Budleigh Salterton Town Design Statement
A Town Design Statement has been produced by the local community for the town of Budleigh Salterton as part of the Countryside Agency initiative. This document establishes design guidelines for planning applicants and aims to improve the quality of the built environment.
The Town Design Statement was adopted as interim Supplementary Planning Guidance to the emerging East Devon Local Plan on 13th October 2004. It's guidelines add detail to, and complement, the Local Plan policies and will be used in the determination of planning applications and to guide householders undertaking works not requiring planning permission.
The text of the Town Design Statement is set out below- the photographs are not yet available to download but will be available shortly, in the meantime hard copies of the document are available from Claire Rodway (see below).
If you have any queries please telephone Claire Rodway, Senior Planning Officer,
on 01395 516551 ext 2218 or e.mail crodway@eastdevon.gov.uk
The quicklinks below go straight to the relevant issues within the full text.
Chapter 1- INTRODUCTION
Chapter
2- HISTORY
Chapter 3- THE
PLANNING CONTEXT
Chapter
4- THE TOWN'S SETTING
Chapter
5- THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Chapter
6- CONCLUSION- LOOKING FORWARD
ANNEX ONE: GUIDANCE FOR DEVELOPERS
1–3 TREES AND OPEN SPACES
4–6 ELEMENTS OF TOWNSCAPE
7–8 THE TOWN CENTRE
9–13 RESIDENTIAL
AREAS - GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
14–15 STREET FURNITURE
ANNEX
TWO: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PARISH
1–3
LANDSCAPE
4–5 NATURE CONSERVATION
6–7
TREES
8–10 OPEN SPACE
11–13 STREET
FURNITURE
ANNEX THREE THE PLANNING CONTEXT - TERMS &
DESIGNATIONS
ANNEX FOUR
DEVELOPMENT
1920s TO 2004 (Appendices
A, B, & C)
POPULATION AND HOUSING STATISTICS
(Appendix D)
ANNEX FIVE LANDSCAPE AND
NATURE CONSERVATION DESIGNATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
"Britain must be a country still happily compromising between Nature and Man, blending what was best worth retaining from the past with what best represents the spirit of our own age.” (J.B.Priestley. The Beauty of Britain 1935)
1.1 Budleigh Salterton is the focal point for key designations that have an impact on planning. Uniquely in the District the whole town is within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty being the only coastal town in the District actually included in this designation. It is also part of the backdrop to the UNESCO designated World Heritage Coast; moreover, it lies at the threshold to the East Devon Heritage Coast, the western boundary of which is the Otter Head. Budleigh Salterton is a small seaside town of considerable charm. Its population has shown only a marginal increase from 4,109 in 1971 to 4,805 in 2001. The small predominantly Victorian town centre is set back behind the sea front. Residential areas east and west of the centre are characterised by large dwellings ranging in age from early Victorian to modern developments often in extensive grounds. North west of the centre is an area of public housing and some Victorian terrace housing adjacent to the former railway station. (EDDC Local Plan 2001-2011 ISSUES REPORT)
1.2 Public concern about recent property developments prompted the Town Council to join with residents in the production of this Town Design Statement (TDS). It is recognised that while design and materials used in buildings are important, so are the open spaces and the gaps between buildings that allow the sea to be seen and the trees to grow; these views, these trees, and the buildings that fit between, make for a town that sits at peace with its surroundings. The TDS does not set out to stifle responsible innovation, but it does focus on encouraging good design compatible with the character of our town. (See Guidance for Developers, Annex One)
1.3 The TDS reflects the views of the whole community. A two-day exhibition was held at the Public Hall on 7th & 8th June 2003 involving many different groups. It included very important and colourful exhibits by the children of St Peter’s Primary School, reflecting their concern for the future of the town. Just under 1,000 people attended the exhibition, and 771 completed a very full questionnaire. The answers to this questionnaire are referred to in percentage terms throughout this design statement. A year later in June 2004 an enlargement of the draft of the TDS was displayed in the Public Hall for two days, so that people could read the document and indicate whether or not they supported the way it was seeking to influence future development in Budleigh Salterton. 442 people visited this new exhibition, and 98% of the completed questionnaires supported the draft TDS.
1.4 In October 2004 East Devon District Council approved and adopted this Design Statement for development and control purposes as Interim Supplementary Planning Guidance.
Click here to view a map showing Budleigh Salterons' location within
the East Devon AONB (1027KB - PDF Help)
CHAPTER 2 - HISTORY
2.1 The Domesday Book reveals that Bodelie (encompassing East Budleigh) was part of the Saxon Hundred with enough swine to employ 10 swineherds”.
2.2 In 1210 Budleigh Salterton was documented as Saltre”, which by 1405 became Salterne”, with both names stemming from the saltpans in the Otter estuary. The river played an important part in the wealth and development of the valley. Up until the 15th century Salterton was a hamlet for a few fishermen and salters, but from the 17th century onwards, the use of lime in agriculture increased and importing and burning lime became an important local industry.
Tithe map of Budleigh Salterton (1842). The pattern of streets has remained unchanged.
By the end of the 1700’s East Budleigh was known as a market town, whilst Salterton was described as "...a village by the sea, in sight of Torbay” (Polwhele, 1797). Flat bottomed stone boats continued to unload their cargoes of lime until around 1875.
2.3 An influx of people following the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars started the change from a fishing village of 25 houses to a seaside resort (Maria Gibbons, 1887). Local folk adapted to the newly required service industries such as lodgings, laundering, or the hiring out of boats and donkeys. By 1842 the town had some 250 houses (Tithe Map). Salterton started to develop independently of East Budleigh, although it was included within that parish until 1894.
2.4 The town continued to thrive with a number of chapels and churches built in the 19th century. The railway came to Salterton in 1897 and the twentieth century expansion came with it.
2.5 No seaside resort in the West of England is better suited for the recovery of the invalid, for the recreation of the casual visitor, or for prolonging the life of the resident.” (Brushfield, 1902).
2.6 The golf links were opened in 1902. Construction of Greenway Lane and adjacent terraced streets was begun shortly before WWI and continued after the armistice. St Peter’s School was opened in 1913. The Public Hall and the Church Institute were built between the wars. (ANNEX FOUR, Appendix A), summarises major housing developments since 1920).
2.7 Some of the largest houses were turned into hotels. In the early 1960s there were thirteen hotels. After the closure of the railway (1967), many were demolished and replaced by flats. The first hotel to be lost was the Otterbourne, followed by Blueberry Downs, the Rolle and Ingleside. Others became nursing/residential homes. Demolition of large private dwellings (and the Church Institute) followed. (ANNEX FOUR, Appendix B).
2.8 PLYMCO/Normans’ supermarket (once the town railway station site) thrived and affected trade in the High Street. Numerous speciality” and gift shops replaced shops selling staple foods. With the new development of Raleigh Park and the supermarket closure, traders have suffered a further decline in business - several shops closing recently. It is possible that increased traffic congestion has driven trade to easier one-stop shopping at neighbouring supermarkets in Exmouth.
2.9 By the late 1980s, only one of the town’s hotels survived. More private houses catered forpaying guests. The first 16 starter homes” were built on agricultural land. The existing sewers became overloaded, leading to a building embargo” for several years. It was lifted when the new system became fully operational (1995). By 2000 a series of planning applications were filed forsome 200 dwellings (ANNEX FOUR, Appendix C). The largest single development, Raleigh Park (74 dwellings), replaces the former supermarket.
2.10 Most in-comers are pensioners. Half the population is over
50 with a third over 70. Dwellings have risen faster than the population. The average household size
is exceptionally low.
(ANNEX FOUR, Appendix D).
2.11 At present some 75% of residents do their main shopping at supermarkets outside Salterton, partly because of parking shortage. This may rise further when the many new dwellings are finished and occupied.
2.12 The town continues to attract day-trippers throughout the year, particularly in the summer and at weekends. Most visitors are accommodated in B&B’s. Recently a former nursing home has been turned into a hotel (2003).
