CH10 Eastham Village Conservation Area Policy
In relation to Eastham Village Conservation Area the principal planning objectives for the area will be to:
(i) maintain a sense of separation from the surrounding built-up area through the retention of open spaces around the village core;
(ii) preserve the setting and sense of enclosure afforded by boundary walls, hedges and mature landscaping; and
(iii) preserve the visual setting of the village cross and war memorial and the Church of St. Mary, with its yard and lych-gate.
In considering new proposals within the Area, special attention will be given to preserving the group value of period buildings, the irregular development pattern, and the relationship between the design, scale and setting of property and the use of building materials.
Reasoned justification :
11.31 Eastham Village Conservation Area was designated in April 1974. While many of its historic buildings are Victorian or later, the settlement is mediaeval in origin and the Village still retains its mediaeval street pattern. It is this street pattern and the group value of a rich variety of irregularly clustered period buildings which largely determines the distinctive character of the Area.
11.32 The character and appearance of the Village is in stark contrast to the mundane, planned layout of the modern housing estates nearby. The objective of Policy CH10 is, therefore, not only to retain the distinctive character of the settlement but also to maintain the open or woodland setting of the village and a sense of separation from the surrounding urban area. Policy CH10 also provides for the visual dominance of major focal points within the Village such as the church, and the village cross and war memorial to be preserved.