Public Consultation For The Draft Siston Conservation Area Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
As part of the Council’s statutory obligation to periodically review its conservation areas, the Siston Conservation Area has been reappraised in accordance with the guidance set out by English Heritage. As part of this process, the special features and boundaries were reviewed and a number of specific character areas were identified through a character appraisal. The draft SPD document also contains a preservation and enhancement strategy for the Siston Conservation Area, which is part of an ongoing process of character assessment and development of enhancement strategies for each of the conservation areas within South Gloucestershire.
Public consultation is seen as an important part of the appraisal process, as it helps bring valuable public understanding and “ownership” to proposals for the area and so all comments and suggestions will be reported and considered. In light of the need to follow a timeframe towards full adoption of the Siston Conservation Area SPD, we would be obliged to receive any comments by the 13th November to enable all representations to be fed into the appraisal process. At this stage it is hoped that the Siston Conservation Area SPD will receive adopted status in December of this year.
To make comments please click on thelink in the 'Have your say' box on the right of this page.
Siston was designated as a conservation area on 23rd October 1989.
Setting
Siston Conservation Area comprises the cottages and farms scattered around St Anne's Church, the grand Elizabethan manor house and adjacent properties at Siston Court, together with the surrounding open fields which provide a setting for all the buildings. The open land contains elements of an 18th century landscape and is thus an essential part of the area, meriting protection and enhancement.
History
The settlement is thought to have early origins and Roman remains have been found in the area. At the time of the Roman conquest the area was entirely woodland and was known variously at Siston, Sistone, Syton, Sytone and Systun. The name may derive from 'Sige's Farmstead' (with Saxon origins) or reflect its importance in forest life as 'Size-town'. The proximity of the palace at Pucklechurch and good hunting 'forest' probably contributed to the development of the court and hamlet.
Character
The character of the area derives from the relationship between the scatter of properties in a predominantly rural landscape of open pastures, small woods, hedgerows and varied topography. Within this rural setting there are two distinctive elements. These are Siston Hamlet - comprising a scattering of cottages, farm buildings and St Anne's Church as well as Siston Court - the Elizabethan manor house and surrounding buildings and grounds.
These are linked by Siston Lane, which runs from north to south through the area.