Here are the draft Vision and Objectives, based on your previous feedback. The Parish residents have had the opportunity to give comments and feedback on the Vision & Objectives between the beginning of October 2015 and the middle of February 2016 and the results of this consultation will form the final V&O to be used in our Neighbourhood Plan.

Survey results were gathered online through SurveyMonkey and in hard copy via the Crookham Stores, the Zebon Copse Spa shop and the Zebon Copse Community centre. Thank you to everyone who particpated and we will publish the results when they are in. We appreciate the time that people have taken to give feedback and suggestions, which will all go towards making the end result stronger and fully representative of the Crookham Village Parish community. 

Draft Vision December 2017:

[By 2032,] Crookham Village Parish has developed sustainably and its residents continue to enjoy access to the housing and amenities they need, including affordable housing for younger families and local people. This growth has come from the development of smaller housing sites within or adjacent to the main settlement areas of the Parish.  The Parish remains striking for the high quality of design in keeping with the established characters of the three main settlements (the old village of Crookham Village, Netherhouse Moor and Zebon Copse), and particularly within the conservation areas of Crookham Village, Dogmersfield and the areas adjacent to the Basingstoke Canal conservation area. Traffic management schemes have successfully managed both the pressures on the road network from the recent developments at Watery Lane and Grove Farm.  Similarly, the controlled use of permitted development rights has minimised congestion and the loss of parking spaces, within developments.

The Old Village settlement has preserved its separate identity as an historic Hampshire village.  Its distinctive character, reflecting its long history, linear nature and open space, gives residents their sense of place and attracts visitors to enjoy the rural setting, wildlife, and heritage of listed and contemporary architecture.  The local gaps between the Old Village and the urban areas of Fleet and Church Crookham have been preserved and each settlement within the Parish retains its own character and open and green spaces.

The Parish is surrounded by attractive countryside of high ecological value.  The local community and visitors enjoy and value good access to the countryside and also a network of green infrastructure within the settlements for recreational use.  They are proud of other, less disturbed areas, which they continue to protect for biodiversity and protection of ecosystem services. The significant views including from each side of the Crookham Village conservation area, are protected as an important feature of the parish, preserving the rural backdrop to the Old Village settlement.

Improved cycleways and footpaths connect the Parish settlements, amenities, green space and attractions, supporting sustainable transport within the Parish and providing connections to the wider district. The recreational facilities and green spaces are maintained and enhanced for all residents and visitors to enjoy, supporting good health and quality of life.

 

                    

Draft Objectives December 2017:

The current draft objectives have been refined to:

To support our vision, the Neighbourhood Plan has the following objectives:

Built Environment

Objective: To provide an attractive mix of well-designed and well laid out buildings and infrastructure that are sympathetically integrated into the three main settlements of Crookham Village Parish, so as to minimize their impact on the natural environment, by:

• Maintaining and enhancing the character of the whole of the Crookham Village Parish, in particular Crookham Village Conservation Area.
• Supporting small scale, sustainable and well-designed development which avoids placing an unacceptable strain on the local infrastructure and environment.

• Ensuring that any future development in the Parish is planned and located with particular attention to the visual character of the Parish, the impact on local amenities and infrastructure, sustainability, traffic flow and quality of life, and:
  • respects the semi-rural character of Crookham Village and its landscape setting in open countryside
  • is planned to minimise the impact on the natural environmental, in particular seeking to achieve a net gain of biodiversity
  • is of an appropriate type, scale, density and quality to be in keeping with the characters of each of the separate settlements within the parish and that it contributes towards meeting the needs of the community
  • is designed to complement and integrate with the existing adjacent community of which it will form part
  • protects local gaps and
  • prevents coalescence with the neighbouring settlements of Fleet, Church Crookham or Dogmersfield.
• Ensuring that high quality Green Infrastructure design forms a framework for all new developments.
• Ensuring that SANGS are designed to appeal to a diversity of users including those seeking tranquillity and a natural environment

 

It is expected that future developments will also have their own unique character which will take account of the semi-rural nature of the Parish and the adjacent conservation areas and communities

 

Landscape and Natural Environment

Objective: To maintain a high quality environment with outstanding natural landscapes, a net gain of biodiversity, and a range of good quality green spaces supporting people and wildlife, by:

• Conserving and enhancing the natural environment including by maintaining and establishing important habitats and ecological networks, resilient to current and future pressures, particularly those within the upper Hart Valley which is a key wildlife corridor
• Identifying and designating local open and green spaces which are of significance to the local community
• Reducing the risk of fluvial and surface water flooding throughout the Parish, particularly at Watery Lane, Crondall Road and The Street
• Maintaining the distinctive views and visual connectivity with the surrounding countryside from the Old Village and its rural footpath network
• Providing refuge areas for wildlife susceptible to disturbance ,avoiding impact to ground nesting birds

 

Transport and Movement

Objective: To ensure that our medium-sized, semi-rural parish is accessible and safe for walking and cycling with a safe, efficient free flowing road network, by:

• Minimising the impact of heavy traffic volumes, especially HGV, through Crookham Village Parish
  •  To preserve the character of The Old Village and the listed structures of Malthouse and Poulters Bridges by seeking to avoid increasing the levels of traffic to where it Impacts the quality of the Conservation Area
  • Avoid excessive traffic congestion particularly at local junctions, and especially the ‘rat runs’ from The Street towards the A287 and Hitches Lane to Fleet station at peak times
  • Recognise the narrowness of many local and rural roads, the lack of footways, weight-limited bridges, and vulnerability to tremor of listed buildings, several of which lack foundations
• Improving and extending the current network of cycle paths, footways and public footpaths within the Parish and linking to key services, Fleet and the countryside
• Providing effective control over on-street parking, especially on pavements and where carriageway widths are limited

 

Health, Leisure and Wellbeing

Objective: To establish and maintain a range of leisure and social activities for all ages within the Parish, that make the best use of the area’s qualities and provide opportunities for all the community, ensuring that children can walk and cycle safely to facilities, by:

• Maintaining and expanding the rural footpath network within the Parish to link significant local green spaces to promote health and wellbeing, and to the leisure facilities just outside of the parish boundaries
• Providing opportunities to access the surrounding countryside and wildlife
• Maintaining and enhancing recreational space to support community activities for all ages, to underpin a thriving community for residents and visitors
• Maintaining and preserving areas of tranquility, together with social gathering spaces within the Parish to enhance the mental wellbeing of residents

 

 

 

 

 

The draft objectives have been refined from the 6 Objectives suggested by our community in 2016, which were:

1. Housing

• Provide for a minimum of (figure to be confirmed) new dwellings between 2016 and 2032 in accordance with Hart District Council’s draft Local Plan, whilst ensuring that the overall quantity of development does not put an unacceptable strain on local infrastructure capacity.
• Provide housing on small scale sites (up to approx. 50 dwellings per site) that will accommodate the levels of growth proposed. Encourage developments designed sympathetically to the surroundings, with a mix of dwellings to support the needs of our local people, addressing requirements of first time buyers and the ageing community. Development within the ‘old village’ boundaries should be designed in harmony with the historic character of Crookham Village. Seek opportunities for rural exception schemes.
• Maintain the existing strategic gap between Fleet and Crookham Village, and anywhere else that urban sprawl is likely, in order to prevent coalescence.
• Protect the rural setting and historic character of Crookham Village.
• Ensure that new housing developments prioritise brownfield sites where possible.

2. Education

• Support any proposal for educational facilities within or adjacent to the Parish.
• Work to integrate St Nicholas’ School (as our biggest local employer) more closely into the Parish.

3. The Environment

• Maintain the Parish conservation areas, listed buildings and their settings.
• Protect the existing quality of landscape, encourage local biodiversity and maintain existing green spaces.
• Establish more community woodland for sustainable use of resources.
• Protect identified agricultural land for food production, including allotments.
• Minimise the risk of fluvial and surface water flooding

4. The Local Economy

• Protect existing commercial premises from change of use where existing businesses are of demonstrable benefit to the community
• Encourage the availability of high speed broadband throughout the Parish
• Seek space for a ‘Business Hub’ to support home working

5. Transport and Movement

• Minimise the impact of heavy traffic movement through Crookham Village, to preserve the character of The Street and the single file Malthouse Bridge, by seeking to avoid new developments adding traffic to a road that is already near capacity.
• Encourage the use of public transport and support and encourage bus service provision
• Plan to avoid the use of narrow housing estate roads as ‘rat runs’.
• Promote and maintain the current network of cycle paths, footways and public footpaths.

6. Health, Leisure and Wellbeing

• There is currently one dentist’s surgery, but no medical or pharmaceutical facilities within the parish. Encourage any such provision.
• Continue to support the current Zebon Copse Centre community hall and support additional facilities in the village, such as WI Hall and Social Club.
• Diversify leisure provision for the benefit of older children and adults.