3 Ordnance Survey Map of Budleigh Salterton (2003). Scale 1:15,000, showing the parish boundary
(red dotted line) and the boundary of the built-up area (red). Reproduced by permission of Ordnance
Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, Crown Copyright 100042925.
Use this link to view a modern map of Budleigh Salterton (1126KB - PDF Help). The
map shows the parish boundary (red dotted line) and the built ip area boundary (solid red line).
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CHAPTER 3 - THE PLANNING CONTEXT
3.1 Budleigh Salterton is defined as a Local Centre in the East Devon Local Plan. EDDC, in their review of The Conservation Areas (September 2003), noted that it is a focal point for local Services and facilities serving a local catchment. It has not been identified as a settlement in which to allocate new areas for either residential or employment use. The Local Plan consideration is to ensure that the development that takes place within the existing built-up area is controlled in such a manner that the special character of the town is preserved.” (EDDC Environment Overview Committee - 11th September 2003)
3.2 The Local Plan, which covers the period to 2011, is not the only policy document used in considering planning applications. The Local Plan will conform with the Devon Structure Plan which reflects Regional Planning Guidance. Over this period The Local Plan sets targets for housing numbers, employment land, areas of development constraint and other relevant items. The Structure Plan will cover a longer period to 2016. Instead of a new Local Plan being produced for 2011–2016, the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act allows the District Council to produce a Local Development Framework to cover this extended period.
3.3 In the Local Plan there is a recognised place for approved Village and Town Design Statements which are incorporated as Supplementary Planning Guidance. EDDC defines their purpose as, to provide information to developers, landowners, agents, architects, contractors and consultants on the standards that East Devon District Council will expect from new development proposals...”.
3.4 All of this comes within a Central Government framework which governs how development should take place and provides a national overview. By statute, local government authorities at every level are required to conform to Planning Policy Guidance (PPG- in the process of changing to Planning Policy Statements).
3.5 At the lowest level EDDC consults Town and Parish Councils to varying degrees. These councils have no power to refuse planning applications but are an important first step to guide the developer, since their recommendations are carefully considered by EDDC before determination.
3.6 Many factors are taken into account and influence the acceptability
of development proposals. They include:- Conservation Areas; Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; Rights
of Way; Land of Local Amenity Importance; Tree Preservation Orders; Design, and similar matters.These
are listed and explained in more detail in ANNEX THREE
.
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CHAPTER 4 - THE TOWN’S SETTING
4.1 THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
4.1.1 Think of almost
any UK environmental designation, barring National Parks, and the coast and countryside surrounding
Budleigh Salterton has it. It is recognised globally, nationally and, without a shadow of a doubt, locally
(TDS Exhibition June 2003) as something special. Outside the built-up area, the various accolades stress
the scientific importance of our wildlife and geology, and the great beauty of our landscapes.
4.1.2 The designations (a list of which are included in ANNEX FIVE) are not solely there to remind developers to tread lightly.They also encourage a partnership in sensitive management, which aims to retain, if not improve, the special qualities of the site, by the various interested bodies – English Nature, the Countryside Agency, the Devon Wildlife Trust, the East Devon AONB Partnership, the Lyme Bay Coastal Forum, Landowners, DEFRA, EDDC, DCC, to name a few.
4.2 LANDSCAPE
4.2.1 Within the parish boundary
three distinct landscape types merge into one another.
(a) The estuary
with its pebble ridge, salt marsh, mudflats, ancient river cliffs and open low-lying wet meadows, punctuated
with rows of poplar and clumps of willow.
(b) The rolling hedged
farmland running across the north of the parish from Kersbrook to Knowle.
(c)
In the west of the parish, covering the golf course and rising to 129 metres at West Down Beacon,
remnant heath, scrub and blocks of conifers, rising from the underlying infertile Pebble Beds and forming
the southernmost extension of the East Devon Commons. Much of the countryside and views appreciated
by residents are within other parishes. Thus the famous row of Corsican pine on the eastern side of
the estuary is in Otterton parish but greatly adds to the town’s view across to Otter Head. Special
qualities of the town include numerous vistas, within the town itself, along the coast and to and from
the surrounding countryside. The beauty of a small town like Budleigh Salterton is that the countryside
is never far away.
RECOMMENDATIONS – See ANNEX
TWO
4.3 NATURE CONSERVATION
4.3.1 Abundant and diverse wildlife is a clear indicator of the quality of the environment. Budleigh Salterton’s wildlife is plentiful; the quality of both the river and sea-water support a wide variety of flora and fauna.
4.3.2 There cannot be many towns in England where buzzards,
ravens and peregrines regularly fly overhead. Visitors wander alongside salt marsh, rocky foreshore,
cliff-top grassland, woodland or heath all with their attendant species. Strands of countryside penetrate
and weave their way into the town, providing wildlife corridors and patches of woodland only minutes
from the town centre” (TDS Exhibition June 2003). Private gardens and the remaining green spaces throughout
the town are valuable for wildlife, as well as for aesthetic and recreational purposes.
RECOMMENDATIONS
– See ANNEX TWO.
4.4 TREES
4.4.1 Two main roads enter and leave the town, one from Exmouth and one to the north towards East Budleigh. The Exmouth Road is lined with mature oaks, beech, holmoak, Monterey cypress, Scots pine and a variety of other evergreens, forming a wonderful canopy all the way into town.
4.4.2 Turning north from the town centre, Station Road runs alongside The Green, where again there are mature oaks and horse chestnuts, as well as later plantings of small ornamental trees. As the road bends east it passes by a long strip of woodland in the old railway cutting. Small apple trees grow amongst the sycamore, birch and hawthorn. Along the East Budleigh Road, an avenue of thirty hornbeam was planted by local organisations to celebrate the Millennium.
4.4.3 On turning back towards the seafront the contribution garden trees make to the suburban townscape becomes apparent. Mimosa, with its incredible flush of yellow flowers in early spring, various ornamental cherry and crab apple trees all thrive particularly well, adding colour throughout the year. Remnants of orchards remain in some gardens.
4.4.4 From the various vantage points overlooking the town and the seafront, the impact the many mature trees make to this part of the townscape is obvious. Their presence must have influenced those who decided to include the town within the AONB boundary. This wealth of mature trees is the result of thoughtful planting, pruning and preservation by generations of residents over the years. Along the seafront, and in gardens exposed to salt winds, tamarisk, sycamore, horse chestnut and various pine thrive. Proceeding further towards West Down Beacon along the Coastal Footpath, clumps of Scots pine cling to the cliff edge, and beneath them rowan.
4.4.5 Many of the noteworthy trees are protected by Tree Preservation
Orders, but many others are not. EDDC’s Supplementary Planning Guidance on Trees and Development” will
help clarify procedures and strengthen policy.
GUIDANCE
– See ANNEX ONE(Guideline
4.4.1).
RECOMMENDATIONS – See ANNEX
TWO ( 4.4.1 and 2).
"94.8% said that it is important that developers are made to
plant reasonably sized trees to replace any lost during building."
4.5 OPEN SPACE
4.5.1 Open space adds greatly
to the quality of the urban environment and to the quality of people’s lives. Thus the parkland at Leeford,
although privately owned, creates a wonderful backdrop as we leave or return to the town. The green
spaces dotted throughout the town add to its character and individual identity. Such land is of intrinsically
high environmental quality because of its form, tree and shrub cover or features such as a stream or
pond. In other instances it is important because of the view it gives of the surrounding countryside
or a significant building or landmark” (Local Plan para 4.24). PPG 17 notes that planning for open space,
sport and recreational facilities that are of high quality, or of particular value to a local community,
should be recognised and given protection by the Local Authority.
4.5.2 A Green Wedge protects open land between Budleigh Salterton and Knowle and much open space is classified as Land of Local Amenity Importance. Central Government is currently, within its draft PPS7, recommending that local landscape designations be scrapped yet many of these protected areas are sports clubs, allotments and spaces important for informal recreation. Some areas have historic importance, such as the gardens at Cliff Terrace, which follow old field patterns, or form wildlife corridors providing access to the surrounding countryside, such as the disused railway line.
