Vision and Objectives Statement for the Civil Parish of Dinton, Wiltshire

Introduction
This statement sets out the vision and objectives for the Parish of Dinton, as agreed by the Parish Council in relation to development and local planning matters with the Parish. The Parish Council expects developers and Wiltshire Council, as the Local Planning Authority to consult this document when planning applications affecting the parish are considered. Proposers of development should engage with the local community and the Parish Council to ensure that proposals take the views of the local community into account as early in the planning process as possible. The underlying aim of this Vision and Strategy is to safeguard the rural setting of the village, protecting the village from development that does not need to be there.

The Vision
'To sustainably maintain a naturally beautiful rural parish of viable settlements containing a balanced range of high quality and well-designed accommodation, services and employment opportunities; in a way that preserves or improves the overall quality of life and community spirit of current and future parishioners'.

Local Geography
The Civil Parish of Dinton falls within the Unitary Authority of Wiltshire Council, and forms part of the Wilton Community Area, outlined in the Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015). The Parish lies within the Parliamentary Constituency of South West Wiltshire and is bounded by the Parish of Wylye to the North, and Fovant to the South and Teffont to the West. The main transport route through the Parish is the B3089, with the A303 approximately 4 miles to the North and the A30 2.5 miles to the South.

The Exeter to Waterloo railway line runs through the village, however the station closed in 1967 and is no longer in use.

Dinton Civil Parish comprises of the village of Dinton, the hamlet of Baverstock to the East and the small settlement of Marshwood to the North. Dinton village is situated on slightly higher ground overlooking the valley of the River Nadder, which lies approximately half a mile below the village. Dinton lies on the springline at the foot of the greensand escarpment which rises steeply to the north of the village.

The area has been continuously settled since Saxon times and the Manor of Domnitone is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The Parish is set within largely pastoral land countryside, interspersed with agricultural woodland.

The 2011 Census gave the population of Dinton Parish as 696.

Housing
The attractiveness of the built environment within Dinton Parish is reflected in a 	number of designations that can be found within the Settlement Area. The Parish lies wholly within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Cranborne Chase AONB) and designations include Listed Buildings, the Conservation Area, Scheduled Monuments and Areas of Archaeological Interest; the special quality of the rural and built environment acts as a significant constraint to the amount of new development that can be accommodated within the Parish, however outline development for 30 houses at Westfields Business Park has been agreed within saved Policy H10, South Wilts Local Plan 2003.

Dinton is specified as a Large Village in the Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015) and services in the village currently include a Primary School, Pubs, Shop/Cafe, Village Hall, Recreation Ground and Pavilion as well as a number of employment sites.

1.	To provide limited new housing, proportionate to the needs of the Parish to meet local needs including a range of affordable homes.
2.	Proposals for new affordable housing will be expect to:  
1.	be of the appropriate housetype to respond to local needs
2.	be of an appropriate size (in terms of the number of bedrooms) to accommodate local needs
3.	provide affordable homes conditioned for local occupancy.
4.	be indistinguishable from any other new development when included on the same site.
3.	Ensure that any new development is restricted to within the Settlement Boundary, other than in exceptional circumstances, to conserve the character, appearance and countryside setting of the settlements.
4.	Dinton has varied housing stock in terms of dwelling type, size, price and tenure and it is important for the viability of the village that a suitable balance of housing stock is maintained. Therefore, applications that seek to replace under represented building types and sizes with over represented building types will not be supported.
5.	The Wiltshire Council Strategic Housing Market Assessment (2011) demonstrates a need for smaller housing types within the Parish to provide starter homes, and to allow older residents to downsize.
6.	New developments should incorporate the principles of 'Secured By Design' to ensure that a safe and sustainable community is maintained.

Design and Heritage		
Historically, within the Parish, the abundance and variety of Chilmark and Greensand stone ensured a readily accessible supply for building. Many of the older and more historic buildings within Parish were built with this material (as well as Purbeck stone slate roofs) and are still in use today. Later materials used include bricks made locally at the brickworks located at Bratch lane which closed in the 1930s, however more recent additions to the village have used a wide variety of materials with no local connections.  

Dinton Conservation Area was designated in June 1989 and can informally be divided into four areas; St Mary's Church and surroundings, Snow Hill, Hindon Road and the Recreation Ground and the Conservation Area Appraisal (2009) notes the contribution made to the area by the unlisted buildings, as well as those with Listed Status.

