“The landscapes you grow up in speaks to you in a way that nowhere else does” – Molly Parker (author)
National guidance suggests we define ‘area types’ across some or all of the National Park, which includes all the elements that make up a place. ‘Area types’ are defined by parts of the local area that share common features and characteristics.
Design Codes are intended to be discrete sets of rules setting parameters for particular areas. In most areas, places can be easily listed into types – for example a town centre, market towns, smaller villages and so on. There are distinct built areas and ‘hierarchies’ of settlements.
In the North York Moors, however, there are around 105 small, often quite different villages and only half of one small town, so a hierarchical approach cannot be used. This leaves us with a decision on whether we can develop distinct ‘area types’ in this National Park.
One option would be to categorise development types – for example new homes, new agricultural buildings, extensions, conversions. This would be similar to our current set of design guides.
We are, however highly aware that the first of this National Park’s ‘special qualities’ is “a surprising range of contrasting landscapes, with extensive views.” Landscape shapes design – underlying geology produces different building materials. Villages evolve in response to landscape and ecology – they may be sited in hollows, on rivers or next to cliffs.
This can be seen right across the North York Moors – consider the difference between the brick-built cottages of Commondale to the thatched cottages of Pockley.
We want our Design Code to reflect these differences and so we are proposing to divide the Design Code into the ten ‘landscape character types’ identified in our 2021 Landscape Character Assessment.
We could then alter our Design Codes to reflect the characteristics of each landscape character type, although we anticipate the majority of the code would be common to all areas.
Our proposed approach is one of the things we want to get your thoughts on (see form at the bottom of the page).
To consider how this works in practice, consider the below list of villages and how it can be associated to a particular landscape.
- Moorland– there are no settlements in this landscape area
- Moorland Dales – including Botton, Chop Gate, Church Houses/Low Mill, Fangdale Beck, Hawnby, Rievaulx, Thorgill, Rosedale Abbey and Westerdale.
- Forest– there are no settlements in this landscape area
- Coastal Hinterland - including part of Cloughton, Dunsley, Easington, Ellerby, Fylingthorpe, Goldsborough, Hawsker (High and Low), Hinderwell, Kettleness, Lythe, Mickleby, Newholm, part of Newton on Rawcliffe, Port Mulgrave, Ravenscar, Robin Hoods Bay (Bank Top), Runswick Bay (Bank Top), Staithes (Bank Top), Stainsacre, Staintondale, and Ugthorpe.
- Limestone Hills - including part of Ampleforth, Appleton le Moors, Carlton (Helmsley), Cold Kirby, Cropton, parts of East Ayton, part of Fadmoor, part of Gillamoor, Hutton Buscel, half of Helmsley, Hutton le Hole, Lastingham, Levisham, Lockton, Newton on Rawcliffe, Old Byland, part of Oswaldkirk, part of Pockley, part of Sawdon, Scawton, part of Sinnington, Spaunton, part of Thornton le Dale and parts of West Ayton
- Glacial Channels– including Levisham Station
- Limestone Dales - including Broxa, Hackness, Harwood Dale, Langdale End, part of Scalby, Silpho and Suffield
- Central Valley - including Ainthorpe, Aislaby, Beck Hole, Castleton, Commondale, Danby, Egton, Egton Bridge, Glaisdale, Goathland, Grosmont, Houlsyke, Iburndale, Lealholm, Littlebeck, part of Sleights, Sneaton and Ugglebarnby.
- Western Escarpment - including Battersby, Battersby Junction, Boltby, Carlton in Cleveland, Charltons, part of Cowesby, Coxwold, Faceby, Hutton Village, Ingleby Greenhow, parts of Kepwick, Kildale, parts of Kilburn (High and Low), parts of Kirby Knowle, parts of Nether Silton, Newton under Roseberry, Oldstead, Osmotherley, parts of Over Silton, Swainby, Thimbleby and Wass,
- Coast - including the lower parts of Staithes, Robin Hood’s Bay and Runswick Bay.