4.5.3 The greatest threat to the open rural character of the
town is from infill or "backland” development, where large gardens are particularly vulnerable
to opportunistic development and over-extension of existing homes.
GUIDANCE
– See ANNEX ONE
(Guidelines 4.5.1 and 2).
RECOMMENDATIONS – See ANNEX
TWO ( 4.5.1, 2 and 3).
CHAPTER 5 - THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
5.1. ELEMENTS OF THE TOWNSCAPE
Three intimately connected elements give Budleigh Salterton its distinctive character.
(a) Topography – The town developed along the valley of the small stream that runs obliquely to the sea. The north side of the valley from Station Road eastward being steep has developed in terraces. The south side of the valley from the top of High Street westward is less steep, but is also a significant factor in providing views across the town and the surrounding countryside.
North Side
South Side
(b) Trees – The town is well furnished with trees. The belt silhouetted on the ridge high above East and West Terraces is a highly important feature. The value of this belt has been diluted by the felling of trees on the site of Elvestone. Any further development which threatens this line of trees should be strongly resisted.
(c) Historic Building Development – The buildings from the end
of the 18th century to mid-Victorian times gave the town a Regency and post-Regency flavour which it
largely retains. Some late Victorian buildings such as the Natwest Bank were out of harmony with what
had gone before, although not seriously impairing the historic character. The early 20th century saw
the addition of a number of interesting, well-designed buildings. Lessons must be learnt from past mistakes,
or the process is likely to accelerate now that the policies for Residential Areas of Special Character
have been abandoned. Care must be taken to prevent inappropriate development and to preserve trees,
or the town will be in danger of losing its status of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Some more
recent buildings are out of keeping with their surroundings, a process which first became noticeable
with the flats at Blueberry Downs and the Rolle replacing more attractive earlier buildings. These flats
are widely regarded as positively detracting from the character of the town, and this process has continued
with more recent developments of excessive density and overpowering bulk.
GUIDANCE
– See ANNEX ONE
5.2 THE TOWN CENTRE
The gentle curve of High
Street and the visual closure of Fore Street by Mackerel Square, together with the narrowness of the
street, gives a feeling of intimacy to the town centre, making it a good place for people to shop, to
meet, to chat and to call in for a meal or a drink. The road is also a busy traffic thoroughfare, particularly
in the summer months. There is a sharp conflict between pedestrians and vehicles; a situation which
is perforce tolerated but which may become intolerable if traffic density increases.
A possible one-way system has been mooted from time to time but it is not easy to devise a truly satisfactory scheme that accommodates the car and that is not to the disadvantage of pedestrians. The Town Council, in collaboration with Devon County Council, the Police and the Chamber of Commerce, are currently studying this and other solutions in a joint study of the problem (2004). There are considerable variations in scale throughout High Street and Fore Street, some of which are brutal, as in the juxtaposition of numbers 12 and 14 High Street. Brick and rendered facades occur in roughly equal proportions. Such variety of scale and materials, if not taken to excess, can impart a certain liveliness not inappropriate to a shopping street. For the most part, the windows in the upper storeys share something of the same proportions, which helps to modify what might otherwise be a disturbing variety of facades.
The largely fully glazed projecting bays on numbers 15 and 17 High Street, which might be quite acceptable elsewhere, strike a discordant note here. A glaring misfit is the forbidding bulk of the Rolle Flats which faces the junction of High Street and Fore Street at the very point that the road widens to provide the ideal location for a fine building.
63% said that it is important to keep a variety of shops in Budleigh Salterton to maintain the character of the town.
The largely fully glazed projecting bays on numbers 15 and 17 High Street, which might be quite acceptable elsewhere, strike a discordant note here. A glaring misfit is the forbidding bulk of the Rolle Flats which faces the junction of High Street and Fore Street at the very point that the road widens to provide the ideal location for a fine building.
87.5% said that the Rolle Flats ‘seriously
detract from the character of the town and do not belong here’.
Shopfronts and fascias are generally satisfactory and include a number of interesting survivals from earlier times which are important to maintain the character of the High Street.
84.6% said the design of shop fronts is important to the appearance of the town.
The main function of Brook Road and, to a lesser extent, Queen Street was to service the rear of the shops in High Street. Given their function, it is not surprising that both streets have little townscape appeal. There is a challenge here to improve their appearance.
91% said Staddon’s car storage (corner of Cliff Road and Queen Street) ‘seriously detracts from the character of’ and ‘doesn't belong in the town’. ”
The lower part of Station Road forms part of the town centre. The blandness of the shopping parade and the uninspired design of Archbrook Lodge are to some extent offset by the interest provided by the Public Hall and the Gospel Hall, although the paving in front of the Public Hall is unnecessarily drab.
82.1% said that the design of the garages and flats opposite the Library ‘seriously detracted from the character of’ and ‘doesn’t belong to Budeigh’.
The Library shows that an individualistic building, if well designed, can make a positive contribution to the street scene.
GUIDANCE – See ANNEX ONE
5.3. RESIDENTIAL AREAS – GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
The
original pre-19th century hamlet dated back to the 15th century, the oldest buildings extant being a
few cob and thatch cottages such as Umbrella Cottage” on Fore Street Hill; and others in Knowle village
being fine examples.
75.6% said that Knowle
village ‘contributes very positively to the character of’ and ‘seems to belong’ to the town.
There are many early 19th century houses, the town only really developing from 1800. Examples can be seen on the west side of Victoria Place, Little Knowle, East Terrace and sundry detached properties to the north of High Street/Fore Street. Mainly slated cob/stone rubble rendered and painted, but with East Terrace being brick and slated. Late 19th century villas are mostly smooth rendered and painted stone rubble and brick, with slated roofs, as on north side of West Hill, Westbourne Terrace, and part of West Terrace.
82.1% said that East Terrace ‘contributes
very positively to the character of Budleigh Salterton’.
Late 19th/early 20th century cottages and terraces as in Granary Lane and east side of Victoria Place, with mainly brick walling, some rendered and slated roofs, some tiled.
Also of this period: Station Road, Clinton Terrace and high density terraces south of Greenway Lane.
60.1% said that Clinton Terrace contributed to the character of and ‘seemed to belong’ to the town.
Pre-1914 housing with some examples in Stoneborough Lane, East Budleigh Road, Moor Lane and Clinton Terrace areas, also west side of Knowle village. Mainly brick with slated or tiled roofs, an example beingFrewins” off Bedlands Lane (1912).
1920-1939. A time of rapid expansion and varying styles, much of which helps to give Budleigh Salterton its unique character. Mainly brick with some rendered and roughcast. Both red clay tiled and Cornish slated roofs are used.
Arts and Crafts” influence shown in the brick and tiled Lawn Terrace (1935) and
Westbourne Cottage in West Hill (1927), the latter two being roughcast and slated.
88.3%
said that The Lawn ‘contributes very positively to the character of’ and ‘seems to belong’
to Budleigh Salterton.”
These earlier examples blend in reasonably well, but the latest tendency has been to allow apartment blocks which dominate the residential landscape, the most recent example being Belgrave Court (the former Nattore Lodge) in West Hill.
GUIDANCE – See ANNEX ONE
5.4 THE SEA FRONT
The seafront starts at the Budleigh Salterton Club, locally known as the Gentlemen’s Club, and extends east as far as the Lime Kiln carpark and Otterton Ledge. For this exercise, however, we shall include the built environment adjoining the cliff path from the Redcliff flats abutting Rosemullion flats at the West to the Blueberry Downs flats at the East.
Rosemullion Court – Disappointing elevational treatment, lacking any modelling, and with overlarge windows upsetting the wall/window ratio, especially the over-dominant dormers set in a bastardised Mansard” roof. Redcliff Flats – Tucked away behind a grassy bank which curtails the sea views from the ground floor. Brick base and coloured rendered upper walls, otherwise unremarkable
Gardens of Cliff Terrace – Pleasant open” areas with occasional folly” i.e. the thatched summer house, and the boundary wall built from a curious mixture of weathered stone, brick, well-burnt kiln bricks and some beach pebbles, makes a pleasing landscape detail.
