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RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
RUFFORTH VILLAGE
DESIGN STATEMENT
KEY TO COVER PHOTOGRAPHS
Front CoverAll Saints’ Church, village pump and phone box, various architectural features.
Back CoverVillage Hall, All Saints’ Church spire, The Gables, various architectural features.
Inside Front CoverVillage pump, All Saints’ Church, Tankard Inn, various other features.
Printed 2005
RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
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RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
RufforthVillage Design
Statement
Contents
Page 2 Why a Village Design Statement?
Aim of the Village Design Statement
Location
History
Page 3 Population and Employment
Landscape
Flora and Fauna
Page 4 Settlement Patterns
Page 5 Residential Buildings
Building Materials
Page 6 Rufforth Airfield
Amenities and Activities
Page 7 Roads, Paths and Infrastructure
Page 8 -9 Maps
Consultation with Public andinterested Bodies
Consultation on the Village DesignStatement has taken place throughoutthe process.
Explanatory leaflets were circulated to allresidents. A workshop was held to gather information, ideas andphotographs. Coffee mornings to invitediscussion and comments took place.These included exhibitions of materialscollected. A display was mounted in thevillage shop. A viewing morning wasorganised to display the draft Village Design Statement, at which commentswere noted and included in revision.
It is accepted that some points reflectaspirations of villagers, not all of which liewithin the powers of the local planningauthority.
This document has been accepted asSupplementary Planning Guidance to theCity of York Council’s emerging draft localplan on 23rd September 2004.
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RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
Why a Village Design Statement?“The purpose of the Village DesignStatement is to manage change …. itsconcern is about how planneddevelopment should be carried out so thatit is in harmony with its setting andcontributes to the conservation, and wherepossible, the enhancement of the localenvironment” …. Countryside CommissionBooklet p 6. CCP 501 (now CountrysideAgency)
Aim of the Village Design StatementThe Rufforth Village Design Statement hasbeen prepared by local residents and issupported by the Parish Council. It ishoped that it will influence design anddevelopment in the village. As aSupplementary Planning Guidance itsrecommendations will be taken intoaccount when planning applications areconsidered. It is also to raise awarenessamong local residents that small changeswithin “permitted development” such as,replacement windows, extensions, removalof boundaries etc. can erode the characterof the village.
LocationRufforth lies in the Vale of York astride theB1224 York – Wetherby road. It isapproximately 5 miles from York, 8.5 milesfrom Wetherby and 20 miles from Leeds.
Formerly in the West Riding of Yorkshire itis now in North Yorkshire andadministered by the City of York Council.
Aerial view of Rufforth
HistoryA settlement at what is now Rufforthexisted from Saxon times. An entry in theDomesday Book deals with the landownership in Norman times. Modernnames such as Southfield, Lowfield andNoddery’s (North) Field are derived fromthe medieval field system.
In the 18th century a large area to theeast of Rufforth became part of theHarewood Estate, hence the nameHarewood Whin for the Yorwaste refusedisposal site. Also in the 18th century two“cuts” or wide ditches, the Old and theNew, drained Rufforth Ings to the west andbrought more land into cultivation. The
Enclosures Acts Awards of 1795apportioned land among the villagersgiving Rufforth its modern form. The Actalso awarded the village pond to be usedas a watering place and the sand pit to beused for the upkeep of highways. Ownersof the allotted lands were requested topreserve and maintain the specific ancientpathways passing through their land,these paths being there before thefarmsteads.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuriesthe Middlewood family had greatinfluences on Rufforth. They rebuilt theChurch, built the Village Institute (nowVillage Hall), Rufforth Hall and two farms,East View and Hawthorn House indistinctive style. They also gave RufforthManor to York diocese for use as avicarage. The Second World War saw thebuilding of Rufforth Airfield, now mostlyreturned to agriculture but still used bygliding and microlight clubs. One formerhangar is now a warehouse anddistribution centre.
