At Eling Hill and Houndsdown where development is proposed on the southern edge of these character areas, its layout, scale, landscape structure and open-space provision should avoid creating a continuous or visually merging built edge between Totton and Eling and Marchwood.
Within all major development sites, the inclusion of Public Art is encouraged. This can include bespoke design stand-alone features, sequences of interventions, architectural elements, street furniture, lighting, wall-scapes / floor-scapes, landscaping and interactive experiences such as heritage trails and play space. It should be unique, of high quality and site specific, responding to the character, heritage, landscape and wildlife of the local area, surrounded by the New Forest and the River Test or illustrating its shipbuilding past, its waterside setting and the Tide Mill.
3.22 A strong opinion that runs through the community engagement data collected by the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group is that overall Totton is not considered aesthetically pleasing; the “odd-one-out” compared to other nearby towns and villages which are praised for being attractive. While Eling is an historic settlement with many beautiful heritage buildings and a special aura, it is Totton that is the bigger and more ‘front-facing’ part of the town. Most of Totton has been built post-WW1, with rapid expansion from the 1960s onwards which led to some piece-meal and fragmented decisions on how to fit in the necessary amenities and infrastructure for the size of the growing town with little thought to aesthetics.
3.23 Using the locally specific design evidence contained in the March 2026 NFDC Settlement Character Assessment, this policy seeks to highlight elements of design which are sufficiently distinctive and relevant to development management; it does not seek to reproduce every aspect of the Assessment.
3.24 The policy does not seek to prevent change or require new development to imitate existing buildings. Some parts of Totton reflect piecemeal growth and past development which has resulted in weak or poorly resolved townscape, with limited architectural coherence or sense of place. In these areas, new development should be seen as an opportunity to improve the quality and distinctiveness of the built environment through high-quality contemporary design. Proposals should demonstrate an understanding of the particular characteristics of their location, retaining and responding positively to those features which make a valued contribution while addressing or improving aspects of the existing townscape which are of poorer quality.
3.25 Particular importance is attached across several character areas to the relationship between buildings and their green setting. The Settlement Character Assessment repeatedly identifies front gardens, verges, mature trees, hedgerows, communal green spaces and landscape corridors as important to local character, while the loss of these features to parking and frontage alterations is identified as a recurring pressure. The policy therefore establishes a locally specific principle that parking, access and frontage changes should avoid unnecessarily eroding these features.
3.26 The Town Council is also keen to encourage the community to be involved in design issues by setting up a residents design forum with representatives from the community and councillors, as well as creative industries, who can consider design issues across the town.
3.27 Public art remains an aspiration rather than a universal development-management requirement. Where it is proposed, it should be integrated into the design process and be site-specific, durable and capable of appropriate long-term maintenance.