Pattern and content of the settlement

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Pattern and content of the settlement

Highways and footpaths

The community has developed along through routes that cross in the centre of the village. Today all roads are metalled and some have pavements or grass verges. Characteristically street name signs do not mark most of the roads in Abbotts Ann. Most of the older properties in the centre of the village have no off-street parking, and dense car parking in Red Rice Road impedes buses and other large vehicles. The narrow village streets make poor thoroughfares and are particularly unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles. In any new development, the provision of off-street parking is vital, and where possible this should be hidden from view. For the sake of safety, especially in the area of the village school, it would be preferable to avoid a material increase in the traffic flow through the village. With the exception of lights outside the old people's bungalows at Bulbery and the attractive lamp posts along Church Path, there are no street lamps in the village and this limits the amount of light pollution generated. This is widely regarded as an important part of the character of the village, and the majority of villagers feel that further street lighting should be discouraged. Many of the footpaths within the village and surrounding countryside are historic and much-valued rights of way, some sport kissing gates. Existing footpaths should be maintained and consideration given to the addition of a new footpath cut between Little Ann and Cattle Lane and a second to run alongside the PilIhill Brook.

Important open spaces

Fields and other open spaces reach right into the centre of the village enhancing its rural atmosphere of quiet tranquillity and providing much of its character. These areas provide a mixture of agricultural land (for both crops and grazing), paddocks and playing fields. The water meadows adjacent to the church and continuing between Little Ann and Cattle Lane are a much-loved feature of the village. As are the Glebe lands that lie east of the Old Coach Road. The open setting of the Old Rectory, adjacent to the churchyard and the water meadows, is one of the distinctive (continued next page)

LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

  1. None of the existing ancient hedgerows should be removed.
  2. The mature trees and footpaths should be protected.
  3. All of the wooded areas and pastureland that form the open spaces should be conserved in order to protect the habitats for the diverse flora and fauna; the harmonious balance between nature and people should be maintained.
  4. The setting of the village should be protected. The natural gap between the settlement of Abbotts Ann and the urban area of Andover should be maintained, and consideration given to extending the Conservation Area to encompass the important open spaces within the village and in the surrounding countryside.
  5. The distinctive character of Little Park and the opportunities it affords for horticulture and other small-scale farming should be maintained.