6. Soham Conservation Area - East Cambridgeshire District Council

located at the rear of properties because of the tight building line of the
main streets in Soham and will therefore have little impact upon the
street scene. They should however be subject to the same design
principles as any other new building.
6.2 Under croft vehicular accesses pose the greatest design problems in
Soham because of the pressure to park off the street, but they can
have a disproportionate impact on the street scene and on the
architectural proportions and detailing of building(s). They should be
avoided except where there is no other reasonable way to provide
parking for new development and should then be appropriately
detailed, usually with the use of a segmental arch
6.3 Boundary treatments should reflect the status of the building. There is
no consistent boundary treatment within Soham, although simple low
walls (of a material to complement the main building) are usually
appropriate. Timber fences are a rural treatment and should not be
used in the relatively urban context of Soham. For more substantial
buildings railings set upon a dwarf brick wall can be used.
7 Landscaping
7.1 Street vegetation is not a characteristic of Soham and thus those large
trees that do exist serve as points of interest in the largely urban
streets. New dwellings should not therefore have large front gardens
with substantial planting.
7.2 Any existing site features, in particular trees, hedges and boundary
walls, should, however, be retained and incorporated in the external
treatment of the new dwelling(s). These features add instant maturity to
the development and are often important to the townscape.
8 Shop fronts
8.1 Churchgate Street and the High Street have developed as the main
commercial roads with occasional shop units found along Hall Street
and Pratt Street. A number of old shop fronts survive along these
streets, but many more have been disfigured by modern alterations or
the addition of clumsy signage.
8.2 The Local Plan also recognises that because of Soham’s location
between Ely and Newmarket, Soham’s small selection of shops is
vulnerable to competition. This is evident as there are a number of
units that are vacant and falling into disrepair.
8.3 Improving the shop fronts of the town can help to improve the
attractiveness of the shopping streets and shopkeepers are
encouraged to use the following guidance when considering alterations
to their shop fronts. If necessary, a Shop fronts Design Guide will be
produced in the future to provide further guidance.
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