6. Soham Conservation Area - East Cambridgeshire District Council

Materials (& Colours)
4.16 Soham has a limited palette of materials illustrated in part 8 of the
Conservation Area Appraisal. The predominant building materials are
gault brick with contrasting brick detailing and slate roofs or the less
frequent use of tiles. This palette should be used as a guide for
extensions and alterations. The use of modern materials such as steel,
concrete and structural glazing would need to be part of a very high
quality design approach in order to provide a successful contrast with
the traditional materials in the village.
4.17 Traditional colours for the small number of painted; rendered and
plastered properties in Soham would have been subdued earthy tones
although today the majority of buildings are painted white. Strident
colours should not be used to avoid them dominating the traditional
domestic buildings.
5 Housing Developments
5.1 Soham is designated a Rural Growth Settlement in Policy 5 of the East
Cambridgeshire District Local Plan (June 2000). This means that
housing development can be in the form of housing estates, housing
groups and infilling (as defined by Local Plan Policy 3). However, within
the Conservation Area, development is likely to be restricted to housing
groups and infilling, simply because of the limited land available.
Context
5.2 The Soham Conservation Area Appraisal describes the village’s grain,
i.e. how the village’s existing buildings relate to the street. Section 8
‘Key Characteristics’ summarises information such as the building
heights and line, boundary treatments, materials, detailing, etc. Paying
particular attention to the street in which the new building(s) will sit will
establish appropriate design principles and ensure that new buildings
will respect Soham’s existing character.
Building Line / Position on Plot
5.3 The majority of properties sit parallel to the street with a wide frontage
and tend not to be very deep in plan. Most new buildings should follow
this approach. Very few traditional properties sit gable end on to the
street and new buildings should therefore only use this form if the site’s
context requires it.
Form
5.4 In order for new buildings to relate well to their neighbours, there must
be a consistency between the old and the new; scale is particularly
important. Traditional building forms in Soham are typically 2 storeys
with shallow pitched (often hipped) roofs and chimneys. The scale of
the new building(s) should reflect its location within the Soham
Conservation Area, by respecting the increasing scale towards the
main commercial streets.
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