23rd September 2011, 01:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 23rd September 2011, 01:15 AM by Marcus Brody.)
Have managed to track down policy ENV2 of the Black Country Core Strategy, which was adopted by Sandwell MDC on the 3rd of February this year. Again, it's a long and densely-written piece of work, but it makes all the right noises about protecting 'historic assets', including archaeological sites, and has a sizeable section justifying this policy in terms of the rich and diverse historic environment of the Black Country as a whole.
I realise that documents like this are not particularly exciting, and I wouldn't suggest that anyone would want to read them for fun, but I think it's always pretty embarrassing for a Council to have it pointed out to them exactly which of their own policies they're failing to adhere to, as it suggests that the people making the decisions don't actually know what the Council's policies are. In this instance, the Black Country Core Strategy covers four Councils, so it's potentially particularly embarrassing for Sandwell as it could be viewed as breaking its agreement with Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton Councils to have a common policy framework across the whole Black Country area.
Anyway, Policy ENV2 is below. Enjoy!
ENV2 Historic Character and Local Distinctiveness
Spatial Objectives
Environmental transformation is one of the underpinning themes of the Vision which requires a coordinated approach to the protection and enhancement of the built and natural environment (p18). The protection and promotion of the historic character and the areas local distinctiveness is a key element of transformation and in particular helps to deliver Spatial Objectives 3, 4, 5 and 6 (p19-20).
Policy
All development should aim to protect and promote the special qualities, historic character and local distinctiveness of the Black Country in order to help maintain its cultural identity and strong sense of place. Development proposals will be required to preserve and, where appropriate, enhance local character and those aspects of the historic environment together with their settings which are recognised as being of special historic, archaeological, architectural, landscape or townscape quality.
All proposals should aim to sustain and reinforce special character and conserve the historic aspects of the following locally distinctive elements of the Black Country:
a) The network of now coalesced but nevertheless distinct small industrial settlements of the former South Staffordshire Coalfield, such as Darlaston & Netherton;
b) The civic, religious and commercial cores of the principal settlements of medieval origin such as Wolverhampton, Dudley, Wednesbury & Walsall;
c) Surviving pre-industrial settlement centres of medieval origin such as Tettenhall, Aldridge, Oldbury and Kingswinford;
d) Areas of Victorian and Edwardian higher density development which survive with a high degree of integrity including terraced housing and its associated amenities;
e) Areas of extensive lower density suburban development of the mid 20 th century including public housing and private developments of semi-detached and detached housing;
f) Public open spaces, including Victorian and Edwardian municipal parks, often created upon and retaining elements of relict industrial landscape features;
g) The canal network and its associated infrastructure, surviving canal-side pre-1939 buildings and structures together with archaeological evidence of the development of canal-side industries and former canal routes (see also Policy ENV4);
h) Buildings, structures and archaeological remains of the traditional manufacturing and extractive industries of the Black Country including glass making, metal trades (such as lock making), manufacture of leather goods, brick making, coal mining and limestone quarrying;
i) The Beacons shown on the Environment Key Diagram and other largely undeveloped high prominences lying along: the Sedgley to Northfield Ridge, including Sedgley Beacon, Wrens Nest, Castle Hill and the Rowley Hills (Turner’s Hill);
the Queslett to Shire Oak Ridge (including Barr Beacon);
including views to and from these locations.
In addition to statutorily designated and protected historic assets particular attention should be paid to the preservation and enhancement of:
locally listed historic buildings and archaeological sites;
historic parks and gardens including their settings;
locally designated special landscape areas and other heritage based site allocations.
Development proposals that would potentially have an impact on any of the above distinctive elements should be supported by evidence included in Design and Access Statements which demonstrates that all aspects of the historic character and distinctiveness of the locality have been fully assessed and used to inform proposals. In some instances local authorities may require developers to undertake detailed Historic Landscape Characterisation studies to support their proposals.
Justification
6.6 The Black Country has a rich and diverse historic environment which is evident in the survival of individual historic assets and in the local character and distinctiveness of the broader landscape. The geodiversity of the Black Country underpins much of the subsequent development of the area. The exploitation of abundant natural mineral resources, particularly those of the South Staffordshire coalfield, together with the early development of the canal network, gave rise to rapid industrialisation and the distinctive settlement patterns which characterise the area.
