ENVIRONMENT WORKSHEET EN1: Character & vitality of the Town
TASK: to find out what aspects of the town and its hinterland give it character and vitality, and to describe the quality of these features.
1: Introduction to the task
Most market towns and their surrounding countryside contain environmental and historic features that help give the town a special character. Some of these may be well managed and in good repair; others may be neglected or in poor repair. Your task should cover both the built and the natural environment. You should also consider what activities are being undertaken by local groups to improve the environment and try to build on these activities. In so doing:
*Use the Local Plan and/or Town Design Statement for existing information and plans
*Try to assess what is distinctive about the town‘s environment (both natural and built)
*Think to the future and consider any concerns about wider environmental issues which may affect the town
If there is not enough information available, you could carry out a survey of the town to fill the gaps. A map of the distinctive areas may be a useful way to get a full picture.
Sub-section 1: Description of the environmental features of the area
Getting the following information will help you decide what is special about the environment of the area
EN1 Q1
Where is the town situated within the local landscape?
For example, is the town in a valley, in the open countryside, or alongside a river?
Starting points for information
Maps or aerial photographs
Local knowledge
Q1 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley is situated in the extreme North East corner of Hampshire. The built area lies just to the south of the floodplain of the Blackwater River and extends up gentle north facing slopes to the common. The common land is lowland heath.
Q1 DRAFT NOTES: Yateley has four distinct character areas:
1. a area of valley gravel, now largely extracted, along the Blackwater. This area is now lakes used for fishing and other recreational pursuits;
2. the built area of the old viilage, some of which is included in Conservation Areas;
3. large areas of post war estates;
4. The registered common land, some of which is managed for wildlife and some of which consist of of Blackbushe Airport on the site of a World War Two aerodrome.
EN1 Q2
What are the distinctive features that define the limits of the town?
For example, are there historic city walls, or a river or bypass?
(Worksheets S5 Q6 and S6 Q6 also refer to environmental features and local distinctiveness).
Starting points for information
Maps or aerial photographs
Local survey
Q2 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley is bounded to the north by the Blackwater River which is the county boundary with Berkshire. To the south the boundary is the A30, the old London to Exeter coaching road. The western boundary with Eversley is an ancient stream mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter. This boundary extends across the common as a mostly well formed ditch and bank. The eastern boundary with Blackwater in the parish of Hawley is ill defined and cuts rather haphazardly through a housing estate.
EN1 Q3
LANDMARKS:
a. Where are the town‘s natural environmental landmarks (for example, groups of trees, parkland, and nature areas)?
b. Are they protected or well maintained?
(Worksheets S5 Q6 and S6 Q6 also refer to environmental features and local distinctiveness).
Starting points for information
District Council (ask for: Conservation Areas, Local Plan, Design Statement, Tree Preservation Orders)
Q3 DRAFT ANSWER: The main natural landmarks are Yateley Common and the Greens in Yateley, Cricket Hill, Darby Green and Frogmore. These are all protected by being registered under the Commons Registration Act 1965. To afford greater protection three of the Greens (Yateley, Cricket Hill and Darby Green) are registered as common land with grazing rights, and are not registered as Village Greens. These three Greens also form the core of Yateley's three Conservation Areas. Frogmore Green is registered a village green under the 1965 Act. Yateley Common is part of the Thames Basins Special Protection Area for Wild Birds, and is thus strongly protected by European Directive. The Blackwater Valley, with its river and lakes, is a prominent natural feature of the parish. The whole area is controlled by policies in the Blackwater Valley Countryside Strategy. The parish contains some ancient trees. The Yateley Society sponsored a pilot dendrochronology study of ancient oak trees.
EN1 Q4
BIODIVERSITY:
a. What areas are important for local biodiversity?
b. What measures are in place to protect or enhance them?
Consider, for example, bats, great crested newts, badgers, rare plants, insects or birds on the red list, or specific habitats.
Starting points for information
Local Wildlife Trust
Local Biodiversity Action Plan
Q4 DRAFT ANSWER: The Castle Bottom to Yateley & Hawley Commons SSSI is an important part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area for Wild Birds (SPA) designated under European Directive 79/409/EEC. The MOD owns an important part of Yateley Common south of the A30 and has initiated an extensive regeneration project, the next part of which is a grazing programme to be managed by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wild Life Trust. Hampshire County Council Countryside Service manages those parts of the Common owned by the County. Management is primarily for biodiversity objectives, though the Countyside Service tries to make a balance with recreational needs. Management of the County part is overseen by the Yateley Common Management Committee, a joint committee of the County and Town Councils.
