Front and Back Cover:Front and Back Cover 1/10/07 13:47 Page 1 Supplementary Planning Document Development Plans Team September 2007 Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to the East Herts Local Plan Second Review 2007 September 2007 CONTENTS PAGE Pages 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Purpose & Status 2-3 3.0 Background & Context 4-7 4.0 The Landscape of Hertfordshire 8-15 5.0 Methodology 16-23 6.0 Landscape Character Areas 24-26 Appendix A Bibliography 278 Appendix B Glossary 280 Appendix C Field Survey Sheet 282 Appendix D Landscape Character Area Map 284 (Separate A1 sheet) East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Landscape Partnership produced this technical study on behalf of East Herts District Council in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC). The Landscape Partnership Ltd is a prac- tice registered with the Landscape Institute and the Royal Town Planning Institute and is a member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment. This document could not have been achieved without the com- bined efforts of the staff of Hertfordshire County Council, East Hertfordshire District Council, North Hertfordshire District Council, their consultants Babtie, The Living Landscapes Project and The Landscape Partnership Limited. The project was financially spon- sored by the following: Countryside Management Services (work- ing in Hertfordshire and Barnet), East Hertfordshire District Council, Hertfordshire Biological Records Centre (HBRC), and Hertfordshire County Council. The Landscape Partnership would like to thank all those who par- ticipated and in particular: * Members of HCC staff, especially Simon Odell, Head of Landscape, who supplied unfailing encouragement, quotations and many photographs; Frances Hassett, HBRC, who enabled Trevor James, (formerly HBRC) to make further contributions from his intimate knowledge of the ecology of the county; Alison Tinniswood for her assistance on the county's history and Lynn Dyson-Bruce, on secondment from English Heritage, for her valiant work on the historic landscape data. * Members of East Hertfordshire Council staff including Claire Sime and Elizabeth Greenwood, who provided valuable support in sponsoring the project. * Stephen Warnock of The Living Landscapes Project. * Those who attended Stakeholder meetings and made contributions to the draft text by drawing from a wealth of local knowledge. * Members of The Landscape Partnership's staff, Jonathon Billingsley, Jo Ede, and Kaye Edwards who made significant contributions to the production of the document. The Ordnance Survey mapping included within this publication is provided by Hertfordshire County Council under licence from Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public functions as a planning authority, to promote conservation of and education about the countryside, and to encourage appropriate economic and social development. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice should they wish to licence Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use. This map- ping is based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationary Office© Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Hertfordshire County Council 100019606 2004 East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has been prepared under the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the Town & Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004. In the Act, the Government introduced changes to the planning system for England. 1.2 At the strategic level, Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) will supersede the County Structure Plans. Thus, the Hertfordshire County Structure Plan will be replaced by the RSS for the East of England: The East of England Plan. 1.3 At the local level, a new portfolio of documents, known as the Local Development Framework (LDF), will replace the East Hertfordshire Local Plan. The statutory element of the LDF will be the Development Plan Documents (DPD), supported by non-statutory Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) - these will replace the existing Supplementary Planning Guidance notes. In addition, Hertfordshire County Council will prepare statutory Minerals and Waste Planning documents - these will replace the existing Minerals and Waste Local Plans. 1.4 On 18th April 2007 East Herts adopted its Local Plan Second Review. Under the ‘transitional arrangements’ this Plan will be saved for three years from its date of adoption, until subsequently replaced by the emerging LDF. Page 1 - East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment 2.0 PURPOSE & STATUS 2.1 The purpose of this Supplementary Planning document is to identify the distinct landscapes within East Hertfordshire by describing their key characteristics and natural, historical and cultural features. The document then provides a structured evaluation of these landscapes, a landsacpe strategy and guidelines for conserving and enhancing the character of each character area. The document will provide a framework for assessing planning applications and other landscape planning, regulation, conservation and management activities in East Hertfordshire for the benefit of the landscape of the District as a whole. 2.2 ‘Landscape’ is defined as an area, “as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors”(European Landscape Convention). 2.3 This SPD has been prepared in accordance with Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Development Frameworks (PPS12) published in 2004. Although not part of the statutory Development Plan, PPS12 states that supplementary planning documents should relate to a policy or polices in the local plan. Thus, the landscape character assessment will supplement Policy GBC14 on landscape character in the East Herts Local Plan Second Review 2007, and as such will be taken into account as a material consideration when determining planning applications. 2.4 Policy GBC14 states: Landscape Character Assessment prepared in accordance with an agreed methodology will be used to assess development proposals which will be required to improve and conserve local landscape character by: (a) conserving, enhancing or creating landscape features which are considered desirable to strengthen local landscape character; (b) contributing to the strategy for managing change, with reference to the Landscape Character Assessment for the area; and (c) enhancing or conserving key characteristics and distinctive features, as identified in the Landscape Character Assessment. Where damage to local landscape character is unavoidable, appropriate mitigation measures will be sought. The relevant Landscape Character Assessment will inform the nature of these measures. 2.5 When assessing planning applications in, adjacent to, or having an impact on the character of the landscape, proposals should be reviewed against the relevant landscape character areas statement/s. Sites near the boundary of the character area should be mindful of the implications of the proposal on any adjacent character areas. East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment - Page 2 2.0 PURPOSE & STATUS 2.6 Proposals should consider how each section of the relevant character area assessment is applicable, for example: Summary Section: Conserve and enhance positive key characteristics and distinctive features. Assessment Section: Physical Influences - Respect and reflect local patterns in soils, topography, hydrology, land cover and vegetation and wildlife. Historic & Cultural Influences - Respect and reflect historic features and patterns in the landscape including field structure, transport routes, settlements and built form. Evaluation Section: Visual & Sensory Perception - Make a positive contribution to the visual environment where possible to seek to redress existing intrusive development. Accessibility - Encourage means of providing wider and enhanced accessibility to the countryside. Community Views - Conserve and enhance locally valued and landscapes. Guidelines Section: Support and contribute to the realisation of the overall strategy and delivery of the guidelines relevant to specific proposals. To provide other measures to conserve, enhance and create landscapes that redress deficiencies or adverse aspects of landscape condition and strength of character pertinent of each landscape character area. Page 3 - East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment 3.0 BACKGROUND & CONTEXT 3.1 The classification and designation of areas of the countryside for their ‘landscape value’ has long been part of the planning system. This dates back to the creation of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) from the 1940s and in subsequent decades by the introduction of local landscaper designations at a county/district scale. However, in 1997 a watershed was reached with the publication of Planning Policy Guidance Note 7: The Countryside, (PPG7) which prioritised “new ways of enriching the quality of the whole countryside whilst accommodating appropriate development”. Indeed, “the Government believes that carefully drafted, criteria-based policies [...] utilising tools such as landscape character asessment , should provide sufficient protection for [highly valued local landscape] without the need for rigid local designations that may unduly restrict