Rolle Flats – A disappointing, unimaginative treatment of its frontage to the sea. Once again we see inappropriate windows set in a Mansard” roof trying to disguise a fourth floor. Also, the wall finish is unsuitable for such an exposed position. The Rolle Flats would look less monolithic with the fourth floor replaced with a traditional pitched roof (as in computer composite on left), which would bring it more in scale with its surroundings. In a recent application for further development on this site, the developers recognised that the original design is alien to its environment!
A mixture of houses, mostly the rear of properties on the South side of Fore Street follows between the Rolle Flats and the Budleigh Salterton Club. Some are newish and built in the last fifty years, others are survivors from the past with qualities worthy of note. Where possible, these should be converted rather than replaced by blocks of flats
Rear of 18 Fore Street – Note the steep pitched roof with deep gable, rendered walls with pebbledash and painted finish. Good window/wall ratio, but there is a less appealing glazed upper floor rear extension facing the sea. In some of the houses, timber windows have been replaced with plastic windows which attempt to look like timber, but fail by virtue of their flimsy glazing bar sections. However, modern material can improve insulation and sustainability. Replacements should be of quality and design sympathetic to the building and its neighbours.
Other details to be noted are seen in the treatment of boundary walls adjoining the cliff path – a mixture of stone and brick – quite attractive, and a pleasant small planting area is of particular note.
75.6% said it is important to use local and traditional building materials in Budleigh Salterton
Roof treatment of the rear of Admirals Hard in Mackerel Square where decorative bargeboards enhance the gables is to be commended. Where possible, details such as these should be incorporated in future designs.
The Budleigh Salterton Club forms the east end of what one might call the commercial part of the Town and seems to be a lost opportunity in some respects. Windows facing the sea are blocked off for the snooker room!
Thereafter the north side of the promenade, Marine Parade consists of roomy pleasantly designed houses in the main, mostly with a mix of hipped and gabled pitched slated roofs, rendered walls, and glass covered verandas/porches. Most retain their character although the replacement PVC windows and over-sized dormer are unfortunate. Dormers here remind us that a dormer is a window in a roof” and should be subservient to and not an extension of the existing roof.
Over-sized Dormer
Correct scale dormer
At this point the newly built Palm Court flats can be seen from Marine Parade and in spite of its bulk displays a number of attractive features. Its modelled façade with recessed balconies, steep pitched roof with gableends, brick base and rendered upper walls is more successful than the road elevation with the dominant garage blocks in contrasting materials to the front of the building. Thereafter the high bank on the left of Coastguard Hill obscures the remaining houses which appear to be low-rise modern buildings with balconies facing the sea. From the top of the hill the end of the historic Coastguard Cottages can be seen, solidlooking brick built structures with pitched slate-covered roofs and well-detailed gables, stone copings on sloping parapets giving a strong edge to the roof shape. They make a significant silhouette to the eastern backdrop of the Conservation Area.
Finally, Blueberry Downs, at the eastern end of the seafront.
Ottermouth House lost...........
replaced by Blueberry Downs
84.2% said Blueberry Downs 'dosn't belong here' and 'seriously detracts from the character of the town'
5.5 SYMPATHETIC EXTENSIONS
Lethaby House in Moor Lane: Sympathetic because matching materials have been used – roof coverings, brickwork, render etc. Stringcourses, cill lines, eaves/gutters all line through. It would have been more successful had some of the detailing (such as window reveals) reflected the original building.
11 Coastguard Road: Details such as horizontal features in render with bellmouth to throw off rainwater are repeated where appropriate.
1 Barns Road: Roof shapes, i.e. gables or hips match the existing ones in pitch, colour and in all other aspects. Junctions of new work with existing buildings should be stepped in plan rather than flush.
5.6.1 RECENT NEW DEVELOPMENTS
Raleigh Park
This is the new Raleigh Park seen from the old Jocelyn Road. In spite of the high density these new houses fit in reasonably well with their immediate neighbours.
Palm Court
Acceptable modelling of the seafront façade but unfortunate treatment of garages and the staircase window spoil the road frontage, which has no landscaping to soften the effect.
Belgrave Court
Belgrave Court is a recent high-density development sited in distinct contrast to the low-density nature of its neighbours in the West Hill area.
Elvestone
As yet unfinished (2004), but hopefully careful landscaping will improve the nakedness of the building exposed by the removal of many trees. Landscape plans in new developments should include the bedding-in of young trees.
96.7% said that trees were important to the character of Budleigh Salterton.
5.6.2 LARGE DETACHED HOUSES
Park Lodge in Park Lane: A good example of a large detatched house saved from demolition.
Stapleton, West Hill Lane: A Victorian residence successfully converted to multiple occupancy.
5.7 STREET FURNITURE
5.7.1 The impact of street furniture and the peripherals of any development can make an enormous difference. Budleigh Salterton has developed over many centuries but the pace of development in the 20th and 21st century has demonstrated a lesson. Cost and practicality have impacted on what is possible, but there are many problems that could have been resolved if thought had been given at the start of development as to how street furniture should have been treated during the planning stage.
5.7.2 Examples include the plethora of litter bins that can be seen in the view towards the sea from Rolle Road, and the street lighting of many different periods which are often quite inappropriate to the environs.
74.5% felt that ‘it was very important that something be done about intrusive overhead cabling and associated poles’.
5.7.3 There are examples of features for which little thought has been given to aesthetics. There is a plethora of uncoordinated signs on the beach, while the recently removed traffic island at the bottom of Fore Street Hill in Mackerel Square could have originally been viewed by the Highway Authority as an opportunity to enhance a particularly sensitive part of the town.
5.7.4 The message for developers, planners and service providers is that a co-ordinated approach is required, both to the new development proposals and to additions to the existing development scene. The preservation of historical features, such as horse troughs, street signs, stone mushrooms” (as at the bottom of Northview Road and east of the Gentlemen’s Club), pebble gutters, cast iron railings, granite, kerbstones and the like, is imperative and integral to the character of the town.
5.7.5 There is also a general lack of thought for pedestrians in a town where a large proportion of the population are retired and need/wish to walk. This is particularly noticeable on West Hill, which is a significant pedestrian route but has no pavement, although this problem is conditionally recognised in Policy LBS1 in the Local Plan. There are many instances where the car has been allowed to rule the street scene, as in Greenway Lane and in the new development of Raleigh Park.
GUIDANCE – See ANNEX ONE
RECOMMENDATIONS – See ANNEX TWO
5.8 BUDLEIGH SALTERTON TRADITIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS STILL IN USE TODAY
5.8.1 Walls
Stone – No longer quarried locally apart from Budleigh Buns” i.e. rounded quartzite pebbles from Blackhill or Venn Ottery quarries (removal of pebbles from Budleigh Salterton foreshore is illegal).
Traditional local materials were Beer, Torquay and Uplyme limestones, Triassic sandstone from the Exeter and Exmouth areas, Heavitree sandstone and local conglomerate, Trap (basalt) from Dunchideock and Dunsford, Budleigh pebbles and chert. Salvaged stone is obtainable. Pebble and flint facings are used for decorative purposes. Stone is not normally now used for loadbearing construction, only for boundary walls, repairs and embellishments.
Cob – Wet clay and straw well mixed and laid in 500-750mm thick layers over a 500mm high stone wall and foundations. Pared and finished in lime whitening and tallow, hydraulic lime plaster or left natural and untreated. The use of lime is subject to Health and Safety considerations. Cement render should NOT be used externally on Cob.
Brick – Ibstock Building Products from Pinhoe, Exeter are the only local manufacturers of clay bricks (formerly Western Counties Brick Co.). Previously there were numerous local brick works around the Exeter and Exmouth areas. Secondhand bricks are often available from local demolitions and these are frequently as durable and present a better appearance than new.
