Residential Design Guide

SECTION 6

Design characteristics

The Council wishes to promote innovative designs where they complement their surroundings. The applicant must demonstrate that the context of the proposal is understood and respected.

Buildings which make a statement may be appropriate in an otherwise uninteresting street scene or on corner sites or visually axial sites.

Traditional designs should ensure a high standard of detailing is used to reinforce the character of an area. Weak detailing can often reduce the overall impact of an otherwise well thought out scheme.

Traditional solutions may not be transferable from one area to another. A clear analysis of each site should enable a site specific building which may be a contemporary solution.

Design steps A – G (P14) relate specifically to site surroundings whether urban or rural, of high environmental quality or an area requiring improvement. There are specific situations in the context of steps A – G which will require additional consideration. Reference is made to these below and where relevant, sources of specific information.

• Heritage Assets. There are over 1500 Listed Buildings within the district and specific protection is afforded through Local Plan policy HE1 and policy HE3 for locally listed historic assets. Further information is available in other publications published by the district council: 'Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas', and 'Development Guide to Listed Buildings and Buildings in Conservation Areas'
• Conservation Areas. There are over 29 Conservation Areas in the district. Specific protection is given in policy HE2. There is more information available in the above mentioned publications and in individual Conservation Area leaflets and 'Conservation Area Statements for the Towns'.
• Urban or terraced buildings. New development and the extension of existing terraced properties should respect the height and scale and symmetry of the existing terrace. The urban centres of Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth have a wealth and variety of terraced housing from 2 to 6 storey. Further advice is given in the publications 'Development Guide to Listed Buildings and Building in Conservation Areas'.
• Large Houses and Development in Large Gardens. Many large houses exist in both the urban and rural areas, set in their own sizeable gardens. Local Plan Policy H1, Directing New Housing protects garden land from housing development. " Housing development on garden land, in urban and rural areas, will not be permitted unless the development reinforces, or harmonises with, the established character of the street and/or locality and respects surrounding buildings in terms of scale, height, form and massing".
• Suburban situations. Established suburbs often have pleasant characteristics combining mature gardens and houses of a common scale and diversity. New development in these areas needs to define and respect these density characteristics.
• Rural Locations. New developments and extensions in rural areas must always start with a character analysis of the village or hamlet. Warwick District has a tradition of timber framed and brick houses but also stone and rendered buildings. This rich mixture would be spoilt by an inappropriate choice of materials and poor pastiche. Contemporary solutions may work equally well if the scale and use of materials are correct for the area.

Paragraph 110 goes on to say, "In preparing plans to meet development needs, the aim should be to minimise pollution and other adverse effects on the local and natural environment. Plans should allocate land with the least environmental or amenity value, where consistent with other policies in this Framework".