Village Design Statement

Early in 2012 Panfield Parish Council began to create a Village Design Statement (VDS). To start, Panfield residents were asked to fill in a survey. 

We wanted residents to tell us:

• what was most important to them about the village
• how they felt about the speed of growth and housing development in the village

Once the results came in, a working group, made up entirely of Panfield residents was formed. All residents, 841 at that time, could make their opinions known.

We published the VDS in 2014. Every household in Panfield (368) received a copy along with a map of footpaths in the village.

In recent years, there have been attempts to develop large areas of land in the Parish. Braintree District Council (BDC) asked landowners to offer land for development. This was part of the Local Development Plan (LDP) and known as a Call for Sites.

So far, BDC has followed the guidelines in our VDS. They have rejected all large-scale developments within the Parish boundary. This shows their support for the Parish Council and the wishes of residents.

If you’d like a paper copy of the VDS and footpaths map, email the Parish Clerk. They cost £1.00 each and we will donate the money to Panfield Community Association.