Page 11 - Ickford NP Sustainability Heritage Assessment

BUILT HERITAGE ASSESSMENT : ICKFORD : VISION FOR ICKFORD 11

Incidental open spaces which add to the character The lack of boundary treatments to front gardens adds
of the village are the areas of open verge. These are to the sense of openness in this locality.
particularly noticeable at the corner of Church and Sheldon
Road, where the verge runs north to the junction with Gaps
Golders Close. Along Sheldon Road a wide verge is located
to the frontages of the houses to the north from Field Close Ickford is an example of a polyfocal settlement, with cores
up towards Little Ickford. at Church Ickford and Little Ickford. Development over
time along the roadsides has joined up the previously
distinct areas. Nonetheless beyond the rear boundaries of
dwellings there are gaps which form an important part of
the character of the village. These include the hayfield and
the fields between Bridge Road and Little Ickford. The
spatial qualities of these gaps are fundamental to the rural
character of the village, and its historical linear layout.
In addition, the spaces around buildings can be
important for trees. This is a significant issue, not only
within Aylesbury Vale District but country wide.

Trees

Trees play a crucial role in establishing character by
reinforcing the connection between the village and its rural
surroundings. The village is open, its linear form clearly
defined by open countryside beyond the built curtilages.
Whilst trees form an important role in some of the
surrounding hedgerows, it is the clusters of tree cover in
parts of the village that have the most impact, creating a
sense of enclosure in some areas, which is heightened by
the play of light and shadow cast by them. Trees provide
View of Little Ickford across the pond
organic boundaries to the village, particularly between

Trees at Little Ickford pond

VISION FOR ICKFORD – NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN
www.visionforickford.co.uk