TOWN CENTRE PLANNING - A LONG HISTORY

There has been a Town Centre Management Committee in Yateley since 1984. The Inspector who held the Public Inquiry into the 1st Hart District Local Plan agreed with the Yateley Society that Yateley should have a Town Centre Plan, and a Committee be set up. Various Town Plans were produced. Eventually the 1st amendment to the Local Plan incorporated a plan for the area along the Reading Road from Hall Lane to Cricket Hill. This plan was modified through various planning regimes but was never very satisfactory.

Yateley Village Design Framework

In 2001 yet another change in planning regime brought Hampshire County Council to the table. The Yateley Village Design Framework was born with great expectations. The working area for the Village Design Framework remained the same as that covered by the Town Centre Ploan in the Local Plan. The Town Centre Management Committee was composed of members of the public and local organisations, as well as Councillors and professional advisors.

Church End Green Environmental Improvement Scheme

The Town Centre Management Committee decided to concentrate first on the area known as Church End from Hall Lane to Mill Lane. Church End, the original part of Yateley Green Conservation Area, is the historic core of the ancient village, and includes St Peter's Church, two ancient inns, and the historic shopping area. The Committee decided that a scheme was required which would enhance the historic character of the area. Draft plans were presented to the public at three exhibitions. Proposals were then presented at an exhibition on Ideas Day in November 2003. Modified proposals were discussed with local businesses in May 2005, modified again, and presented to the public at a second exhibition at Yateley Manor School on 17/18 June 2005. There have thus been five public exhibitions about this scheme. The scheme is programmed to go ahead in 2006.

To view the full details of the Church End Scheme and its current status, click

Church End Green Environmental Improvement Scheme

Village Design Workshop

The Yateley Village Design Framework, as originally conceived, was limited to the town centre area defined in the Hart Local Plan. On Saturday 18 September 2004 participants were invited to a Yateley Village Design Workshop Day. The objective of this all-day workshop was to try to extend the VDF process to the whole of the civil parish. Drawn from a wide range of the general public and local organisations, participants looked at a wide range of issues affecting the whole of Yateley. At the time it was hoped that a draft document would be produced during 2005, submitted to public participation processes, and that the Local Planning Authority would adopt it as a Supplementary Planning Document. However, in this arena of fast changing community planning, the Yateley Village Design Framework has now been subsumed into the Yateley Parish Plan process as one of the land-use and design components.

Yateley Village Design Workshop Day

Parish Plans & the Town Centre

The Parish Plans Steering Group, formed in Jan 2005 absorbed the function of the old Town Centre Management Group. The Steering Group has requested that the County Council team which has been masterminding the Village Design Framework should continue assisting the Steering Group to prepare the plan for the Commercial Area between Yateley Industries and Sandhurst Road. This is the area which has taxed the succession of Town Centre Management Committees for the last 20 years. Public consultation was started for this area at the Ideas Day held at Yateley Manor School, and continued at the Village Design Workshop Day. The Parish Plans Steering Committee wants to build on the outcomes and incorporate the Village Design Framework for the commercial centre of Yateley into the Parish Plan. A meeting was held in December 2005 to start the process of appointing independent consultants to consider design issues for the commercial area.