Oxenhope's Village Design Statement (VDS) is being commended to members of Brad-ford council's highways sub-committee as a code of good practice.

The statement was drawn up by residents as part of a Coun-tryside Commission national initiative.

Next Tuesday councillors will be invited to endorse the spirit of the statement and bear in mind its recommendations when they consider highway issues in the village in future.

Keighley planning sub-committee, whose chairman Cllr John Cope worked with the VDS group, referred the statement to colleagues in the highways department. It is to be used as the basis for what is known as 'supplementary planning guidance' alongside Brad-ford's Unitary Development Plan when applications are considered.

Highways councillors will also hear of proposals to change the boundaries of three Oxenhope conservation areas established in the 1980s and to create a new one around the railway station.

The Uppertown area, based on 17th century farmhouses infilled with cottages and reflecting the pre-industrial period, is to be amended to include the cricket field.

The Lowertown area, centred on development associated with the Industrial Revol-ution, is to include Cragg Royd and Fernhill which were mill owners' houses. It will exclude the interior of the new Waterside estate.

The conservation area boundary will also be adjusted.

The Leeming area, based on 17th century farm groups and development associated with early cottage industries and featuring open spaces, is to be enlarged. It will include the reservoir which is seen as an integral part of the landscape and history.

The proposed new conservation area includes the station and its immediate surroundings, the Manorlands cancer-care hospice and grounds, the village school, Victorian housing in Hebden Bridge Road and Station Road and village greenspace between them, the rose garden and Yate Lane.

Councillors will hear how the area is of special interest to Oxenhope's historical development and is considered worthy of further protection.

A report by council officers says the VDS project has been a valuable exercise for both local residents and the council. Villagers have been able to take an active part in formulating design policies and gained an insight into the difficulties experienced by the local planning authority.

And local-authority representatives have learned about the importance to local communities of design and development issues. The highways sub-committee will be told the scheme was a valuable exercise which could be encouraged in urban parts of the district as well as in other villages.

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