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The Community Heritage Initiative is a partnership project between the Council and English Heritage to encourage the local community to get involved with and understand their historic surroundings. CHIP aims to encourage a "grass roots" approach to conservation through this collaborative approach. The initiative is the first one its kind in the South East region and has been made possible by a grant from English Heritage.
The partnership has appointed The Conservation Studio as the heritage consultants to run the project. Together with local authority officers they are developing training programmes and working with volunteers to "grow" their own skills. The CHIP project has a number of objectives including undertaking conservation studies and appraisals in key conservation areas, gathering valuable heritage information and developing a framework that can be used in other conservation areas within Elmbridge and across the region. The four key conservation areas that were identified for the project as being most under pressure from development are Bridge Road and Old Village in East Molesey and Monument Green and the Town Centre in Weybridge.
A conservation area is defined as "an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance" The designation, review, protection and management are part of the statutory duties of Elmbridge Borough Council as the local planning authority. However community involvement is essential in understanding the special nature and different issues for each conservation area. Conservation Area Character Appraisals and Management Proposals provide written definition, analysis and appraisal of what makes an area special, it also identifies and recommends actions for protection and improvement. The documents will be used by planners and the local community as a basis for understanding the area, informing decision making, monitoring and management.
Project work began in Spring 2005, with a series of training workshops for volunteers in East Molesey and Weybridge. The Working Groups included local residents, representatives from a variety of historical, amenity and conservation societies [including the Conservation Area Advisory Committees] and officers from Elmbridge Borough Council, Surrey County Council and English Heritage. The conservation studio was appointed as the heritage consultants to facilitate the project, organise training workshops and co-ordinate & produce the documents. Collaborative working has produced a series of draft, consultation and final conservation area documents. The final documents for the four areas will be posted on the Council's website and a number will be published and made available for reference and to purchase. A Project Report of the Elmbridge CHIP project is available and can be downloaded by selecting on the link below.
|CHIP Project Report - July 2006
East Molesey
Character Appraisals and Management Proposals for both Bridge Road and Old Village Conservation Areas have been completed by the Working Group. These were the subjects of a 6-week period of wider public consultation in December 2005. Letters were sent to all addressees within and adjacent to the conservation area including a map of the existing conservation area and proposed changes, guidance leaflets on conservation areas and contact information including an on-line consultation form. A public exhibition was held at the local parish hall and then in the Civic Centre. A number of responses were received from residents and organisations, which have informed the final documents. These were all positive and generally supportive of the findings and proposed initiatives. A small extension was proposed to Old Village CA to include good quality commercial properties at 54-62 [even] Walton Road. No objections have been received and the East Molesey CAAC has confirmed their support and willingness to administer this additional area. The documents were considered by & endorsed by the Planning Committee on 18th April 2006. The documents are available to download in pdf format and are available to purchase in printed form.
Weybridge
The Working Group has completed the draft Character Appraisal and Management Proposals for Monument Green and Weybridge Town Centre. These have been the subject of a similar period of public consultation which commenced in May to July 2006 in Weybridge Library and the Civic Centre in Esher. A number of positive responses were received which informed the final document. Small extensions were proposed to the Weybridge Town centre to include Nos 1-5 (inclusive) Minorca Road, Nos 1-12 (inclusive) Limes Road and No 4 Balfour Road. The documents were considered by and endorsed by the Planning Committee on 14th November 2006 and Council on 6th December 2006. The documents can be purchased in printed form at a cost of £5.00 each or are available to download in pdf format.
The documents can be downloaded by selecting from the links below
|East Molesey Old Village Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals document
East Molesey Bridge Road Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals document |Molesey doc - Part 1 | |Molesey doc - Part 2
|Weybridge Monument Green Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals document
Weybridge Town Centre Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Proposals document |Weybridge doc - Part 1 | |Weybridge doc - Part 2
If you require any further information, please contact either our Principal Landscape and Heritage Officer, or Conservation Officer within the |Town Planning Division.