Brick, stone rubble or block rendered – Hydraulic lime plastered and finished with limewash and tallow but more recently, cement rendered with either trowelled finish or roughcast. In the latter cases, a masonry or cement-based paint is used, alternatively a flat or semi-gloss external oil paint.
5.8.2 Roofs
Thatch – Mainly wheat reed with some water reed laid to 45o pitch, wide overhanging eaves and no eaves gutters.
Slated – Mainly North Cornwall and other local natural slate laid to minimum 30o pitch.
Tiled – Usually red clay Rosemary tiles with around 40o pitch, also some red Bridgwater interlocking clay tiles or occasionally red clay pantiles.
Solar Panels – These as currently employed on pitched roof slopes are generally aesthetically unsatisfactory. However, there are new alternative methods designed to intergrate with some roof coverings.
Flat – Flat roofs should be avoided unless used traditionally with parapet walls and stone copings. Any flat roof could present future maintenance problems.
5.8.3 External Joinery
Windows – Painted softwood (not stained), hardwood (e.g. oak), and generally with glazing bars, normally in small panes.
Doors – Painted softwood, framed, ledged and braced for cottage style”. Panelled and painted softwood or hardwood with or without fanlights, or doors fully glazed, in small squares.
Bargeboards and Fascias – Painted softwood.
5.8.4 Boundaries
Devon banks, hedges, pebble, brick or stone walls.
85.9% said that ‘it is important to protect stone
walls as a
special feature of Budleigh Salterton’.
5.8.5 Unsympathetic non-traditional Materials
The following are thought to be unsuited to this environment and should be avoided:
(a) Walls to be avoided – Raw” concrete block, curtain walling, sheet cladding, composite panels, most reconstructed stone, uniform strongly coloured brickwork, applied mock half-timbering, unpainted cement rendering.
(b) Roofs to be avoided – Low-pitch, profiled sheeting, flat roofs with eaves gutters, cedar shingles, bastard” Mansard roofs, over-sized dormer windows and roofs disguised as dormers”, most concrete interlocking tiles, mineralised felt tiles and fibre cement slates”.
(c) External joinery to be avoided – Objections to UPVC concern the detailed design, not the material itself e.g. as in the use of mock Georgian” panes. Also, softwood standard doors; aluminium or other alloy windows; long runs of over-high, vertical closeboarded fencing or trellis.
5.9 SUMMARY OF BUILDING
It would seem that we are really only dealing with the period from 1900 onwards. Most of the significant development took place in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, when the unique style of Budleigh Salterton emerged via the medium of low-rise, mainly low-density two-storey housing.
This development also generally recognised the need to retain trees and open spaces and to respect the contours of the land. In the latter half of the 20th century, speculative estate-type housing development emerged. Generally it respected the earlier criteria until the last few years when private open spaces such as large gardens began to be built on and over-large dominant blocks of flats began to appear.
Both these factors are beginning to destroy the unique semi-rural nature of the
older town layout, as can be seen by studying old photographs and comparing old and new maps of the
district. This is not intended to prevent sympathetic development. Redundant, poorly designed buildings,
out of character with the remainder of the town or in chronic disrepair could well be demolished and
redeveloped. Greater attention should be paid to the possibilities of the sub-division of large houses
of distinctive character rather than the soft option of demolition and redevelopment of the site. The
results from the questionnaire supported this approach.
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CHAPTER 6 - CONCLUSION – LOOKING FORWARD
6.1. In a town
wholly within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, even more than elsewhere,
we need to pursue what Gordon Cullen, in his book Townscape”, calls the Art of the Environment”.This
concerns itself with the right relationship between buildings, and spaces, and trees and other features.
It is essentially the art of creating a good place for people to live. It is not just some esoteric
concept to be analysed and defined by experts; it is at the very heart of good planning. The people
of Budleigh Salterton, by their responses to the Town Design Statement workshop, showed that they understood
this, and manifested a desire that the ‘Art of the Environment’ should be put into practice in any future
development of the town. It is not enough to make narrow ad-hoc decisions on individual planning applications;
these should all be viewed in relation to their neighbours and in the context of the preservation of
the essential character of the town, and its unique place in the AONB.
6.2. All planning applications will be viewed in the context of the preservation of the essential character of the town and its unique place in the AONB. This will only be possible if the development actually enhances the environment, is sensitive to the neighbouring dwellings and open spaces, but above all recognises the importance of trees in creating the natural beauty of the town.We will welcome good design, interesting variety and the use of sustainable construction techniques and traditional materials in any new building. Our desire is that generations to come will appreciate that the first half of the 21st century was a period when really imaginative and welldesigned buildings were added to the town or replaced old, less attractive buildings.
6.3. The Town Design Statement alone cannot ensure that this will happen. It will need to be backed up by a general public that is always vigilant and takes the trouble to examine and, if necessary, object to proposals that would detract from the outstanding natural beauty of the area. It is hoped that reference to this document will help this procedure. The community will be the loser if the cumulative effect of maximising profit results in the general destruction of the overall beauty of the town. New projects should include an adequate supply of affordable housing of the size and type which allows local first-time buyers to remain in their home town. It is recognised that buyers looking for a holiday home in Budleigh Salterton pose an intractable problem that also affects the town’s vitality and the viability of local business.
6.4. It is proposed that an elected group continues to operate
as a revising and updating committee to monitor the effect of this Design Statement. It should encourage
partnership working between residents, The Town Council, EDDC and developers to improve the quality,
design, construction and sustainability of proposed projects. New development should avoid the destruction
of the mix of buildings and countryside which has built up over the last 200 years, and which has earned
our unique place in the AONB
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ANNEX ONE – GUIDANCE
GUIDANCE FOR DEVELOPERS
This Town Design Statement does not set out to stifle responsible innovation, but it does focus on encouraging good design compatible with the character of our town.
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 4.4 TREES
1.
Developers are required to incorporate landscaping that is appropriate to, and in keeping with,
the character of the surrounding environment. Opportunities are to be sought to plant specimen trees
in landscape proposals.
Chapter 4.5 OPEN SPACE
1. Existing gaps which
provide vistas through to open countryside, the coastline and the sea are to be preserved, on a case
by case basis, whether or not these have been referred to specifically in the Conservation Area Appraisal.
2.
Encroachment into the Green Wedge, Public Open Spaces or land recognised as Land of Amenity Value
should not to be supported. None of this land is surplus to requirements”.
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 5.1 ELEMENTS OF THE TOWNSCAPE
1. All planning applications will be viewed in the context of
the preservation of the essential character of the town and its unique place within the Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty (AONB). New designs should be resource efficient and incorporate sustainable techniques
and materials. However, all projects will be expected to enhance the character of the town and the immediate
environment within which they are to be built. It is our intention that future generations will see
the first half of the 21st century as a period when imaginative and well designed new buildings were
added to and enhanced the character of our town.
2. The principle
of using infill sites is acknowledged. However, where such infill is detrimental to the quality of,
and fails to enhance the AONB, it should not be supported. If the cumulative effect with other infill
additions is similarly detrimental to the town as a whole, these too will not be supported. These provisions
will also apply to any high density out-of-scale development.
3. Developments
that involve the loss of trees that are important to the landscape and character of the town should
not be supported. This is of particular importance along the northern ridge and skyline of the town,
stretching from the new development of Elvestone in the east along to Westfield Road to the west, which
is a backdrop to the Conservation Area, where no further loss of mature trees should be permitted.
4.
In existing areas of low density, proposed developments of a markedly higher density, inappropriate
to the context and the character of the local surroundings, by virtue of scale, design or compatibility,
should not be supported.
Chapter 5.2 THE TOWN CENTRE
1. In the designing
of any new building, equal consideration must be given to all publicly visible elevations, to the back
and side as well as to the front (see photographs of Belgrave Court , Rolle Flats).
2.
The design of new developments must ensure that new shopfront and lettered fascias are in harmony
with the best existing examples and the aesthetic character of the existing street scene, especially
in the Conservation Area.
