Residents face the future (From Warrington Guardian)

Residents face the future

HARTFORD residents descended on the church hall at the weekend to discuss what factors are fundamental to the village's character.

The event, the Village Characterisation Workshop, was organised by the Hartford Civic Society, with the aim of providing the core ideals to be incorporated in the proposed Village Design Statement (VDS).

Participants at the workshop worked together to list what they felt were the important features, landscapes and buildings that give Hartford its unique character.

This work involved the analysis of maps as well as foot patrols around the village where people photographed any distinctive landmarks.

The information gathered and discussed at the workshop is intended to form the guidelines for the VDS document, which will be put out to further consultation with residents at a later date.

A VDS is designed to protect a village from having its appearance and character changed by future building developments. It is not however about stopping development. Instead it seeks to manage change so that the character of the village remains in keeping with what the residents want.

A successful VDS will be adopted by Vale Royal Borough Council as supplementary planning guidance to work alongside the borough council's Local Plan in deciding if future developments get the go ahead.