There are several other areas in the Civil Parish designated as areas of Special Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC). Parts of the SPA and most of the SINCs are not managed and are deteriorating.
Yateley Common is predominantly dry Lowland Heath, a specific habitat protected by the European Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The Castle Bottom to Yateley & Hawley Commons SSSI has been divided into many units by English Nature. Full details of these units, and their conservation status can be viewed on English Nature's Nature on the Map website. Type 'castle bottom' into the search engine, click on the link to the Castle Bottom to Yateley and Hawley Commons SSSI and then click on any of the units on the map for full details of each unit. Castle Bottom has been designated one of only nine National Nature Reserves in Hampshire because it contains the even rarer wet lowland heath.
The SSSI contains the habitats of three rare birds protected by the European Birds Directive: the Dartford Warbler, the Nightjar, and the Woodlark. Stone Curlews have been sited on Blackbushe. The SSSI also contains many extremely rare solitary bees and wasps, other rare invertebrates, as well as other flora and fauna listed in the RED BOOK, and in the citations for the SSSIs. Smooth snakes and sand lizards have been observed on Yateley Common in the past but since the explosive glowth of human population near the common, are now thought to be extinct in the region.
Sub-section 2: Built features of the town
Section 2: Built features of the town
EN1 Q5
What is the shape and density of the town (that is, are buildings clustered together, dispersed or a mixture)?
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1 & S6 Q3 also refer to the built environment).
Starting points for information
Maps
Aerial photographs
Local knowledge
Q5 DRAFT ANSWER: The areas of the village built pre-WW2 are along the main roads, and clustered around the Greens. Following WW1 small council estates were built in Yateley and Frogmore. After WW2 large areas of hutments left over from RAF Hartfordbridge provided much needed accommodation. Large council estates were built to rehouse families. The 1967 Town Plan led to large scale development of the village, with a planned increase in population from 4.469 in the 1961 census to a proposed maximum of about 16,000. The first Hart Local Plan added a further large housing development on Monteagle Farm, raising the population to over 20,000 in the 1991 census. Outside the areas of registered common land and the floodplain of the Blackwater, only 10 undeveloped greenfield areas remain in Yateley. The density of development of the post-war estates was mostly at the maximum permitted at the time.
EN1 Q6
Where are the town‘s distinctive built landmarks and conservation areas, and are they are in good condition?
(Worksheet S6 Q6 also refers to local distinctiveness. Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11;S5 Q8 and S6 Q1& 3 also refer to the built environment).
District Council (ask for: Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, Local Plans)
Town Design Statement
Local history group
Tourist Information Office
Q6 DRAFT ANSWER: The two remaining major landmark buildings in Yateley are St Peter's Church and Yateley Hall. The latter is listed Grade II*. There are 15 other buildings listed Grade II. Yateley has three Conservation Areas centred on Yateley Green, Cricket Hill and Darby Green.
EN1 Q7
DEVELOMENT:
*a. What are the areas where there are rundown or derelict buildings needing repair or restoration?
*b. What plans are there to revitalise or redevelop these areas/buildings?
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1& 3 also refer to the built environment. Worksheets EC6 Q1,8,9; S2; S5 Q10 and T1 Q3 also refer to development)
Starting points for information
District Council
Q7 DRAFT ANSWER: The commercial area from Plough Road to Sandhurst Road has attracted unfavourable comments. The second phase of the Village Design Framework will assess the potential for this area and propose design options for any renewal. As part of the Parish Plan process the Yateley Society is already carrying out a character assessment of the post-war estates. One of the objectives is to determine any need for enhancement schemes. In addition to the main shopping area in the centre of Yateley, and the out-of centre Waitrose site, there are several other neighbourhood parades built to service the day-to-day needs of the nearby estates. The shopping parade at Bell Lane attracts much concern regarding its delapidated state.
EN1 Q8
What is the range of uses of buildings in the town?
Are they, for example, for shopping, for housing, or used to provide employment?
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1& 3 also refer to the built environment)
Starting points for information
District Council (ask for Local Plan proposal map)
Q8 DRAFT ANSWER: The range of uses of buildings in the town is very diverse, although most buildings are private houses. Yateley has a town centre providing convenience shopping and services. There is no comparative shopping. There is employment provision at Blackbushe Trading Estate, although morning traffic appears to indicate that most employees do not live in Yateley.
EN1 Q9
Are the main routes into the town, including those from train and bus stations, attractive and in good condition?
Starting points for information
Local survey
Town Design Statements
Q9 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley has no train station or bus station, and is currently poorly serviced by public transportation. The nearest stations with trains to London are Fleet and Farnborough. Stations at Sandhurst and Blackwater connect to Reading and Guildford.