Chapter 5.3. RESIDENTIAL AREAS - GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
1.
The current Local Plan delineates the town built-up area boundary. It also highlights the intention
that, in planning for future change, one of the prime considerations will be to ensure that development
which does take place is controlled in such a manner that the character of Budleigh Salterton is preserved”.
This requirement will be foremost in the prevention of the infringement of the boundary between the
town and the open countryside surrounding it.
2. The removal of mature
and healthy trees on any proposed development is to be discouraged and is forbidden, without authority,
in areas specifically designated to require Local Authority consent. Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs)
will be enforced and agreed landscaping plans are a condition of planning approval.
3.
It is East Devon District Council’s intention to ensure that all development, . . . that takes
place (in the town) is controlled in such a manner that the special character of the town is preserved.”
Future construction of flats is to be compatible in terms of scale, design and height with the character
of the neighbourhood. Proposals for disproportionately high rise buildings that do not preserve the
town’s character should not be supported.
4. Dormer windows should
not dominate but must always be subservient to the roof.
5. The character
of roads and lanes that are defined by Devon banks, hedges or walls should be preserved in new developments.
New planting should reflect the traditional character of existing roadside boundaries.
STREET FURNITURE
Chapter 5.7
1.
Where possible, developers are expected to place services underground and are encouraged to treat
existing services in the same manner, where this will enhance the environment of the development’s location.
2.
Developers are required to take into consideration the existing street scene and the potential
for its enhancement. Of particular importance is the provision of off-street parking so as to avoid
exacerbating traffic congestion and problems for pedestrians.
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ANNEX TWO – RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION BY THE PARISH
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM COMMENTS MADE AT THE TOWN EXHIBITION JUNE 2003
Chapter 4.2 LANDSCAPE
1. Consider instituting
an annual Beating The Bounds” to raise public awareness of the Parish Boundary and how the town sits
within the surrounding countryside.
2. Seek opportunities to raise
funds for habitat and landscape improvement and possibly to acquire land of conservation importance.
Use locally sourced funding to attract grant aid, from local authorities and others, in order to support
such proposals.
3. In association with local landowners, seek to
make a long term plan to improve planting and to remove features that do not blend aesthetically with
the surrounding landscape.
Chapter 4.3 NATURE CONSERVATION
1. The community
should identify areas and trees that are a wildlife habitat. When prepared this list will be added to
the Town Design Statement and made available to developers who will be required to take this into account
when designing new projects.
2. Seek and establish ways in which
to encourage greater awareness in the community of the need to identify and manage natural rarities,
and wildlife generally, within the Parish.
Chapter 4.4 TREES
1. The Town Council should
be encouraged to appoint a small team of Parish Tree Wardens to carry out a tree survey with a list
of noteworthy and ancient trees to be preserved by possible TPO listing. Suggest that forest trees are
not planted in small gardens. Make this information freely available and promote tree care and good
practice throughout the Parish.
2. Encourage residents to replace
over-mature trees and tree-screens and to seek to create new landscape plantings.
Chapter 4.5 OPEN SPACE
1. Seek opportunities
to create more public open space through the creation of permissive access.
2.
Advantage should be taken of opportunities to create new types of public space for such uses as
meeting places, community woodlands and orchards.
3. Encourage the
development of a long-term management plan for major areas of open spaces in order to prevent unacceptable
or ad hoc developments. (See Annex One 4.5)
Chapter 5 STREET FURNITURE
1. Where road works
or new road services are being provided or updated, Devon County Council should be approached in order
to make the most of the opportunities and potential to include enhancements that will add to the attractiveness
of the immediate location.
2. The town should identify and seek funding
for areas that would benefit from enhancement. For example, the railings and steps at Steamer Steps.
3.
There should be liaison with the county and local authorities to give consideration to improving
the siting of signs, for instance in such areas as the Lime Kiln Car Park, where the clutter of signs
detracts from the wonderful views across the Otter Estuary.
4. Every
opportunity should be taken to place cables underground, particularly in Conservation Areas. Associated
road or other development may allow such work, if within funding prorities.
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ANNEX THREE - THE PLANNING CONTEXT – GLOSSARY OF TERMS & DESIGNATIONS
Central Government Guidance
Central Government
provides the framework which governs how development should take place and provides a national strategic
overview. Local planning authorities are required by statute to enact Government guidance, in particular,
Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) and Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) or more recently, Planning Policy
Statements (PPS). PPG/PPS cover many subjects including housing, transport and nature conservation,
and are regularly revised and updated.
The Devon Structure Plan
Devon County Council
is responsible for producing a master plan which applies Regional Planning Guidance and sets out broad
policies for development across the County. The current Devon Structure Plan is produced by the Structure
Plan Authorities (DCC, Torbay, Plymouth and Dartmoor National Park) and is being rolled forward to cover
the period 2001–2016. The Plan provides EDDC with targets over the plan period for the numbers of houses
that need to be built, areas of employment land and areas of development constraint.
The Local Plan
East Devon District Council has
to translate the countywide strategy to the district-wide scale, therefore the key themes in the Structure
Plan, in particular, will shape and inform Local Plan policy” (East Devon Local Plan Revised Deposit
- Sept 2003). In addition, the content of the Plan is influenced by the views of parishes, organisations
and the public. The East Devon Local Plan (EDLP) covers the same period as the Structure Plan 1995–2011,
a revised version having been published in September 2003. The Plan supports the publication of
Village/Town Design Statements, stating that a Supplementary Planning Guidance may be taken into account
as a material consideration in making planning decisions” (para 1.24) and will complement policy in
the determination of planning applications” (para 3.3).
The Town Council
Budleigh Salterton Town Council
is consulted by Devon County Council and East Devon District Council on planning matters that are pertinent
to the parish. It is an important first step but the Town Council can only make observations and recommendations
on planning applications, it has no powers to refuse. That is solely within the statutary powers of
EDDC.
The East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The
East Devon AONB covers 32% of the East Devon District area. It is one of 37 in the country and 5 in
Devon. Given that AONBs identify nationally important landscapes, their primary purpose is to conserve
and enhance natural beauty”. AONBs now have the same status as National Parks in terms of landscape
importance.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW) consolidates and strengthens
earlier legislation. The Act confirms the powers of local authorities to take appropriate action to
conserve or enhance the natural beauty of AONBs. Hence DCC, EDDC and the Countryside Agency contribute
towards the cost of a team of officers who work in an AONB Partnership group comprising key stakeholders”
e.g. organisations like the NFU, National Trust, Environment Agency etc. A requirement of the CROW Act
was for the AONB local authorities to produce an AONB Management Plan, a final draft of which will be
prepared for the East Devon AONB. The Plan identifies what needs to be done and by whom – to conserve
and enhance the natural beauty” – and provides a means of monitoring progress and the state of the environment
within the AONB.
The EDLP acknowledges the importance of protecting the AONB in a number
of ways. Para 13.19 states that The whole of Budleigh Salterton lies within the East
Devon AONB and this places considerable constraints on future development within and adjoining the town.”
East Devon Local Plan – Revised Deposit – September 2003
Policy
ENI (Development in Settlements Within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
"In Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty the conservation and enhancement of their natural beauty will be given priority over other considerations. Development will not be permitted within or adjacent to the East Devon AONB or the Blackdown Hills AONB. Exceptions will only be made where the proposal conserves and enhances the landscape character of the area and respects traditional locally built forms, complies with policies on development in the countryside and affordable housing, or it can be demonstrated that the development is in the national interest and that there are no alternative sites available elsewhere. In considering development proposals within the AONB, particular attention will be paid to:
i. the scale, siting and design of the development;
ii. the colour
and type of external materials;
iii. landscaping and screening;
iv. avoidance
of noise disturbance and light pollution;
v. integration of nature conservation features;
vi.
opportunities to enhance or reinstate the natural beauty and character of the area and the wider landscape.