Listed Buildings within Rufforth parish;● Church of All Saints, Grade II● Pear Tree Farm House, Main Street,
Grade II● Village Pump and Trough, Main Street,Grade II
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RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
DESIGN GUIDELINES
1 Recognise that Rufforth is an ancientvillage and be aware of its past inall future developments.
2 Retain and maintain historic features(including the sandpit, pond, phonebox, village pump and pinfold).
Population and EmploymentThe population of Rufforth isapproximately 560 which includes a crosssection of all age groups. There is littlefull-time employment in the village, withpeople commuting to York, Wetherby,Harrogate, Leeds and further afield. Smallbusinesses providing local employmentinclude: farms, the Tankard Inn, the shop/post office, the airfield, warehousing/distribution company and Harewood Whinwaste disposal site. The primary schoolalso provides local employment.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
3 Encourage small businessesappropriate to a village within thegreen belt.
4 The current bus service, adequate forthe most part, should be improved tofacilitate journeys to and from work.
5 Maintain and improve facilities for theelderly such as the Village Hall; andnew housing should accommodate theneeds of elderly occupants.
LandscapeRufforth lies within the York Green Belt. Itis a ribbon development village built on asandy ridge in the middle of lower lyingclay land, with a high water table. Beforeit was drained the surrounding land was amarsh with areas of standing water. Thecountryside around Rufforth is mostly flat,open, agricultural land with many largefields. In contrast, small strip fields, onceattached to individual small-holdings,remain apparent behind the villageproperties.
Strip fields
Although the land is flat the open aspectallows more distant views including theWhite Horse at Kilburn about 20 milesaway.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
6 Any development should respect,maintain, or provide views through tothe open countryside and the WhiteHorse.
7 Preserve pattern of strip fields.
Flora and FaunaThe pattern of the old field systems is veryapparent in the mature hedgerows aroundRufforth. Native hedgerow species aregenerally used, blackthorn and hawthornare particularly noticeable in spring. Thewide and largely uncut verges immediatelyadjacent to the village attract a widevariety of insects, birds and mammals.While there is little actual woodlandaround Rufforth there are many copses.The trees planted to screen HarewoodWhin refuse disposal facility are welcomemodern additions to the tree population.Native species are generally used.Notable trees are the Horse Chestnut inthe village garden, which has a TreePreservation Order. The Yews in theschool grounds are said to have been
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RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
planted because bodies from the battle ofMarston Moor (1644) lie buried beneath.Barn, Tawny and Little owls are often seenhunting along the perimeters of the villageand curlews frequent the meadows andairfield. Many other resident and visitingbirds are seen and heard throughout thevillage. Deer are seen on the villageoutskirts. To the north-west of the villageare the pond and sand pit (Sand DykeNature Reserve).
DESIGN GUIDELINES
8 Use native species in new plantingschemes (e.g. Harewood Whinscreening).
9 Maintain the management regimeof uncut verges, for wildlife.
Settlement PatternsRufforth has developed from a line ofcottages and small-holdings into the streetvillage it is today. Gaps between theoriginal houses on either side of theB1224 have been filled in with newerhouses. Small housing developments infarm yards and paddocks, once adjacentto the road, have created a number ofculs-de-sac e.g.. Maythorpe, Church FarmClose, Yew Tree Close and MilestoneAvenue. All have less than 20 residences.A large cul-de-sac at Southfield Close has
26 homes. A similar pattern has followedwith Council built houses at BradleyCrescent and the Avenue. Opencountryside can be glimpsed between thehouses. There are a few houses outsidethe main village envelope; these aremostly farms or former farms. The villageis therefore a compact area of housingsurrounded by open countryside. Itsboundaries are clearly defined at thesouth eastern end by playing fields andthe burial ground and at the north west bythe allotments. These allotmentsdeveloped from a scheme to give menreturning from the First World War a smallplot of land on which to grow vegetablesand keep livestock.
Village garden
Along the village main street (B1224)there are a number of small, green, openspaces. On the approach to the village
from York is the old Pinfold used in thepast for holding stray livestock. Adjacent tothe shop/post office at the south easternend of the village is a small triangulargreen with a seat. The village garden,facing the Chapel, has paths depicting therunway layout at Rufforth Airfield. This wasa Millennium project The old village pumpand trough (listed) are also situated here.The red GPO telephone box is a feature ofthe village which should be preserved.Outside the Church is another attractiveopen area with seating.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
10 Any future residential and commercialdevelopments must retain the ruralcharacter of Rufforth; they should besmall in scale and complementexisting density.
11 Any development at periphery of thevillage should be of an appropriatedesign and scale so as to notadversely affect the character of thesetting and entrances to the village.
12 All new buildings should be designedin such a way as to promote crimeprevention and ideally meet thesecurity requirements of the police‘Secured by Design’ Award scheme.
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Residential BuildingsThere are one or two houses dating fromthe 18th century e.g.. Coniston House andPear Tree Farm. Some 19th centuryproperties, mostly adjacent to the road,are East View, The Gables (1880), CroftHouse, Ashville Farmhouse (1830), ManorFarm and Hawthorn House. Well outsidethe main village is Rufforth Hall (1860).However most housing In Rufforth wasbuilt in the 20th century in various stylesand types often in small culs-de-sac aspreviously mentioned. The properties inthe cul-de-sac vary in size from two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows tolarge detached houses. This creates avariety of residential units which house thevaried population needed to support theschool, shop/post office, village hall andother village institutions. We would wish tomaintain this diverse population andtherefore need a range of house sizes,including more affordable housing. Mostrecent development has been of largerproperties and if this continues it couldendanger the social mix of the community.Throughout the village most houses havedriveways which ensure that the roads aregenerally clear of parked vehicles. Frontgardens, wide verges and pavements givean open and uncrowded appearance asshown below.
Gable Park
DESIGN GUIDELINES
13 New developments should include off-road parking wherever possible.
14 Encourage affordable housing.
15 Gardens and open spaces betweenbuildings contribute to the rural charmof the village and should be retained.There should be a presumptionagainst the sub-division of thesespaces when future planningapplications are considered.
16 Extensions should harmonise withneighbouring properties and spaces.
17 Height of buildings should be inkeeping with adjacent properties.
18 Maintain informal building lines,front gardens and wide verges.
19 Maintain a mixture of building stylesand sizes.
20 Satellite dishes should be locateddiscreetly to avoid front elevations.
Building MaterialsMost buildings are of brick construction,using predominantly red bricks of varioustypes and shades. Roofs are generally ofslate or red Yorkshire pantiles. Pear TreeFarm, the Laurels adjoining it and theBarn behind are built of stone. Pear TreeFarm is the only listed house in the village.Two of the older properties, ConistonHouse and Milestone are rendered, as area small number of other properties. Thehouses are no more than two storeys high,the Church being the tallest building inthe village. Many of the houses havechimneys and a significant number ofhouses both old and new have decorativedetails in the brick work.
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Roofs are generally of slate or redYorkshire pantiles
DESIGN GUIDELINES
21 New developments to use materials insympathy with existing.
22 Red brick of various shades is thepreferred building material.
23 Pantiles or slates are preferred forroofs.
Rufforth AirfieldThis was built for the RAF in 1942between the B1224 and Bradley Lane.It was vacated by the RAF in the 1970’sand has been returned mostly toagricultural use. The York Gliding Centrehas operated on the site for 40 years
having good relations with villageresidents. A Microlight Club also operatesfrom the airfield. Both clubs haveagreements not to over fly the village. Theold RAF accommodations at HarewoodWhin have become a refuse disposal site,but are designated to be returned toagricultural use and the footpathreinstated. The village playing fields onthe edge of the airfield provide asignificant village amenity, with facilitiesfor football, netball, cricket and tennis.The recently extended club-house andchildren’s play area are also sited here.
Alongside one of the runways there is apublic footpath which is well used bywalkers and dog owners. The York outerring road currently marks the boundary ofurban development associated with York.
The open space between the ring roadand the village, including the airfield,should be maintained to keep the identityof Rufforth as a separate villagecommunity, despite pressures fordevelopment here.
York Gliding Centre has a “safeguarding”plan lodged with the local authority, whichprecludes certain developments abovespecific heights at defined distances fromthe airfield.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
24 The airfield, used by people from awide area, acts as a “green lung”between York and Rufforth. Thisimportant facility should thereforebe maintained.
25 Discourage any large scaledevelopment in this area.
26 Recreational developmentsappropriate to the greenbeltshould be encouraged on theairfield to complement existingactivities.
27 Maintain the integrity of the greenbeltsurrounding Rufforth, to ensure thatthe village remains separate fromneighbouring built-up areas.
Amenities and ActivitiesRufforth has a church, chapel, publichouse, shop/post office, village hall,primary school and a sports pavilion.The village hall is well used by thepre-school, over 60’s club, WI and fornumerous regular meetings, socialoccasions and activities.
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Village Hall
At the south eastern end of the villageadjoining the airfield are excellent sportsfacilities. Outside the main village area isa former equestrian centre where regularcar boot sales take place.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
28 Every effort should be made tosupport and prevent the loss of theamenities in Rufforth.
29 Retain land for existing sportsfacilities and play area.
Roads, Paths and InfrastructureThe B1224 follows a winding coursethrough the village with several sharp
bends. This makes parking on theroadside undesirable although it is notprohibited. Most traffic calming measureshave been implemented outside theschool. In the main village area theroad has pavements on both sides.
Bradley Lane, a minor road joining thevillage to outlying farms and adjacentvillages, has a pavement on one sideonly. For long term traffic reduction abypass has been suggested by someresidents.
Footpaths or bridle ways link the villagewith Hutton Wandesley, Hessay andAskham Richard. These and other shorterpaths are well used by walkers.
Street lighting is adequate without beingobtrusive. Overhead cables for electricity and telephone detract fromthe street-scape.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
30 Improved access to village pond andSand Dyke Nature Reserve.
31 Re-instate footpath to HarewoodWhin, increase access to site whenpractical.
32 Investigate the possibility of trafficsafety measures to reduce heavyvehicle movements and the speedof vehicles passing through thevillage.
33 The use of footpaths should beencouraged through improvedaccess; all public rights of wayshould be clearly defined, keptfree from obstruction and theirdistinctive character maintained.
34 Wherever practical, in futuredevelopments and when renewingutilities, underground routing ispreferred.
35 Encourage provision of safe cyclingroutes to link to existing city cyclenetwork.
36 Any advertising or signage shouldrespect the context of the village; itshould be low key (colour, size andlighting).
37 The design of future lighting,signage and street furniture shouldbe sensitive to the context of thevillage.
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MAP SHOWING
RUFFORTH VILLAGE(NOT TO SCALE)
Crown copyright reproduced bypermission of Ordanance Survey
on behalf of the controller ofHer Majesty’s Stationery Office
Licence Number 100020818
= Rufforth and Knapton parish boundry= Extent of Rufforth Village Statement coverage= Main Roads
RUFFORTH VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
RUFFORTH
RufforthAirfield
PlayingField
Sand DykeNatureReserve
B1224Wetherby
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To Hessay
To HuttonWandesley
To AskhamBryan
A1237York OuterRing Road
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y La
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= Bridleway = Footpaths
● =Identifies footpath numbers
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MAP SHOWING
RUFFORTH PARISHand extent of the VDS.Showing key areas and
rights of way
(NOT TO SCALE)Crown copyright reproduced by
permission of Ordanance Survey onbehalf of the controller of Her
Majesty’s Stationery Office
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