EN1 Q10
Are the main pedestrian routes between car parks and the town centre attractive, well maintained, well lit, and safe to use (for example, with security CCTV cameras in use) both day and night?
(Worksheets EC7 Q13,14 and T1; T2 & T3 also refer to pedestrian access)
Starting points for information
Local survey
Town Design Statements
Q10 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley's commercial centre is poorly served for car parking. The main public car park behind the Royal Oak was developed to provide a Fire Station, Police Station and Citizens Advice Bureau. There is private parking behind Somerfields and Rosebank Parade. Waitrose has its own large car park but this is in an out-of-centre location. The Church End Environmental Improvement Scheme, phase 1 of the Village Design Framework will reorganise the poor parking arrangements in that part of the Town Centre. CCTV cameras are monitored by Hart District Council.
EN1 Q11
Are street fitting and fixtures in the town well located and in good condition?
Look, for example, for cracked pavements, vandalised phone boxes, graffiti-covered walls, and overflowing or insufficient waste bins.
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1 & 3 also refer to the built environment. WorksheetsEC7 Q10,17,18; S3 Q7,11 also refer to environmental quality)
Starting points for information
Local survey
District Council
Town Design Statements
Q11 DRAFT ANSWER: Street furniture and pavements in the Town Centre area are not in good condition and should be improved. The Village Design Framework has plans for such improvements.
EN1 Q12
Which areas of the town are over-cluttered with signs, street furniture, advertising hoardings, etc?
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1 & S6 Q3 also refer to the built environment. WorksheetsEC7 Q10,17,18; S3 Q7,11 also refer to environmental quality)
Starting points for information
Local survey
Town Design Statements
Q12 DRAFT ANSWER: The Town Centre area is generally cluttered by sandwich boards. Complaints have been made about their being unsightly and a driving hazard.
Sub-section 3: Environmental issues for the town
EN1 Q13
THE TOWN'S ENVIRONMENT:
a. What are the environmental issues facing the town?
b. What plans are there to deal with them?
Look, for example, at flooding, air and noise pollution, etc.
(Worksheets EC7 Q10,17,18; S3 Q7,11 also refer to environmental quality)
Starting points for information
Local survey
District Council (ask for Local Plan and Town Design Statements)
Q13 DRAFT ANSWER: The major environmental issue facing the town centre is making it more attractive to shoppers and visitors. The Blackwater Valley Floodplain, as currently drawn by the Environment Agency, comes very close to existing houses. There have been floods in Yateley in recent years. Residents have opposed planning applications for noisy sports on Blackbushe Airport and in the Blackwater Valley. There are no plans to deal with these issues since they are allowed in the Adopted Local Plan.
EN1 Q14
BROWN FIELD LAND:
a. What brown field land is available for building?
b. Is this available land being considered in planning decisions?
(WorksheetsEC7 Q10,17,18; S3 Q7,11 also refer to environmental quality. Worksheets EC6 Q1,8,9; S2; S5 Q10 and T1 Q3 also refer to development)
Starting points for information
Local survey
District Council (ask for Local Plan and Town Design Statements)
Q14 DRAFT ANSWER: There is probably no brownfield land anywhere in Yateley - either for providing new housing or for providing much needed facilities for existing residents. For example opportunities have be lost to acquire land for car parking in the Town Centre. Developers are currently targeting larger character houses, particularly in the Yateley Green Conservation Area, to provide new flat development. These applications are opposed by the overwhelming majority of residents as adversely affecting the character of the Conservation Area.
EN1 Q15
What townscape or heritage initiatives are there?
Examples may include: Historic Economic Regeneration Scheme, Local Heritage Initiatives, and Conservation Areas.
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1& 3 also refer to the built environment)
Starting points for information
District Council conservation officer
Town Design Statement
Q15 DRAFT ANSWER: The Yateley Village Design Framework is a townscape initiative. Phase I is the Church End Environmental Improvement Scheme. Funding of £500,000 has been secured, mostly from Hampshire County Council. Consultants have been appointed to scope Phase II of the Framework which will cover the Reading Road commercial area. Two of the three Conservation Areas have up-to-date statements but that for Yateley Green is over 15 years old and does not reflect lcurrent legislation and planning guidance.
EN1 Q16
What land and buildings that could help the town‘s initiatives are available for purchase (and are they at affordable prices?
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1& 3 also refer to the built environment)
Starting points for information
Local planning office
Estate Agents
Local council Offices
Q16 DRAFT ANSWER: Until the Parish Plan identifies initiatives in its Action Plan it is difficult to identify if any buildings will be required. However it is unlikely any buildings will be available at afforable prices since developers are likely to snap up any that come forward for flat development.
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