6.7 Towns and villages with medieval origins survive throughout the area and remain distinct in character from the later 19 th century industrial settlements which typify the coalfield and gave rise to the description of the area as an ‘endless village’ of communities each boasting a particular manufacturing skill for which many were internationally renowned.
6.8 Beyond its industrial heartland, the character of the Black Country can be quite different and varied. The green borderland, most prominent in parts of Dudley, Walsall and the Sandwell Valley, is a largely rural landscape containing fragile remnants of the ancient past. Undeveloped ridges of high ground punctuate the urban landscape providing important views and points of reference which define the character of the many communities. Other parts of the Black Country are characterised by attractive well treed suburbs with large houses in substantial gardens and extensive mid 20th century housing estates designed on garden city principles.
6.9 This diverse character is under constant threat of erosion from modern development;, some small scale and incremental and some large scale and fundamental, and as a result some of the distinctiveness of historic settlements has already been lost to development of a “homogenising” character. In many ways the Black Country is characterised by its ability to embrace change, but future changes will be greater and more intense than any sustained in the past. Whilst a legislative framework supported by national guidance exists to provide for the protection of statutorily designated historic assets the key challenge for the future is to manage change in a way that realizes the regeneration potential of the proud local heritage and distinctive character of the Black Country.
6.10 To ensure that historic assets make a positive contribution towards the wider economic, social and environmental regeneration of the Black Country it is important that they are not considered in isolation but are conserved and enhanced within their wider context. An holistic approach to the built and natural environment maximises opportunities to improve the overall image and quality of life in the Black Country by ensuring that historic context informs planning decisions and provides opportunities to link with other environmental infrastructure initiatives.
6.11 Considerable progress has been made towards achieving a fuller analysis and understanding of the local character and distinctiveness of the area using historic landscape characterization (HLC) principles. Much data is already available at sub-regional level, in the context of the Black Country Historic Landscape Characterization and from other local and more detailed HLC studies. Locally distinctive elements of the Black Country have been defined, including Beacon sites – characteristic, elevated landmarks which divide and help define individual communities.
Primary Evidence
The Black Country: An Historic Landscape Characterisation – First Report (2009)
A Landscape Character Framework for the Black Country Regeneration Corridors (2009)
Delivery
Development Management process including Design and Access Statements
Area Action Plans, Site Allocation Documents and Supplementary Planning Documents
I realise that documents like this are not particularly exciting, and I wouldn't suggest that anyone would want to read them for fun, but I think it's always pretty embarrassing for a Council to have it pointed out to them exactly which of their own policies they're failing to adhere to, as it suggests that the people making the decisions don't actually know what the Council's policies are. In this instance, the Black Country Core Strategy covers four Councils, so it's potentially particularly embarrassing for Sandwell as it could be viewed as breaking its agreement with Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton Councils to have a common policy framework across the whole Black Country area.
Anyway, Policy ENV2 is below. Enjoy!
ENV2 Historic Character and Local Distinctiveness
Spatial Objectives
Environmental transformation is one of the underpinning themes of the Vision which requires a coordinated approach to the protection and enhancement of the built and natural environment (p18). The protection and promotion of the historic character and the areas local distinctiveness is a key element of transformation and in particular helps to deliver Spatial Objectives 3, 4, 5 and 6 (p19-20).
Policy
All development should aim to protect and promote the special qualities, historic character and local distinctiveness of the Black Country in order to help maintain its cultural identity and strong sense of place. Development proposals will be required to preserve and, where appropriate, enhance local character and those aspects of the historic environment together with their settings which are recognised as being of special historic, archaeological, architectural, landscape or townscape quality.
