Doncaster Local Plan Identification and Assessment of Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest Final Report: December 2013 (Updated 2018) Doncaster Local Plan: Evidence Base Identification and Assessment of Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest Preface Under the Unitary Development Plan there are designated 13 Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest. This report, in its original 2013 version, reviewed these parks and gardens and identified and assessed other potential Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest within Doncaster borough. The intention of the report was that the potential parks and gardens of local historic interest including their boundaries and statements of heritage significance would be submitted and be adopted as part of the Local Development Framework (LDF) process. Due to changes in the process and other circumstance this is now to be submitted for adoption as part of the proposed Doncaster Local Plan. The analysis, including the criteria for assessment, the proposed boundaries, and individual assessments of heritage significance remains the same; however, the supporting policies and background details have been updated to reflect the changes that have happened since. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Historic Parks and Gardens in Doncaster 3. Assessment Criteria 4. Process 5. Development Management Policies for Historic Parks and Gardens 6. Further Comments Map – Distribution of Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest throughout Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Appendix I – Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest previously designated in Doncaster Unitary Development Plan Appendix II – Criteria Appendix III – Initial Shortlist Appendix IV – Candidates not shortlisted Appendix V – Review of shortlist following internal workshop Appendix VI – Consultation responses and actions Appendix VII – Descriptions of individual entries on the register of Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest Appendix VIII – Description of other shortlisted candidates 2 1. Introduction The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Annex 2 identifies a heritage asset as ‘…A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage assets include designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing)’. The purpose of this document is to identify and assess a particular type of local heritage asset i.e. Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest. Historic Parks and Gardens are as much part of Doncaster’s heritage as its individual historic buildings and historic settlements. They represent where man has intervened in the natural environment, producing a designed landscape. They range from the grounds of private houses, public parks and cemeteries to sweeping 18th-century landscaped gardens. All were constructed with as much care as an architect designing a property and have become an integral part of the local landscape. As well as being of particular historic interest, they might also be of note for other reasons such as their amenity value, or for nature conservation. 2. Parks and Gardens of Historic Interest in Doncaster Since 1983 English Heritage has kept and added to a national register of Historic Parks and Gardens. These are graded in the same way as listed buildings into Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II. The criteria for inclusion on this list include age and rarity, influence, examples of styles of garden design or the work of important garden designers, historic association with significant events or people and examples of major planting schemes. More detail of these criteria can be found through the following link; http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/criteria-for-protection/pag-criteria/ Doncaster has four entries included on the English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. These are; Brodsworth Hall (designated 25/11/91 – Grade II, upgraded 01/02/2001 to Grade II*) Cusworth Hall (designated 01/04/90 – Grade II) Hickleton Hall (designated 24/02/92 – Grade II) The Dell, Hexthorpe (designated 30/03/01 Grade II) (NB these four parks and gardens are nationally designated and are not subject to this review of local parks and gardens). Some local authorities have gone further to develop lists of parks and gardens of local historic interest with planning policies to protect their character. In the previous Unitary Development Plan (UDP) Doncaster Council identified 13 parks and gardens of local historic interest and which are attached as Appendix I. The location and extent of these parks and gardens were shown on the UDP maps although this was not accompanied by explanation of the criteria for their inclusion or a description of the origins, layout or significance of these parks and gardens. As part of this report the previously designated parks and gardens of local historic interest were also assessed as to whether they merit continued designation under the emerging Local Plan. In addition, this was an opportune time to survey the borough for any other potential parks and gardens of local historic interest which merit the designation and draw up a revised and up to date local register of historic parks and gardens. 3 As a result the register of parks and gardens of local historic interest has now been revised and the following are considered to be worthy or designation: Bawtry Hall Park, Bawtry Bentley Park, Bentley Bilham Park, Bilham Bramwith Hall Grounds, South Bramwith Campsmount Park, Campsall Cantley Hall Park, Cantley Cusworth Estate (wider area), Cusworth Edlington Wood, Edlington Elmfield Park, Doncaster Frickley Park, Frickley Hesley Park, Rossington High Melton Hall Park, High Melton Howell Wood, Clayton Hyde Park Cemetery, Doncaster Memorial Park, Thorne Owston Park, Owston Regent Square, Doncaster Rose Hill, Cantley Rossington Hall Gardens, Rossington St. Catherine’s, Balby The Park, Adwick-le-Street Tickhill Castle Grounds, Tickhill Wadworth Hall Grounds, Wadworth Wilsic Hall Grounds, Wilsic Woodland Hall Grounds/Highfields Country Park, Woodlands Wyndthorpe Hall Grounds, Dunsville Descriptions of these and an assessment of their heritage significance are attached in Appendix VII. Descriptions for those candidates that are not currently considered to be worthy of inclusion on the register of parks and gardens of local historic interest are included as Appendix VIII. All shortlisted candidates as well as the nationally designated Parks and Gardens of Special Interest are also shown on the map at the end of this report. The fact that a historic park or garden is included in the register does not mean, however, that there is any public right of access unless it is separately advertised by the owner as being open to the public. 3. Criteria for Assessment Whether or not a site merited registration depended primarily upon the age of its main layout and features, its rarity as an example of historic landscape design, and the quality of the landscaping. What makes a site of interest is the survival, quality and interest of its historic structure. For a garden, the structure may include the basic pattern of its layout which might, for example, be formal with terraces, straight walks and hedges, formal pools and canals, or informal with winding paths through lawns, rockwork and informally-planted trees and shrubberies. For a park it may include the historic boundaries and entrances, the routes of the approach drives and rides, the siting of the main buildings, the underlying landform, built features which provide structure and focal points in the design, lakes and rivers and the planting of parkland trees, clumps, shelter belts and woodland. 4 The criteria for inclusion adopted by this report reflects those for the national Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, but adapted for Doncaster’s local historic environment. They also take into account advice contained in English Heritage’s Good Practice Guide for Local Listing: Identifying and Managing Significant Local Heritage Assets (May 2012). This has since been superseded by Historic England Advice Note 7 (Local Heritage Listing) although the criteria used to identify local heritage assets are effectively the same. The detailed criteria by which the parks and gardens of local historic interest have been assessed are included as Appendix II. 4. Process The process began by compiling a list of potential parks and gardens using the local knowledge of the Design and Conservation Team to add to the list of Parks and Gardens of local historic interest designated in the Doncaster UDP. This drew on sources such as books on Doncaster (e.g. ‘Doncaster’s Town and Country Houses’), and the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service Historic Landscape Characterisation assessment. Descriptions of existing designated heritage assets such as listed garden features or conservation area appraisals were also used. This list was circulated to others including Doncaster Civic Trust for comments. From this, an initial shortlist was produced attached as Appendix III. Those parks and gardens that were not considered at this stage to be of local historic interest are listed in Appendix IV, along with reasoning as to why these were not short-listed. Though not meriting the designation as a park and garden of local interest their heritage significance in other areas, for example, their contribution to the