As announced at the Annual Village Meeting on the 24thMay, 2018 the Parish Council is proposing to create a Parish Design Statement. This is a document that would be adopted by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). It would aim to influence future development within the Parish so that it is in harmony with its setting and local character.

A critical requirement of a Parish Design Statement is that it is created by a team of people with various interests and experiences, from across the Parish and not just by the Parish Council. In fact for it to be officially adopted as an SPD it must have more residents than councillors involved in its creation.

A Parish Design Statement aims to do the following: 

  • Describes the distinctive character of the village and the surrounding countryside
  • Draws up design principles based on that character
  • Helps residents and planners understand local issues
  • Influences future design policies
  • Supports good planning once adopted as a SPD by the local authority

So, we need your help

If you are interested in being part of the Parish Design Statement Team then please get in touch. We would be keen to talk to people with experience in planning and architecture, but also people who know the landscapes and history of the Parish. Perhaps most importantly we would like to hear from people who want to take an active role in shaping the future of Easebourne Parish.

What might the project involve?

There is a lot of information to share, but to give a flavour for what is involved, the project will include matters such as:

  • Researching our surroundings, Parish history, the character of the Parish, what residents like and what we don’t like –

From building design to green spaces, from views within the Parish to street signage, from types of hedges to building materials and everything in between.

  • Researching the great and not so great examples of other Parish Design Statements.

We are not the first Parish to do this, we can learn a lot from those who have already been through the process.

  • Planning activities including organised group walks to study the landscape, projects for all age groups to take photos of what they like and what they don’t like in our Parish, questionnaires for residents, fact finding with neighbouring Parishes.

Next steps?

  1. Register your interest in being involved by emailing parishclerk@easebourne.orgor via our website https://easebourne.org/services/volunteering/
  2. We intend to hold a briefing meeting for all those residents interested in conjunction with the SDNPA
  3. Following that meeting we will agree the scope of the project and allocate initial tasks
  4. We need to have our team in place and research underway by the end of August 2018
  5. The SDNPA has agreed to provide direct support from September 2018, including a new ‘Toolkit’ that will provide essential guidance in creating the final document.

Any questions?

Please don’t hesitate to email parishclerk@easebourne.orgor call 07342 166188 for more information.