Original Amport and East Cholderton Village Design Statement

This Village Design Statement was submitted to Test Valley Borough Council in Nov 1999. It is now being revised - if you have comments or input, please contact Neville Geake Email:

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Village Green
3. The Pillhill Brook
4. The Hawk Conservancy
5. Watercress Beds
6. Amport House
7. Amport Church of England aided Primary School
8. St Mary's Church, Amport
9. Amport Inn
10. Architecture
11. Roads
12. Open Countryside
13. Wildlife Habitat
14. Low Cost Housing
15. General
16. The Future
17. Summary of Recommendations

Introduction

The aim of this design statement is to record, for the benefit of Test Valley Borough Council in particular, and developers and villagers in general, the features of the two villages which are regarded as important to those who live there.

Both villages are, for the most part, included in Test Valley Borough Council's (TVBC) Conservation Area Plan which should be read in conjunction with this document as it records in detail the settlement history and village appraisal of the two villages, as well as the village of Monxton, all of which are linked by the Pillhill Brook which ultimately flows into the River Test.

Amport is a straggling village centred around its village green, adjacent to its school and to the Pillhill Brook, all of which are much valued assets to the village and its inhabitants. It lies almost entirely within a Conservation Area and large areas around the Pillhill Brook are designated Important Open Areas and Landscape Features in TVBC's Local Plan.

East Cholderton borders the Pillhill Brook, below Mullens Ponds, near Thruxton. In earlier times, before the present level of abstraction, the brook was a popular summer swimming and bathing venue. This village is also almost totally protected by the Conservation Area Plan.

It seems logical therefore to link these two villages in the one Design Statement as they have as their common thread, the link of the Pillhill Brook and the Conservation Area Plan.

Other special considerations for the villages are the Hawk Conservancy, Amport House, the disused watercress beds, which are about to be converted into a trout fishing lake and stock ponds, the village school, the village church and the village inn, with its own green facing up the valley of the brook towards Monxton. It is now worth considering these in detail.

The Village Green:

The Village Green is at the heart of Amport and lies between the Pillhill Brook and the village school, whose children use it for sport and recreation. It is the site of Amport's annual village fete and also the Scout's annual fete and is a popular venue for young and old alike. The Parish Council have recently been offered custody of a parcel of land, which will extend the village green beyond its present borders, on a carrier of the Pillhill Brook, to the main brook itself. The green is bordered to the south by a collection of residential cottages, many of which are old and picturesque listed buildings. The green and its surroundings are therefore very sensitive to inappropriate development.

This little river rises to the north of East Cholderton and is the common thread between the villages of East Cholderton and Amport, running as it does through the length of the two villages. It is a haven for wildlife and is a much loved feature of both villages offering fine rural vistas along its valley. The Pillhill Brook is a tributary of the River Test, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as designated by English Nature. Unfortunately, due to lack of resources, the tributaries of the River Test have not been so designated, but we believe, nevertheless, they should be designated Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCS) by Hampshire County Council. So important is the Brook to village outlook, that we would recommend it should be protected as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) by the MAFF throughout its length and that a buffer strip, of at least twenty metres wide, as defined by ESAs, should be established along its length. In this connection buffer strips for tributaries should, in general, be greater than those for main rivers, especially when feeding into an important SSSI such as the River Test. Furthermore, under TVBC's Local Plan, we believe that the whole of the length of the Pillhill Brook's borders, should be included as Important Open Area and Landscape Feature, since there are illogical gaps in this at present, notably at East Cholderton and at the borders with Monxton. (See local plan; maps 9,13, and 23.)

The Hawk Conservancy: 

This internationally acclaimed conservancy for predatory birds, is located in the village of Amport and is much valued by villagers, who are allowed free access to it during its open season of March to October. It also attracts visitors from all over the world to witness its fine collection of birds of prey and their flying displays. The present owner, Mr Ashley Smith, who inherited it from his father, the founder, has enlarged and improved it and developed areas for nature conservation within its relatively modest boundaries. This site should be preserved and protected as a natural asset to the village and the nation at large and should be designated as a Site of Importance to Nature Conservation ( SINC) by Hampshire County Council.

Watercress Beds: 

As previously mentioned, approval has been granted to turn the disused watercress beds at East Cholderton into a trout, fishing lake with a hatchery and stock ponds. We believe it is essential that this site, with its powerful springs supplying the Pillhill Brook, should be kept as an aquatic amenity , so that its springs may continue to supply the brook. It should never be developed for residential use.

