What is the VDS?

The importance of the Village Design Statement

1.1 The Village Design Statement (VDS) is intended to reinforce the policies enshrined in the Chelmsford Borough Council Plan and, as Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) provides an important basis for consideration in the determining of planning applications. It evaluates the qualities of the three villages and their surroundings within the Parish of Stock and puts forward a vision for their future. Written by residents, who have a unique local understanding, the VDS carries the support of the Parish Council and has been produced in collaboration with Chelmsford Borough Council.

1.2 The VDS constitutes a source of ideas and information on local building styles. It includes advice on form and on choice of materials. It highlights environmental concerns and conservation requirements. Persons undertaking works will be encouraged to ensure proposals are in harmony with it, and respect its findings. Moreover, the VDS should assist the Local Authority to defend its case in any ‘Appeal’ procedure and the VDS is compatible with the Rural White Paper (1999).

1.3 The VDS will serve as a practical reference guide for anyone contemplating any activity which will have visual impact upon the three villages within the Parish and the surrounding area, particularly those works for which planning permission is required – including new homes, extensions to existing homes, conversions, industrial developments etc.

1.4 The VDS is intended for householders, businesses, designers, builders, architects, engineers and producers of services and utilities. It covers a wide range of topics and includes: history and geography, details of the built and natural environment, businesses, services, amenities and facilities and building design-guidelines for each village. All sections have an accompanying text and illustrations, followed by specific ‘Guidelines’ and ‘Suggestions’ which add detail to the policies reflected in the Local Plan.

1.5 The aim is that local knowledge and opinion invested in the VDS will contribute positively to the growth and prosperity of the parish and help to ensure its high-quality environment and special nature continue to flourish.

Why is a Village Design Statement essential for Stock Parish?

1.6 All rural communities will encounter the prospect of substantial changes, arising from a variety of causes: agriculture and the local economy in transition, forcing the need for diversification; population movement and growth, fuelling the drive to increase housing with consequent impact upon infrastructure; existing settlements and ‘green-field’ sites, alike, are vulnerable to potentially inappropriate development, and so on. The Parish of Stock is no exception. It is clear, that well designed projects which reflect local vernacular will impact favourably upon the appearances of villages, whereas poor quality design, usually blandly indifferent to contextual features, will have the opposite effect.

1.7 Therefore, the objective of the VDS is not to oppose change or innovation as a matter of principle. It accepts that change in one form or another is inevitable and often desirable, and seeks constructively to meet the challenge, providing the local community with an agreed scheme of management. This encompasses all work for which planning consent is required, including a range of building activities affecting homes, amenities, the landscape, and the work-place.

1.8 Based upon local consensus and the principles of good design, it gives the community a recognised voice in the planning process which affects the visual quality of the villages; it supports and strengthens the role of the Parish Council when consulted on planning applications. Its text exemplifies Stock Parish’s special characteristics evolved over many centuries. It seeks to articulate respect for what is special: its buildings and open spaces, its settlement patterns, and its exceptional position incorporating a substantial Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

1.9 The VDS endeavours to ensure that change within the Parish of Stock takes full account of its treasured features and of local public opinion. In this respect, it demonstrates local commitment to high quality design and appropriate development which will improve the quality of life in the three villages. Above all, it aims to secure both a thriving and viable future for the Parish as a whole.