All proposals should aim to sustain and reinforce special character and conserve the historic aspects of the following locally distinctive elements of the Black Country:
a) The network of now coalesced but nevertheless distinct small industrial settlements of the former South Staffordshire Coalfield, such as Darlaston & Netherton;
b) The civic, religious and commercial cores of the principal settlements of medieval origin such as Wolverhampton, Dudley, Wednesbury & Walsall;
c) Surviving pre-industrial settlement centres of medieval origin such as Tettenhall, Aldridge, Oldbury and Kingswinford;
d) Areas of Victorian and Edwardian higher density development which survive with a high degree of integrity including terraced housing and its associated amenities;
e) Areas of extensive lower density suburban development of the mid 20 th century including public housing and private developments of semi-detached and detached housing;
f) Public open spaces, including Victorian and Edwardian municipal parks, often created upon and retaining elements of relict industrial landscape features;
g) The canal network and its associated infrastructure, surviving canal-side pre-1939 buildings and structures together with archaeological evidence of the development of canal-side industries and former canal routes (see also Policy ENV4);
h) Buildings, structures and archaeological remains of the traditional manufacturing and extractive industries of the Black Country including glass making, metal trades (such as lock making), manufacture of leather goods, brick making, coal mining and limestone quarrying;
i) The Beacons shown on the Environment Key Diagram and other largely undeveloped high prominences lying along: the Sedgley to Northfield Ridge, including Sedgley Beacon, Wrens Nest, Castle Hill and the Rowley Hills (Turner’s Hill);
the Queslett to Shire Oak Ridge (including Barr Beacon);
including views to and from these locations.
In addition to statutorily designated and protected historic assets particular attention should be paid to the preservation and enhancement of:
locally listed historic buildings and archaeological sites;
historic parks and gardens including their settings;
locally designated special landscape areas and other heritage based site allocations.
Development proposals that would potentially have an impact on any of the above distinctive elements should be supported by evidence included in Design and Access Statements which demonstrates that all aspects of the historic character and distinctiveness of the locality have been fully assessed and used to inform proposals. In some instances local authorities may require developers to undertake detailed Historic Landscape Characterisation studies to support their proposals.
Justification
6.6 The Black Country has a rich and diverse historic environment which is evident in the survival of individual historic assets and in the local character and distinctiveness of the broader landscape. The geodiversity of the Black Country underpins much of the subsequent development of the area. The exploitation of abundant natural mineral resources, particularly those of the South Staffordshire coalfield, together with the early development of the canal network, gave rise to rapid industrialisation and the distinctive settlement patterns which characterise the area.
6.7 Towns and villages with medieval origins survive throughout the area and remain distinct in character from the later 19 th century industrial settlements which typify the coalfield and gave rise to the description of the area as an ‘endless village’ of communities each boasting a particular manufacturing skill for which many were internationally renowned.
6.8 Beyond its industrial heartland, the character of the Black Country can be quite different and varied. The green borderland, most prominent in parts of Dudley, Walsall and the Sandwell Valley, is a largely rural landscape containing fragile remnants of the ancient past. Undeveloped ridges of high ground punctuate the urban landscape providing important views and points of reference which define the character of the many communities. Other parts of the Black Country are characterised by attractive well treed suburbs with large houses in substantial gardens and extensive mid 20th century housing estates designed on garden city principles.
6.9 This diverse character is under constant threat of erosion from modern development;, some small scale and incremental and some large scale and fundamental, and as a result some of the distinctiveness of historic settlements has already been lost to development of a “homogenising” character. In many ways the Black Country is characterised by its ability to embrace change, but future changes will be greater and more intense than any sustained in the past. Whilst a legislative framework supported by national guidance exists to provide for the protection of statutorily designated historic assets the key challenge for the future is to manage change in a way that realizes the regeneration potential of the proud local heritage and distinctive character of the Black Country.
6.10 To ensure that historic assets make a positive contribution towards the wider economic, social and environmental regeneration of the Black Country it is important that they are not considered in isolation but are conserved and enhanced within their wider context. An holistic approach to the built and natural environment maximises opportunities to improve the overall image and quality of life in the Black Country by ensuring that historic context informs planning decisions and provides opportunities to link with other environmental infrastructure initiatives.
6.11 Considerable progress has been made towards achieving a fuller analysis and understanding of the local character and distinctiveness of the area using historic landscape characterization (HLC) principles. Much data is already available at sub-regional level, in the context of the Black Country Historic Landscape Characterization and from other local and more detailed HLC studies. Locally distinctive elements of the Black Country have been defined, including Beacon sites – characteristic, elevated landmarks which divide and help define individual communities.
Primary Evidence
The Black Country: An Historic Landscape Characterisation – First Report (2009)
A Landscape Character Framework for the Black Country Regeneration Corridors (2009)
Delivery
Development Management process including Design and Access Statements
Area Action Plans, Site Allocation Documents and Supplementary Planning Documents
You know Marcus. He once got lost in his own museum