Amport House is the only really large house in the village of Amport. It was designed and built in 1857 by William Burn, an eminent Victorian architect, for the Marquis of Winchester. Its fine gardens, lime walks and terraces were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, while the planting scheme of the garden was drawn up by Miss Gertrude Jekyll. The house was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force at the start of the Second World War and was bought for them in 1957. Amport House is now the Chaplains School for the Three Services and has recently been extended to accommodate the Army Chaplains. The beautiful setting and tranquillity of the site, with its parkland to the south, make it ideal for this role and it is to be hoped that it will never be relinquished to some commercial organisation.

Amport Church of England aided Primary School: 

The village school was built by Mrs Sheppard, the young widow of the Rev. Dr Thomas Sheppard, in 1815. She also built the row of almshouses next to the school, for six poor widows of the parish. The school was extended in 1898 and further extended in 1999. Amport Village school has a catchment area far beyond the village of Amport and is much acclaimed for its educational excellence and its strong musical tradition.

St Mary's Church, Amport: 

The original church, which was probably built of timber, dated from 1217 and was thatched. No trace of it remains. A new church was built between 1320 and 1330, constructed of flint with a square central tower, much of which stands to this very day. The church has six bells and the oldest two of which date from 1662, though there had been bells before this. The original entrance to the church was from the south leading to the drive to Amport house. This was changed in 1866 to its present northerly entrance onto Furzedown Lane, when the church was modernised by the Marquis of Winchester and the thatched roof replaced by tiles.

Amport Inn: 

In earlier times the village inn was located in Wiremead lane in the house now called Fleur de Lys. The present inn had housed the coachman to the Marquis of Winchester, with the stables located next door in what is now the Old Barn. Early in the twentieth century the inn was established in its present site and was extended and modernised in the 1980s by its landlord Michael Callaghan, who also acquired the green opposite, bordering the Pillhill Brook with spectacular views up the valley. This green has been used on occasion for a "Village Do" as an alternative to the village fete. The inn with its view of the valley remaining as unobstructed as possible, should be retained for posterity .

Architecture: 

The old part of Amport village is largely centred around the green and to the east towards Monxton. The houses are predominately a mix of 17th/18th century thatched cottages, small terraces and Victorian houses, with more recent 20th century additions. In Sarsons Close there is an estate of modern sheltered houses with fine views over the agricultural land which surrounds them. This general mix of style makes an attractive visual impact, set as it is, in an essentially rural background. The same is generally true of East Cholderton. It is important that developments should never be allowed to be overbearing on their neighbours and must always be in keeping with the overall background. Two recent large house additions in Green Lane in Monxton stand as reproof to such tasteless development.

Roads: 

The villages have no pavements nor street lighting, but enjoy pleasant green verges and low hedgerows in many areas. The villagers would not wish to see this changed.

Industrial Development: 

Industrial development in rural residential areas of the Parish should be avoided as there is industrial property lying vacant within minutes of the villages without the need to develop further sites within the residential areas of the parish.

Open Countryside: 

Most important of all to the villagers, is the desire to retain the visual impact of open rural countryside. Developments which impair natural views should be resisted and landowners should be mindful of the need to respect natural outlook across open land as far as possible. The importance of open agricultural land and river valley vistas, are socially highly important and this aspect applies throughout the length and breadth of Amport Parish as a whole.

Wildlife Habitat: 

The Pillhill Brook, in particular, is home to a wide variety of wildlife. It is a natural chalk stream and has held stocks of brown trout from time immemorial. It is also home to that endangered species the water vole. Along the valley many aquatic birds live and breed. To mention just a few; kingfishers nest in the wooded valley near the village green and red shanks, plover, mallard, greylag and Canada geese, regularly breed here as do moorhens and coots and even the occasional water rail. In this connection it is important that the trees and woods identified in the Conservation Area Plan should be rigorously protected, and indeed wooded areas throughout the Parish should be maintained and not thinned out without a replanting programme.

Low Cost Housing: 

In common with most villages in rural England, many small cottages have been sold or amalgamated for the benefit of retired people outside the village. This has caused a shortage of low cost housing in villages, which should be for indigenous villagers if possible. Local Plan policy C5 is relevant in this regard.

General:

This brief Village Statement does not seek to be fully comprehensive, but addresses only the major features of the villages, which are regarded as important and need full protection into the foreseeable future. It does not, for example, state the truism that open agricultural land should be preserved, that boundaries should be respected and that building development should, in general, be confined to derelict conversions, so as to preserve the essentially rural aspect of the villages.

The Future: 

It is hoped that this Village Design Statement for the villages of Amport and East Cholderton will be adopted by TVBC and be reflected in future revisions of the local plan. It is further hoped that the sentiments, as well as the matter contained in this paper, will be borne in mind by all concerned in considering future planning applications in the Parish of Amport.

Summary of Recommendations: