Barkham Village Design Statement (VDS)

Please click here to see the Barkham Village Design Statement. This was adopted by Wokingham Borough Council as a Supplementary Planning Document on 26th July 2007.

The size of the document is about 6 MB. If you do not have a broadband connection it will take approximately 35 minutes to download

A village design statement (VDS) is a document prepared by local people to provide design criteria for the appearance of new buildings, including extensions, so that they blend with the local environment and reflect local character.

The concept of a village design statement for Barkham was first presented at the Barkham Annual Parish Meeting on 12th April 2005. An open meeting to consider the concept in more detail was held on 18th October 2005 in Barkham Village Hall.

A VDS Group of 14 volunteers was formed, the first meeting being held on 21st November 2005. Over the following weeks team members undertook an initial photographic survey and assessment of village character, with the findings being used as the basis for a draft paper.

As the project progressed, there was extensive local consultation, including a VDS Open Day at Barkham Village Hall on 8th July 2006 at which the findings of the VDS Group as to local character and the proposed design guidelines were presented to local residents. The materials on display included large scale maps and a large number of photographs.

After further consultation and drafting, a final version of the VDS was formally submitted to Wokingham Borough Council on 19th January 2007, and it was adopted by WBC as a Supplementary Planning Document on 26th July 2007.

As a Supplementary Planning Document, the VDS has to be taken into account by WBC planning department when making decisions about Barkham planning applications. It will also have material weight at planning appeals.

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