4.0 Settlement Pattern Character, Buildings & Spaces Speen has developed into four general zones which include the old part of the village, the A4 Bath Road corridor, Speen Lane to the east of the old railway cutting with its side roads and the new developments to the north of the A4. The latter two zones have mainly been developed in the last 50 years. The character of a village is defined not just by the buildings, walls and trees but also the spaces and views between them as these contribute to the setting of the buildings. The old part of the village is centred on the western ends of Speen Lane and developments on the north and south of the A4 Bath Road and is largely within the Conservation Area. The Ordnance Survey map of 1880 clearly shows that this was the total village at that time. Although Speen has undergone considerable residential expansion in recent years, the old part of the village and Conservation Area retain a sense of significant historical and architectural quality. The aerial photograph of the village on the centre pages illustrates, among other things, the boundaries of the village and the Conservation Area Open spaces and important views into, out of and within the village are also identified. Old Farmhouse and Granary Most of the public buildings and all of the 18 Listed Buildings (buildings identified by English Heritage as being of special architectural or historic interest).are in the old part of the village. Some of these have been referred to elsewhere but include the Church, Post Office, Parish Hall and one Public House/Hotel. The Parish Hall was constructed in 1886 and is a classic Victorian red brick building with high roof and a tower and is very well used today. The Hare and Hounds Public House with its hipped old tile roof was built in 1756 but there are records of an “Ale House” being on the site before this. The post office is shown on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map and is a low two storey building which currently has the brickwork painted. Many of the old building names and certain road names have links back into the history of the village from the 18th century. Houses in the Old Part of Speen In the old part of the village two storey houses of Georgian and Victorian construction are common along with several post-war residential properties. The prominent external building materials include orange/red bricks, laid in Flemish bond with salt glazed grays used as headers. Render and lime wash finish are also common. Roofs are generally tiled using handmade clay tiles, but there are also many of slate. There are many examples of English and Flemish bond boundary walling, some with flint inset patterns. A feature of the buildings in this part of the village is that they are generally placed close to the roads with associated gardens to the rear. This gives a feeling of enclosure, particularly in Speen Lane. Within some of these old walls are some very attractive gates or doorways that add a certain charm or secrecy to the enclosure. The groups of houses on either side of the A4 Bath Road including those in Cromwell Terrace and Essex Place with their irregular placement and individual styles are also a key feature. The more recent buildings in the old part of the village have been low density redevelopments of older properties or small new developments such as in Kimbers Drive or the serviced properties for senior citizens in Marshalls Court. The latter is an excellent example of fitting the new in with the old. Houses in Old Part of Village		Richmond House The eastern end of Speen Lane was developed over about a 20 year period from the 1960’s into predominantly detached family homes. It comprises a single line development of individualistic houses to the south of the road and some infill across to the Bath Road to the north in the grounds of former large properties. Here the two replacement developments offer a range of detached and terraced houses in popular ‘Georgian’ style with bay windows and small panes. The houses on the north side of the Lane have a greater variety of styles and have larger gardens. The houses are set further back from the road than at the west end of Speen Lane giving a feeling of openness. The single line development to the south offers some fine views out to the Kennet Valley beyond. Development on both sides of the A4 presents a mainly built-up, hard frontage close to the back edge of the footway. Where buildings are set back, hard boundary treatments, such as fences, railings or walls, define the road edge. The developments to the north of the A4 Bath Road between Brummell Road and the recreation ground were again built in the 1960’ and 1970’s. These dwellings form an area of higher density with a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses and a group of 80 flats in 5 blocks. The majority of the houses in this area are part of a larger estate that is divided in two by Brummell Road. All to the west are in Speen and to the east are in Newbury. With the higher density development, gardens are smaller and little land has been left for open spaces, landscaping or communal planted tree areas. Buildings are set back along uniform building lines with pavements and some grass verges within the highway. Open plan or low enclosed front gardens are the norm and there are a good variety of street trees in Brummell Road, particularly the flowering cherries. Some smaller cul-de-sac developments have taken place in various parts of the village the most prominent of these being The Sydings, Winterton Drive and Caunter Road (which were all built on the disused Newbury to Lambourn railway line), Manor Place and Kimbers Drive. With the exception of Caunter Road these developments are all modern, predominantly detached, family houses. The Sydings and Winterton Drive houses are brick built with some wooden beam features and steep clay tiled roofs. Both developments are well screened by trees or high hedges. Kimbers Drive houses are