Bosham Village design statement: Public consultation.

A Bosham Village Design Statement describes the essential characteristics of our village, those that are worth keeping and what changes are acceptable. It should thus take some of the subjectivity out of planning decisions. Before seeking adoption the draft document will be given the widest possible exposure for public consultation and it is now planned that this should take place between 1st April and 13th May to allow for maximum involvement.

Bosham Parish Council is seeking responses from Bosham residents to a draft Village Design Statement. It has been drawn up a team of volunteers from the Parish Council and the Bosham Association, supported by Chichester District Council's Design Team and Chichester Harbour Conservancy. It is hoped that this will be adopted by Chichester District Council as formal Supplementary Planning Guidance and be used within the planning system. It will assist with the management of change and will give detailed design guidance based on the distinctive character of the Parish of Bosham.

Character change is not only brought about by new infill buildings or large-scale developments, but also by multiple smaller-scale developments and alterations such as domestic extensions or replacement dwellings. These are, of course, currently scrutinized during the planning process, but the Design Statement should give added guidance to those who propose development or who may wish to object.

There are currently guidelines for the Conservation Area, which will be brought up to date and included in the overall document. There are also design guidelines published by the Conservancy for developments within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and these have been taken into account in this new document which addresses the whole parish area.

Those wishing to view and possibly comment upon the text may find it in .pdf format here (large file)

In addition to the text, there will be maps showing how the parish is divided into different character areas. Photographs illustrating each of seven character areas by which the village has been described may be found in the ‘Picasa’ files also reached via these WebPages.

Please email any comments on the draft to: rcj.pratt@tiscali.co.uk  by 13th May 2024.

Dick Pratt. April 1 2024