Guidance aiming to ‘protect the identity’ of the Isle of Wight’s ‘historic high streets’ will be considered by councillors this week.
The Economy, Regeneration, Transport and Infrastructure Committee (ERTIC) will decide whether to move forward with the draft Commercial Frontages Design Guide.
Design Guide adopted in 2022
County Hall adopted the Historic England funded Newport and Ryde Commercial Frontages Design Guide in 2022 which officers say ‘helped to secure better outcomes within the two town centres’.
Expand to all designated town centres
They are now seeking to expand the Supplementary Planning Document’s (SPD) geographical scope to encompass all ‘designated town centres and conservation areas across the Island’.
SPDs provide extra detail to policies within the Island’s local plan and can be used to ‘provide further guidance for development on specific sites or on particular issues, such as design’, according to the council.
They can also be a ‘material consideration in planning decisions’.
Protecting the identity of historic high streets
The draft Commercial Frontages Design Guide says,
“This document aims to protect the identity of our historic high streets. Please use this guide to celebrate our local heritage and encourage use of our town centres for many years to come.
“The Design Guide was produced as part of the Newport and Ryde Heritage Action Zones to support regeneration of both town centres but written with the intention to be relevant to all Island conservation areas and designated town centre boundaries.
“This user-friendly document is intended to promote positive change across the Island. It is based on Ryde and Newport’s history but also looks to the future.
“Written to be accessible for everyone but also useful to specialists, it includes a building-led process to help non-specialists research their building and understand how to restore it. It also includes technical guidance for designers and craftspeople.”
ERTIC will decide whether to approve the publication of the draft Commercial Frontages Design Guide for public consultation.
It will meet at County Hall on Thursday at 5pm.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
