The purpose of Wye’s Design Statement is to help guide change in ways that will enhance rather than detract from, the quality of life in the village and its environment. Although it particularly emphasises design it is also concerned with social and economic well-being. The VDS recognizes that, while rooted in a long history, Wye must also seek a vibrant future.

The Wye Village Design Statement is approved Supplementary Planning Guidance to be used in conjunction with The Ashford Borough Local Plan.

Wye Village Design Statement (VDS), although one of a village series, is unique to Wye. It is based on the views of the local community gathered over a two-year period from a series of public meetings, workshops and consultations.

Village Design Statements are the outcome of an initiative taken by the Countryside Commission in 1996. The Commission’s guidelines, set out on page 4 of the advisory booklet Village Design, give the following information.

Purpose

Unlike many other local initiatives, Village Design Statements are intended to influence the operation of the statutory planning system. They will provide a context for new development, based on local character and sense of place.

The purpose of Village Design Statements is to manage change, whether that change is major new development or just cumulative, small-scale additions and alterations. They are not about whether development should take place; that is a job for the local plan. Their concern is about how planned development should be carried out, so that it is in harmony with its setting and contributes to the conservation and, where possible, enhancement, of the local environment.

Objectives

• to describe the distinctive character of the village and the surrounding countryside
• to show how character can be identified at three levels
  • the landscape setting of the village
  • the shape of the settlement
  • the nature of the buildings themselves
• to draw up design principles based on the distinctive local character
• to work in partnership with the local planning authority in the context of existing local planning policy, and to influence future policies