Countryside Design Summary

A guide explaining how buildings and settlements contribute to the character of the Blackdown Hills landscape

This Countryside Design Summary(CDS) is designed to be of use and interest to anyone involved in the planning, design and construction or alteration of buildings in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It provides guidance on how buildings can be designed to conserve the distinctive character of the Blackdown Hills.

The traditional buildings and settlements of the Blackdown Hills are an essential and distinctive part of its landscape. To preserve local distinctiveness, the design of any built development needs to draw upon the construction traditions of the area. This does not mean slavishly and appearance of traditional buildings an, but application of construction traditions to the design of new buildings. These traditions can be understood by studying the area’s distinctive buildings and settlements and how they relate to their setting in the landscape.

Development schemes which preserve the character of the Blackdown Hills will fulfill the design standards which are expected in the AONB. It is hoped that this CDS will avoid bland, uninspiring and inappropriate construction which detracts from the character of the Blackdown Hills.

This website illustrates in broad terms:

the characteristics and features of the Blackdown Hills landscape, and the setting of buildings and villages within it;
the shape of settlements, their built forms and their relationship with the wider countryside; and
the nature of the buildings themselves, their massing, materials, colour, texture and detailing.
Guidance is given as to how an appreciation of construction traditions in the Blackdown Hills can be applied as design principles for new buildings, conversions, extensions, alterations and landscape design. Details are given of further guidance available from the local authorities which cover the Blackdown Hills AONB.