Committees
POLICY GROUP
The Trust’s Policy Group is made up of members selected for their experience or interest in legal, design and planning matters. They examine and comment on local and national consultations, local planning and transport policies and new development proposals.
PLANNING APPRAISAL GROUP (PAG)
The Trust’s Planning Appraisal Group has four panels, each consisting of five Trust members, and each including an architect. Using a set of Trust-approved guidelines, the panels meet weekly to assess the merits of every planning application within those Winchester City wards that have no parish councillors, plus those on the outskirts of the City that could affect its setting in the surrounding countryside. The Trust’s assessments are entered onto the City’s planning website, and the overall Chair of the PAG prepares a monthly report which is sent to the City Council’s Planning Department. Controversial or complicated applications are reviewed by two of the panels.
The PAG also tries to arrange for developers of medium-sized projects to present their proposals to PAG panels and Trustees at the pre-application stage, when they can most easily be modified. Click here for more information on planning and the PAG.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT GROUPS
Model of the proposed Station Approach Carfax site
In recent years several multi-million pound schemes have been proposed by the City Council, including the redevelopment of the central part of Winchester and the station and its surroundings, which are likely to dramatically change the City’s built environment and have the potential to enhance or damage its character. Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council have agreed a Movement Strategy, which sets out an agreed vision and long term goals for traffic and transport improvements in Winchester over the next 20 to 30 years. The City Council has also started work on a review of the current Local Plan.
The Trust has set up small groups of Trust members to work on these. They monitor developments and prepare reports for the Trustees, making recommendations on any action the Trust should take.