CH13 Gayton Conservation Area Policy
In relation to Gayton Conservation Area the principal planning objectives for the area will be to:
(i) preserve the character and scale of a small farming township in a woodland setting at the urban fringe;
(ii) retain unifying features, such as unmade paths and country lanes, boundary walls and hedges;
(iii) preserve the wooded and open grounds of the Gayton Hall estate; and
(iv) retain and enhance the sequence of open views to the Dee Estuary and the North Wales coast beyond.
New uses should respect and retain the quiet, rural character of the Area.
Reasoned justification :
11.39 Gayton Village Conservation Area was designated in April 1979. While the original settlement is of mediaeval origin and can be traced back to the Domesday Book, the oldest buildings which remain relate to the seventeenth century.
11.40 The Area contains much of the original township and largely retains the character of a small farming community, based around the manorial estate of Gayton Hall. This appearance is enhanced by the scale and character of the buildings themselves, their vernacular form and construction in common local materials, their relationship to the Hall, with its extensive grounds, and their wooded, rural setting. Set within the Dee Coast Area of Special Landscape Value the Village also offers attractive views across the Dee Estuary.
11.41 Policy CH13 provides for the rural charm and woodland setting of the Area to be preserved, including distinctive features, such as cobbled streets, unmade paths and country lanes, boundary walls, hedges and cottage gardens, and views across the Dee. It also excludes uses which would be out of keeping with the quiet, domestic character of the settlement.