Where development in AONBs is on a site within a Built-up Area Boundary, conservation
and enhancement of the natural beauty will remain the priority. In addition to the criteria above, particular
attention must be paid to the retention of trees and natural features, so that the setting of the settlement
in the landscape is not damaged and the natural beauty is conserved and enhanced.
Development
proposals that are adjacent, close to or clearly visible from the AONBs will only be permitted where
they will not damage the natural beauty or otherwise threaten public enjoyment of the AONB.
Where
development is permitted on a site within both a Built-up Area Boundary and an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty particular attention must be paid to the retention of trees and natural features, the design
of any new buildings and the external materials to be used and the landscaping proposed so that the
setting of the settlement in the landscape is not damaged and the natural beauty is conserved and enhanced."
Coastal Preservation Areas
Areas covered by CPA
are defined in the Structure Plan to protect and conserve areas of undeveloped coast. The coast on either
side of the town is so designated, providing further protection against development. These areas are
protected by Structure Plan Policy C7 and they are shown diagramatically on the Structure Plan key diagram.
The Local Plan defines the precise boundary of the protected area.
Land of LocaI Amenity Importance
Open space that
makes an important contribution to the character of the town. There are numerous areas scattered across
the town all protected against development by Policy EN5 e.g. Blueberry Downs, the Croquet Club and
Cliff Terrace gardens.
Green Wedges
A Green Wedge has been identified
in the EDLP on land between Budleigh Salterton and Knowle, to maintain open land between the settlements,
with the object of retaining their separate identities.
Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs)
EDDC has powers
to make TPOs to protect trees and woodland that have significant amenity interest. This generally applies
to older specimen trees or rarities. A booklet, Trees their Planting and Protection” is to be published
and adopted by the Council as Supplementary Planning Guidance. Trees in Built Conservation Areas have
similar protection conferred on them.
Listed Buildings
Listed Buildings are all of
national importance and are graded as I, II* and II. There are approximately 40 Listed Buildings in
the parish, which are all protected by policies in the EDLP.
Buildings of Local Importance
EDDC maintains
a register of buildings of local architectural and or historic importance which are offered protection
through EDLP Policy EN 15.
Conservation Areas
The greater part of the town
centre is a built Conservation Area - that is, it has special architectural or historic interest. Special
attention is paid to this area in all planning decisions. To quote EDLP para 4.70 the position, scale
and detailed design of any new buildings or extensions to existing buildings must have regard to adjoining
buildings and to the local character”. Five extensions to the Conservation Area are currently being
considered by EDDC. A Conservation Area Appraisal (by John Fisher) has been completed for the town and
will be adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance after public consultation” (para 4.71). The appraisal
identifies eyesores in the Conservation Area as well as Listed Buildings, building materials etc. Within
Conservation areas, EDDC and DCC, as Highway Authority, will take positive steps to enhance the area
by implementing schemes for landscaping and visual improvement” (para 4.73). EDDC also needs to be notified
of proposals to carry out works to trees in Conservation Areas.
Design Guidance
EDDC is in the process of producing
an East Devon Design Guide as Supplementary Planning Guidance. The Council is also establishing a forum
for developers and architects who are active in the District in an attempt to raise design standards
A planning application now has to be accompanied by an illustrated design statement setting out the
design principles adopted” in the proposed development. Design policy within the EDLP has been strengthened
and a new emphasis on sustainable construction techniques has been made in Policy D1B. Developers are
encouraged to make better provision for sustainable building techniques and recycling, with greater
energy and water efficiency.
Policy D1 (Design and Local Distinctiveness)
"In
order to ensure that new development is of a high quality design and locally distinctive, a design statement
setting out the design principles to be adopted must accompany proposals for new development. Proposals
will only be permitted where they:
1. Reinforce the key characteristics and special qualities
of the area in which the development is proposed.
2. Ensure that the scale, massing,
height, fenestration and materials of buildings relate well to their context.
3. Maintain
good levels of daylight and sunlight into and between buildings to minimise need for powered lighting.
4.
Do not affect adversely:
(i) The distinctive historic or architectural character of
the area;
(ii) The urban form, in terms of significant street patterns, groups of buildings
and the open spaces in and between these buildings;
(iii) Important landscape characteristics
and prominent topographical features;
(iv) Trees worthy of retention;
(v)
The amenity of occupiers of adjoining residential properties.
5. Have due regard to important
aspects of detail and quality and should incorporate:
(i) Secure and attractive layouts
with safe and convenient access for the whole community, including disabled users;
(ii)
Measures to create a safe environment for the community and reduce the potential for crime;
(iii)
Use of appropriate building materials and techniques contributing to low embodied energy and CO2 reduction
as well as respecting local tradition and vernacular styles;
(iv) Necessary and appropriate
street furniture and lighting, and subject to negotiation with developers, public art integral to the
design;
(v) Incorporate appropriate greening” measures relating to landscaping, planting,
open space provision and permeability of hard surfaces."
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ANNEX FOUR - DEVELOPMENT 1920s TO 2004
Appendix A. Major housing developments (in alphabetical order)
1920s
and 193Os: (most of) Armytage Road; Barns Road; Boucher Road; Boucher Way; Boyne Road; Bridge
Road; East Budleigh Road; Coastguard Road; Clarence Road; Clinton Terrace; Copp Hill Lane; Elmside;
Exmouth Road; Fountain Hill; Granary Lane (N. end); Greenway Lane; Jocelyn Road; Knowle Road; Lansdowne
Road; Leas Road; Mansfield Terrace; Moorlands Road; Northview Road; Penlee; Raleigh Road; Redhills;
Swains Road; Upper Stoneborough Lane; The Lawn; Vales Road;Westfield Road
1940s: Brook Road; Moormead
1950s: Bedlands Lane (part); Dukes Road; Perriams Place; Poplar Row; Queen’s Road
1960s: Arden Close; Barn Lane (part); Bedlands Lane (part); Clinton Close; Garden Court; Greenhaven; Hayes Close; Higher Bedlands; Honey Park Road; Meadow Close; Moorhaven; Sherbrook Close; Shortwood Close; Vision Hill Road
1970s: Cricketfield Court; Estuary View; Fairlea Court (2a Exmouth Road); Hooker Close; Montague Gardens; Park Lane; Tidwell Close
1980s: Bramble Close; Coppledown Gardens; Deepways; Forge Close; Knowle Mews; Otter Court; Redcliff Court; Stanley Mews
1990s: 3 houses adjacent to Games Club in Cricketfield Lane; Stoneyford Park
Appendix B. Demolitions followed by major developments
1950s:
Ash Villa to Temple Methodist Church Car Park
1960s: Lawn House to Palmer Court (flats); Stoneborough House to Stoneborough Court (flats); West Hill Lodge to West Hill Court (flats)
1970s: Blueberry Downs Hotel to Blueberry Downs (flats); Gas Works Cottages to Mimosa Court (flats); Ingleside Hotel and Tremichael” to Ingleside Court (flats); Otterbourne Hotel to Otterbourne Court (flats); St Peter’s Church Institute to Green Mews (Houses); The Rolle Hotel to The Rolle (flats); White Lodge (dwelling) to White Lodge (flats); White’s Nursery and dwelling to West Hill Gardens (flats); The Woodlands (dwelling) to Woodlands (estate)
1980s: Rosemullion Hotel to The Rosemullion (flats); Southlands Hotel to Marine Court (flats); Vapormatic Factory to Otter Court (houses)
1990s: 49 Granary Lane (single dwelling) to 3 bungalows
2000s: (Appendix C): Nattore Lodge to Belgrave Court (flats); former warehouse to Maple Mews (houses); Elvestone (dwelling) to Elvestone (flats); ‘Cintra” (8, Coastguard Road) to Palm Court (flats); Palmer’s Yard to Palmer Mews (houses); Plymco Supermarket to Raleigh Park (houses and flats)
Appendix C. Applications 1998-2003
Completed: Palm
Court (9 flats); Deepways (16 further affordable homes, on greenfield site) Maple Mews (3 houses); Knowle
Comer (3 houses) ; Palmer Mews (7 houses); Salterne Meadows (8 bungalows on greenfield site); Belgrave
Court (12 flats)
Under construction: Raleigh Park (74 dwellings); Elvestone (I5 flats); Moorlands Road (3 chalet bungalows)
Refused: 11, Coastguard Road (demolition and 10 flats)
Appeal dismissed: adj. Clyst Hayes Farm (3 houses); Links Pinewood (demolition and 15 flats); 12, Coastguard Road (demolition and 7 flats)
Pending: 5, Westfield Road (demolition and 14 flats); 12, Coastguard Road (demolition and 6 flats)
Appendix D (Population)
The proportion of young people (under 35) is roughly half the national average.
