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Thorney Village Design Statement
This VDS has been written by the Thorney Village Design Statement
Group with the
financial support of Thorney Parish Council. Material Consideration adopted
by
Peterborough City Council on 7th September 2005.
Thorney Neighbourhood Investment Plan
This Neighbourhood Investment Plan is the result of a partnership between Peterborough City Council and a Planning Sub-Committee formed from members of Thorney Parish Council with input from other members of the community. An important aspect of the document is that it incorporates the views of the local community and aims to involve them in making decisions and taking responsibility for the future of their parish.
Thorney Neighbourhood Investment Plan.pdf
www.peterborough.gov.uk/page-12648
for latest Conservation area update
Village Design Statement
A Village Design Statement (VDS) is an opportunity for
communities to help identify the special character of their
village and provide guidelines to ensure that future development
does not harm this character. It should be applicable to all forms
of development.
The Peterborough Local Plan (First Replacement) 2005 states
that any new development should be in keeping with the
character of the area but this does not define the character of
individual villages. Even small proposals for change can often
have a profound impact on the character of an area.
The guidance of the VDS is intended for use by persons wishing
to build, alter or extend buildings in Thorney. The VDS
identifies the special elements, which have made the village what
it is today. It aims to encourage people to consider the impact any
repairs and alterations to property may have on the character of
the village as a whole.
The information in the VDS should prove valuable to a wide
variety of groups and ensure that the essential character of
Thorney is maintained and enhanced in the future. The
document attempts to ensure that any past developments that
have had a negative impact on the village are not repeated, whilst
ensuring that future development is of a high quality.
Neighbourhood Investment Plan
This Neighbourhood Investment Plan is the result of a partnership between Peterborough City Council and a Planning Sub-Committee formed from members of Thorney Parish Council with input from other members of the community. An important aspect of the document is that it incorporates the views of the local community and aims to involve them in making decisions and taking responsibility for the future of their parish.
The main objectives of the report are to take a contemporary snapshot of the parish, to assess its weaknesses and strengths and to determine how it might best develop in the future. In a broader context the report takes account of the obligations Peterborough City Council has to provide a substantial quantity of new housing and jobs throughout the Greater Peterborough area.
As part of the process a questionnaire was distributed throughout the parish in 2008 and the results are summarised in the report. The questionnaire identified that parishioners were most concerned with six priorities. These are listed below:
1. Managing village growth
2. More police presence required
3. More opportunities for youth
4. Improve conditions of roads and pavements
5. Improve parking
6. Measures against speeding
The gathering of information and opinions clearly indicates that local people wish to maintain the essential character of Thorney and its surrounding countryside. The parish has a wealth of features which help to make it an attractive place to live, work and relax and the services and facilities to be found in the village serve many of its local needs.
Against the positive features must be set the negative ones which spoil the quality of life for some residents and which people would like to see improved. In addition to the six priorities above, the section of the report on Planning Needs includes a more extensive schedule of items requiring attention.
Each item has been incorporated into the report’s Action Plan which sets out the issues, aims and actions, preferred timescales and an indication of how items might be funded. In some cases these items will require further substantiation or more comprehensive documentation together with procedures for determining their delivery.
Peterborough City Council and the Parish Council will continue to monitor and up-date the report and act as a steering group but the support of the community and village groups will be essential to developing a more detailed Action Plan and to it achieving its goals.
Photograph extracted from Village Design Statement and taken by Iain and Martha. Shaw