Planning and Design Brief
Hinton Hotel, Catisfield Lane, Catisfield
Appendix 2
Extract from the Catisfield Conservation Area Character Assessment (September 2003)
Settlement Pattern and Building Form
The older core of the village remains relatively free from intrusive modern development and still possesses a rural feel and character that contrasts with the later development surrounding it.
The pattern of development in the conservation area is noticeably different from that of nearby modern development. The buildings range in size from small houses, including terraced properties, to a few larger properties set in substantial plots. On the south side of Catisfield Road this historic character extends eastwards to the junction with Highlands Road. The character of Catisfield Lane becomes more rural in nature as it leads west, the pavements narrowing and kerbs reducing in height on the north side of the road. At the junction with Fishers Hill there are no pavements and the road takes the form of a country lane as it starts to descend Fishers Hill. The absence of pavements makes a significant contribution to the character of the lane at this point. The tall wall on the inside of the bend, tight to the road, also contributes to character. Accesses to backland plots on the south side of Catisfield Lane are low key and informal gravel tracks
The smaller houses on the street frontage, particularly the two rows of terraces that front Catisfield Lane, are set close to the edge of the road following a traditional urban form with front doors facing directly to the street. The older core of the village remains relatively free from intrusive modern development and still possesses a rural feel and character that contrasts with the later development surrounding it.
The pattern of development in the conservation area is noticeably different from that of nearby modern development. The buildings range in size from small houses, including terraced properties, to a few larger properties set in substantial plots. On the south side of Catisfield Road this historic character extends eastwards to the junction with Highlands Road. The character of Catisfield Lane becomes more rural in nature as it leads west, the pavements narrowing and kerbs reducing in height on the north side of the road. At the junction with Fishers Hill there are no pavements and the road takes the form of a country lane as it starts to descend Fishers Hill. The absence of pavements makes a significant contribution to the character of the lane at this point. Buildings are set close to the front boundary of the plot, often with long narrow gardens to the rear. The houses do not directly abut the pavement edge as they do in nearby Titchfield village but are separated from it by small front gardens. The only exception is the Post Office which directly fronts the road on the corner of Fishers Hill.
A sense of enclosure to the street is maintained by the brick walls that directly abut the road or the back edge of the pavement. These create small semi-private gardens at the front of many of the houses. The pedestrian gates to these properties open directly onto the road or pavement forming a close relationship with the street. There are four large older houses in the conservation area which, with the exception of Catisfield House, are set in large gardens that flank the street. Catisfield House has been closely surrounded by later infill and has lost its garden setting. Where these large gardens adjoin the street a sense of enclosure is retained with continuous walls and hedges of varying heights abutting the road or pavement.
The close relationship of buildings and walls to the street is essential to the established character of the conservation area. It should be preserved and encouraged in any new development that affects the character of the conservation area
Architectural Details/ Materials
The older buildings in the conservation area are constructed of a variety of local materials and possess some distinctive architectural features that contribute to character.
The predominant building material in the conservation area is local red brick which became widespread in the early eighteenth century. This material contributes to the established character of both the older buildings and their boundary walls. The bricks were traditionally laid in a variety of bonds that add to the interest of the buildings. The front elevation of the post office and the nearby row of cottages use a Flemish bond with distinctive locally made blue/ grey headers alternating with red stretchers to create a decorative chequered pattern. Catisfield House and Elm Cottage are both rendered and painted. Catisfield House possesses some distinctive and ornate architectural details. A noticeable feature of the conservation area is the number of walls. These vary in both height and detail. Many feature special brick or stone copings of various styles such as the half round brick coping seen on the front wall of the terrace at 42-50 Catisfield Lane. Their continuity and variety is important to the character of the conservation area.
Red clay tiles with a characteristic double
camber, which gradually superseded the use of thatch in this part
of Hampshire, are the predominant roofing material. The presence
of chimneys is also an important characteristic of the older
buildings, some of which have traditional locally made Fareham
pots. Timber is the predominant material used in the construction
of windows, traditionally in the form of either side opening
casements or vertical sliding sashes. They all contribute to
character.
The local materials, building styles and architectural details
found in the conservation area are important to its architectural
and historic character and should be retained. The use of
appropriate materials, brick bonds and detailing in new
development is essential in order to preserve the special
character of the Conservation Area and should be encouraged in
new work.
Planting
The village contains a number of large and prominent trees that are essential to the character of individual streets. There are particularly large trees in the grounds and in the front gardens opposite Catisfield House. There are also prominent trees in the grounds of Catisfield Cottage, The Limes Public House, Little Croft and on the highway verges at the eastern entrance to the conservation area. Trees considered to be of townscape importance are marked on the street maps but this should not be taken to mean that other trees are not important to the character of the village. All the trees in the conservation area are protected and the loss of any that make a significant contribution to character will be resisted.
Areas for Improvement
The access road on the north side of Catisfield House (Harvester Drive) has significantly eroded the character of the conservation area through the use of modern carriageway widths, pavements and unnecessarily large visibility splays. Further similar erosion of the character of the conservation area should be resisted.
The Hinton Hotel and its frontage on the north side of Catisfield Lane, although just outside the conservation area boundary has a substantial negative impact upon the character and setting of the conservation area. The large car park adjacent to the street, the visual impact of the Hotel and related buildings and the lack of buildings or walls fronting Catisfield Lane conflicts with the established character of the village. The land is allocated in the Fareham Borough Local Plan Review as a site for housing redevelopment. This provides an opportunity for significant improvements to the setting of the conservation area to be secured. Any development proposal should aim to provide layout, scale, design and materials that are in keeping with the established older pattern of development identified in this assessment.
There has been some erosion of boundary walls in the conservation area and where possible these should be re-instated. The loss of further boundary walls of importance to character should be resisted.
Main Features to Preserve and Enhance
- The special character of the village as set out in this assessment document
- The surviving variety of boundary walls;
- The architectural and historic character of the historic buildings, including their setting
- The use of traditional building materials and techniques
- The surviving historic street junction
- The varied and informal groups of buildings and spaces; and associated garden areas of importance to character
- The informal rural character of Catisfield Lane and Fishers Hill including the lack of formal pavements and kerbing
- The mature trees located in the Conservation Area;
- The Victorian letter box in the boundary wall of Elm Cottage"
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