1.	All new development must be of a high design quality and should be built to a high architectural standard.

2.	New developments must be sympathetic to the traditional and historic character of the parish, reflecting locally distinctive vernacular architecture while not ignoring contemporary ideas.

3.	Local materials, such as Chilmark and Greensand Stone should be incorporated into new developments wherever possible.   

4.	Dinton is characterised by open spaces and the centre of Dinton is typified by a historic open grain. Retaining these spaces within and between developments is essential to maintaining the rural setting of the village; therefore, infilling between properties is to be discouraged;

5.	The density of any new development should reflect the surrounding area and other than appropriately scaled porches, no other development forward of the existing building line should be proposed. Similarly, roof ridge heights should be in keeping with neighbouring properties.

6.	It is particularly important that any new developments respect the special character and appearance of the Conservation Area and other areas of archaeological, historic or landscape interest. Proposed development in Areas of Archaeological Potential should be subject to investigation before building is allowed to commence.

7.	Any new development should respect the typography of the site, including important views to and from the site.

8.	Development plan should include planting schemes for trees and hedgerows; trees form and important backdrop to many areas of the Parish and play an important role in its character with mature hedges providing important boundaries.

9.	New developments should be built to Lifetime Homes standards, ensuring that they are built with accessibility and adaptability incorporated at the design stage to meet the changing needs of an increasingly elderly population.

Environment
It is important that developers should consider the environmental impact of the building process will have upon the local environment and neighbouring properties as well as the environment as a whole, and not just the environmental impact the property will have when occupied.

1.	All new developments should be making efficient use of natural resources, particularly energy and water, and should be able to mitigate and adapt to climate change, considering possible future issues, for example flood risks from surface run off.

2.	Issues with the capacity of the foul water and sewerage disposal have been identified within the Parish and it is particularly important that all new developments must consider this issue in their design.

3.	Any new development must conserve areas of importance for nature conservation, for example sites of Special Scientific Interest such as	Dinton Railway Cutting as an example.

4.	Use of sustainable energy sources where they are not visually intrusive and will not have a detrimental impact upon the Conservation Area.

5.	In order to prevent excessive light pollution, all development exterior lighting schemes should be minimal, and the use of dormer windows rather than 'Velux' windows is encouraged to prevent light pollution within the Parish, in line with the Cranbourne Chase AONB 'Dark Skies' policy.

Traffic and Transport
The speed, volume and type of traffic travelling through the Dinton has a detrimental effect upon the village and the Community Speed Watch Team continue to work with the Wiltshire Police to encourage safer driving practices within the Parish.  It is acknowledged that in rural locations there will always be a reliance on the use of private transport, however the Parish Council would strongly encourage all businesses and employers in the Parish to produce Green Travel Plans.

1.	The Parish Council will strive to reduce the negative impact of traffic within the village and encourage safe walking and cycling.

2.	The Parish Council would like to see improved access by public transport and other sustainable forms of transport to reduce the movement of vehicular traffic. Further traffic calming, and road safety measures where appropriate would be welcomed.

3.	Ensuring safe pedestrian access is essential, and developers will be expected to contribute towards new footpaths, linking into the existing footpath network as well 	as providing dropped curbs where necessary. Where site access is to be improved, this work should be carried out before building work begins.

4.	It is essential that children living within the parish the village are able to walk to 	school safely, 	particularly those walking along the B3089. Developments that will significantly increase the volume of traffic past or adjacent to the school will not be supported unless these issues can be suitably addressed or mitigated.

Community and Employment
Dinton Parish contains a number business and employment areas centred on redundant defence buildings; these house a range of businesses and provide important local employment opportunities and are vital to ensuring a healthy and sustainable community.

Dinton Recreation Ground lies in the heart of the village and provides a much-valued opened space for sport and recreation, along with two play areas for children. Dinton Park, owned by the National Trust is a larger area of open access parkland. The National Trust are also responsible for a number of footpaths within the Parish and in total own approximately 150 acres (60 hectares) of land.

1.	Support and protect existing employment areas.

2.	Ensure that up to date communication services are available to both householders and businesses.

3.	Maintain and where possible enhance community and recreation facilities within the village including existing areas of open space and working in partnership to protect permissive and public rights of way and areas amenity.