The disproportionately high number of elderly people rises with age; it is double the national average
for 65–74, treble for 75–84 and quadruple for those aged over 85. As in the 1991 Census, the largest
five-year age-group is 75–79. In 2001, there were 116 persons aged 90 or over, mostly female; about
a third of these were housed in ‘communal establishment residences’. Click here (292KB - PDF Help)
to view a graph showing these statistics.
(Housing Statistics)
The total housing stock includes empty properties as well as second homes and holiday
homes. In the 2001 Census, these amounted to 95 and 136 respectively. The ratio of population to housing
has been decreasing steadily, and has roughly halved since 1931.
During the three years
since the Census, it is estimated that a further 125–150 dwellings have been built, are currently under
construction, or have planning consent. Click here (81KB - PDF Help) to view a graph showing these
statistics.
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ANNEX FIVE - LANDSCAPE AND NATURE CONSERVATION DESIGNATIONS
Budleigh Salterton is the only town in East Devon lying wholly within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This designation has been strengthened by the recent Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW; see page 35). The importance of the whole town being sited within an AONB cannot be overstated. It distinguishes Budleigh Salterton from neighbouring coastal towns, only small parts of which enjoy the same protection. A third of East Devon's AONB residents live in Budleigh Salterton.
The town's coastline is included within the recently designated Dorset and East
Devon World Heritage Site ("Jurassic Coast") stretching from Orcombe Rocks, Exmouth to Studland
Bay, Dorset. This is the first natural World Heritage Site in England to be chosen by UNESCO, and confers
an even higher status on a coastline already protected by numerous environmental and planning designations.
The East Devon Heritage Coast runs from the Otter Estuary to the Dorset boundary The
aim of Heritage Coasts is to safeguard land use and natural resources. The town's offshore waters form
part of the Lyme Bay Sensitive Marine Area because of their rich variety of sea birds.
Three
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's) provide statutory protection for the Otter Estuary, the
East Devon Pebble Bed Heaths, and the cliffs on either side of the town - a geological SSSI. Budleigh
Salterton's unique pebbles, remnants of mountains 400 million years old, are of great geological importance.
Each SSSI describes the importance of the site and quotes potentially harmful operations.
Budleigh
Salterton is included within the Devon Redlands Landscape Character Area and Natural Area, designations
by the Countryside Agency based largely on geological character (e.g. red sandstone found not only on
coastal cliffs but also on river cliffs). Local red sandstone often appears in the town's buildings
and walls, including "red-tinged" cob walls. The Devon Redlands zone has been subdivided by
the County Council into the Pebble Bed Heaths and the Axe and Otter Valleys. The "Commons"
are also covered by European designations. They are described as nationally important in English Nature's
profile of the Devon Redlands Natural Area.
The designation of County
Geological Site has been conferred on Dark Lane, due to its wonderfully exposed Triassic Otter Sandstone.
The
Otter Estuary and the wet meadows around Knowle are identified as County Wildlife Sites (CWS) in the
EDLP. This designation, by the Devon Wildlife Trust, is not statutory . Other CWS's marked in the Local
Plan are the Golf Course, the cliff edge up to West Down Beacon and part of the Budleigh Salterton to
Exmouth disused railway line (now a safe cycleway and a potential Local Nature Reserve).
Dark Lane is a County Geological
Site.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brushfield, T.N.N (1902) Mate’s Illustrated Budleigh Salterton. (Official Guide)
Census
(1901 – 2001). England and Wales (HMSO)
Countryside Agency (2002) The
State of the Countryside
Countryside Agency (2003) Parish Plans and the
planning system
Countryside Agency (2003) Parish Plans, 2003
Devon
County Council (2003) Structure Plan 2001–2016
East Devon Conservation
Area Appraisals (1999) Budleigh Salterton by John Fisher, BA, MA, MRTPI with contributions from Town
and Parish Councils and Amenity Societies in East Devon.
East Devon District
Council (1999) Issues Report 2001-2011
East Devon District Council (2003)
Revised Deposit Local Plan 2001 – 2011
East Devon District Council (2003)
Trees and Development” – Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance
East Devon
District Council (2003) Review of the Budleigh Salterton Conservation Area Boundary, Environment Overview,
11.9. 2003 (public consultation to follow)
East Devon District Council
(2004) Design Guide – Supplementary Planning Guidance (in preparation).
East
Devon District Council (2003) East Devon AONB Management Strategy
Gibbons,
Maria (1887) Budleigh Salterton. Early Days Remembered. King George III’s Jubilee. Reprinted in l987
by Otter Valley Association
Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) and
Planning Policy Statements (PPS’s) published by Office of Deputy Prime Minister
Polwhele,
R. (1797) History of Devonshire. Reprinted in 1977 from the 1797 edition by Cadell (Kohler & Coombes)
Devon
Redlands Character Area, Countryside Agency. www.countryside.gov.uk
Devon
County Council’s landscape appraisal. www.devon.gov.uk
Devon Redlands
Natural Area, English Nature. www.english-nature.org.uk
Dorset and East
Devon World Heritage Site. www.jurassiccoast.com
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Appreciation is extended to the people of Budleigh Salterton for their attendance
at Exhibitions and other Public Meetings, and especially to all those who completed questionnaires.
Their views have played a crucial part in the content of the Town Design Statement.We are grateful to
Mr Clive Bowman for analysing all the questionnaires and producing the statistics in an informative
way.
We also gratefully acknowledge assistance from the following organisations
associated with the town:-
Fairlynch Museum, The Budleigh Salterton Art
Club, St Peter's (C of E) Primary School, The Otter Valley Association, The Town Council, St Peter's
Church, Temple Methodist Church, Budleigh Salterton Scouts, Budleigh Salterton Chamber of Commerce.
The photographs in the main section of the Design Statement have all
been taken by Mrs Maureen Bowman, except Fairlynch Museum (p. 10) by Jenny Graeme; Ottermouth House
(p. 21) by Frances Van Meter and the collage of children and their work by Nicola Smith.
The
members of the Executive Committee ultimately responsible for the Statement were Dr Geoff Aplin, Mrs
Sheila Ashby, Cllr Brian Bailey, Mr Clive Bowman, Mrs Maureen Bowman, Mrs Margaret Brett, Cllr Frances
Carter (retired May 03), Mrs Eileen Degenhardt (Hon Secretary), Cllr Jed Falby, Mr Alan Ford, Canon
Roy Henderson (Chairman), Mr Derek Hunt (Hon Treasurer), Dr Anita Jennings, Cllr Alan Jones, Mr Geoff
Jones, Cllr Dick Mitchell, Prof Stan Murrell, Lt Col Pip Piper, Cllr Courtney Richards, Mr Jeremy Robinson,
Mr Steve Staveley (Vice Chairman), Mr Morton Taylor, Mr Ian Wasson.
All
member of the Executive Committee, including those professionally qualified, gave their services on
a voluntary basis.
Many individuals have made contributions towards
the cost of the Town Design Statement for which we are most grateful. We also acknowledge the generous
financial support we have received from Budleigh Salterton Town Council, The Otter Valley Association,
East Devon District Council, The Fryer Trust, Devon Conservation Forum, East Devon AONB Partnership,
Professor Malcolm Harrington, Mrs Priscilla Hull
This first edition published November 2004
