short and have dead ends plus a change of materials which will allow some priority for pedestrians when sharing the surface amongst very low speed vehicles. Plots 4 to 9 are bespoke dwellings that closely approach the road with plenty of windows for surveillance. Traditional detailing, a mix of designs and a variety of carefully designed entrances help create a quality streetscene. Plot 9 has a particularly close proximity to the street and provides a double elevation around the corner as well as a raised planted bed with low sandstone walling to act as both a landscape feature and a buffer zone. 10. Car Parking Is resident and visitor parking sufficient and well integrated so that it does not dominate the street? The 1-bed, 2-bed and 3-bed dwellings have a minimum of 2 parking spaces. The larger detached dwellings have a minimum of 3 spaces. The Layout also shows this is often exceeded without creating a streetscene dominated by driveways and cars, but rather by lawn, hedging and landscaping. By creating more parking within each plot there is less pressure to park on roads. However, there is some dedicated visitor parking adjacent to the Paddock as well as some (limited) informal on street parking due to the irregular shape of the road design in places. Plots 4 to 7 and 9 have individual parking to the rear to reduce the effect of cars and driveways on the main Adoptable Road streetscene, but these spaces are well overlooked from the rear elevation of the properties and from adjacent neighbours. Even though the development is small, there are a variety of parking solutions including front, side and rear parking plus limited formal and informal on street parking.
11. Public and Private Spaces Will public and private spaces be clearly defined and designated to have appropriate access and be able to be well managed and safe in use? The existing Public Right of Way Bunbury FP16 is used as a boundary to the development, allowing a large area to be retained for green amenity space and biodiversity enhancement. Due to the small size of the development an Open Space is not a requirement. However, an oversized Open Space is provided to one side of the well used existing Public Right Of Way whose line is retained as a constraint on the site layout. The central part of the Open Space is laid out as a cut grass amenity space within an elliptical self binding gravel path with benches available to stop and sit on. It is placed centrally and connected to the P.R.O.W. so as to leave the rest of the Open Space as a Wildflower meadow to encourage biodiversity. This positioning allows wildlife to access the wildflower meadow from the adjacent fields by passing through the existing boundary hedges to the north east and east without interruption. Plots 1 through 12 are designed as outward looking with good views across the Paddock and Open Space areas and beyond. This also means good surveillance of public spaces, roads and paths. Plots 13 to 15 face out on to an internal court, again providing good overlooking. Public and private space is always clearly delineated by a combination of hedge, wall or railings plus a change in hard or soft surface material. The Open Space and wildflower meadow will be maintained by a private management company in accordance with a Maintenance Plan provided by the Landscape Architect. 12. External Storage and Amenity Space Is there external storage space for bins and recycling, as well as vehicles and cycles? Bin and recycling storage is indicated on the Site Plan and is generally hidden behind the fence of a rear garden adjacent to a Garage or Utility. Double detached Garages are designed with a large, single 14ft wide door. Two cars could be parked inside, though often homeowners leave cars on driveways out of choice. If one car was put in, the door size would allow the largest of modern cars to be parked and still have plenty of width to each side for lots of storage for cycles and garden equipment and to take bikes out without damaging the vehicle. Garden sizes are generous across the site providing plenty of amenity space and are of a regular, useable shape. Affordable dwellings have a garden shed to accommodate cycle storage and garden equipment due to the lack of a garage.
5.0 Conclusions This smaller development attempts to meet the vast majority of recommended design requirements laid out in documents like Building For Life 12, Cheshire East Borough Design Guide, Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan, Bunbury Village Design Statement and Manual For Streets, amongst others, that present the latest guidance on producing better places to live in order to move far away from the soulless, car dominated, uniform housing estates of recent decades. The design pays close attention to the existing Village Character and Landscape Context and the policies contained in the Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan and Bunbury Village Design Statement, using the local vernacular to create a quality bespoke development that is locally inspired. The Reserved Matters design has evolved closely out of the Outline Planning Stage Site Analysis and Design Principles and provides continuity with the intentions shown at that time. There is a street hierarchy that encourages pedestrian useage, a variety of different Character Areas, feature Header / Corner dwellings creating key vistas, outward looking street design, views across green buffer spaces that act as a soft rural edge, an oversized Open Space with biodiversity enhancement, a large variety of bespoke house designs of different sizes and tenures, a variety of hard surfacing materials, native and rural boundary treatments, good surveillance within and across the site and a range of parking options with plentiful curtilage parking that doesn t dominate the streetscene. It is hoped that the development will prove to be a quality, bespoke design that is locally inspired and will integrate sensitively in to its setting, providing an attractive rural life to its new owners and social, economic and environmental benefits to the wider village.