brick built open fronted with partial panel wood facades and steep tiled roofs. The houses in Manor Place are all detached in the Georgian style and are more similar to the developments at the east end of Speen Lane. Caunter Road has a mixture of town houses, and individual dwellings generally built to a common style of red brick with some painted rendered finish and grey slate effect roofing. The development includes small bungalows. Small developments of houses built by the Local Authority after the Second World War also feature in Speen. The main groups are those in Majendie Close and on the Lambourn Road. The houses are traditional red brick with high clay tiled roofs. These houses fit well into their surroundings. Cedar Tree in Speen Hill Close One of the important features of Speen is the retention of hedges and trees. This is particularly so in the older part of the village and all the way down Speen Lane and the Old Bath Road but is also a feature in the newer, smaller developments mentioned above. There are some excellent individual specimen trees, many of which have preservation orders on them. These include wellingtonia, pine, cypress, yew and oak. There are considerable numbers of evergreens within the village, especially in the older gardens and these give character, particularly in the winter months when they tend to dominate. Stable Cottage
4.1 Planning Guidance Due to the variety of housing and development styles in different areas of Speen some of the following guidelines are area specific. General PG 6.   Buildings on infill plots should be of individual design, and should be designed to be well integrated to reflect the landscape character of the area       PG 7.   Any future development should be designed to conserve and where possible enhance the character of the village such as its rural nature, quality, diversity and heritage       PG 8.   Existing mature tree belts and hedgerows which mark the edge of the existing village should be retained and, where appropriate, reinforced to preserve the setting of the existing village           Layout       PG 9.   Any new development should take into account the scale, siting and layout of its surroundings.       PG 10.   The siting of new buildings should be examined from all directions. Developers should provide perspective (isometric) drawings or artists impressions to show how new developments, extensions and conversions would appear in relation to their overall surroundings and adjacent properties.       PG 11   Any redevelopment along the western ends of Speen Lane and the Bath Road should reflect the linear frontage form of development, and new buildings should be sited close to the road frontage to maintain the sense of enclosure.       PG 12.   Developments to the southern side of Speen Lane should retain the predominantly single frontage form of development.       PG 13.   Any redevelopment along the A4 should be designed to provide an attractive frontage to that road and should not present a harsh, impenetrable visual or physical barrier.           Buildings       PG 14.   Developers should respect and enhance the architectural quality and variety in the street scene.       PG 15.   Where practicable re-use of larger detached properties set in spacious grounds should be sought as an alternative to demolition and re-development in order to preserve the visual character and landscape setting of such properties and their surroundings. This could apply to conversion to both residential and commercial use.		PG 16.   Extensions and alterations, as well as new buildings, should use materials and be of a design compatible with original and adjacent buildings       PG 17.   New buildings in the older part of the village should be domestic in scale, one and a half to two storeys in height, of brick construction and appropriately detailed. Roofs should be steeply pitched and generally covered in plain clay tiles.           Views and Spaces       PG 18.   The open spaces within the village and views into and out of the village (see map) are essential parts of the character of the village. Any new developments (including infill or extensions) should conserve and, where possible, enhance these elements       PG 19.   Infill developments and extensions to existing buildings should take into account gaps that provide views to surrounding countryside or open spaces within the village.       PG 20.   Any conversion of existing buildings for commercial use should be undertaken sympathetically and in a way that reflects the local character of the village.       PG 21   Open spaces, including garden areas that have the potential to encourage a variety of wildlife should, where practicable, be positively managed to provide appropriate habitats       PG 22.   Any development in the estate area north of the Bath Road and west of Brummell Road should take note of the need to include and improve on landscaping and communal areas. Opportunities arise for the planting of larger indigenous trees but adequate space must be left for them to grow to maturity.       PG 23.   The allotments should be preserved for present and future generations.           Boundaries       PG 24.   New accesses should be designed to minimize the loss of boundary vegetation and achieve an appropriate balance between highway safety and amenity.       PG 25.   Hedges and trees are an essential part of the character of Speen further enhancing the rural atmosphere. These should be conserved and reinforced through new planting in any new development whether small or large. In addition, hedges or a combination of hedges and low walls or railings should be used in preference to fences particularly on street frontages and where the property boundary adjoins open land       PG 26.   Any new development on the edge of the village should conserve or enhance the soft landscaped edge by the provision of appropriate tree and hedgerow planting. Hard edges of walls, fences or other structures should be avoided.