Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment

Liz Lake Associates Chartered Landscape Architects Urban Designers Landscape Planners

PRIMROSE COTTAGE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH Sylvia Ashley

July 2013

Western House t +44 (0)1279 647044 Chapel Hill e [email protected] Stansted Mountfitchet www.lizlake.com Essex CM24 8AG

Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment

PRIMROSE COTTAGE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH Sylvia Ashley

July 2013

Prepared by: Mark Flatman

Position: Senior Associate

Qualifications: CMLI, Dip LA, BA (Hons)

File name: 1510 LVA & GBA 14 01 07

Date issued: 7th January 2014

Checked by : LL

Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL APPRASIAL 2

2.1 Local Designations 2

2.2 Landscape Character 5

2.3 National Landscape Character 5

2.4 District Level Landscape Character 6

2.5 Site Assessment 8

3 LOCAL VIEWS 13

3.1 Bridleway 18, adjacent to Rowney Wood and Rowney Farm 13

3.2 Rowney Gardens 13

3.3 Public Footpath 17 to the South of the Site 14

3.4 Long Distance Views 14

4 GREEN BELT ASSESSMENT 15

4.1 Introduction 15

4.2 National Planning Policy 15

4.3 Local Planning Policy 16

5 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 18

5.1 Assessment Methodology 18

5.2 Assessment of Green Belt Functions 18

6 CONCLUSION 25

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6.1 Discussion of Findings 25

APPENDIX A FIGURES

FIGURE 1 : Local Designations Google Base

FIGURE 2 : Green Belt Boundary Wider Area

FIGURE 3 : Green Belt Boundary 2009 Google Base

FIGURE 4 : Green Belt Boundary 2012 Bing Base

FIGURE 5 : East Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessment

APPENDIX B Source Documents

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1.1 This report addresses Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth (the Site). This report is broken down into two sections. Firstly it examines the Site for its landscape and visual resource, by means of a Landscape and Visual Appraisal and secondly the Site is assessed for its contribution to the Green Belt. The Green Belt Assessment was completed following the Liz Lake methodology.

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2 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL APPRASIAL

2.1 Local Designations

2.1.1 There are no statutory designations located within close proximity of the Site. The closest designated site is Sawbridgeworth Marsh Nature Reserve; a SSSI located approximately 3km to the north east of the site.

2.1.2 To the south and east of the Site, there is an Area of Archaeological Significance (AAS), as designated in the East Herts Local Plan 2007. This area contains the southern settlement edge of Sawbridgeworth and abuts the Site on its southern boundary and extends across the area of land between Chaseways and Durham Close, continuing to the east across the Harlow Road towards the River Stort.

2.1.3 To the west of the Site is Rowney Wood, a local Wildlife Site, as designated in the East Herts Local Plan 2007. To the south of the Site is Pishiobury Park, which is located to the south of Sawbridgeworth, and has a signed entrance and car park off the Harlow Road (A1184) together with a pedestrian entrance from Newton Drive. The park contains many interesting historical features and was an "enclosed" park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century.

2.1.4 Pishiobury Park is managed by East Herts Council to reflect its parkland character, for nature conservation and quiet informal recreation and is an important area for wildlife with much of the park grazed by cattle in summer. The many native grasses and wildflowers provide an important breeding and feeding area for butterflies. It is still a very special place and the Council works closely with Countryside Management Services to ensure that it is looked after in the best possible way. Pishiobury Park is an English Heritage Registered Park.

2.1.5 Public Footpath Sawbridgeworth 017 is located to the south of the Site, and Bridleway Sawbridgeworth 018 is located to the west of the Site.

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2.1.6 Green Belt – the Site is within the Metropolitan Green Belt. http://online.eastherts.gov.uk/localplan/map_htm/inset_17/inset_17_183.htm ‘The Government attaches great importance to Green Belts. The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.’1

2.1.7 The purposes of including land in the Green Belt are set out in Clause 80 of the NPPF. They are:

• to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas

• to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another

• to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment

• to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns

• to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. ‘Local planning authorities with Green Belts in their area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for Green Belt and settlement policy. Once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances, through the preparation or review of the Local Plan. At that time, authorities should consider the Green Belt boundaries having regard to their intended permanence in the long term, so that they should be capable of enduring beyond the plan period.’2

2.1.8 East Hertfordshire District Council (EHDC) are in the process of reviewing the District Plan (DP), as well as producing new policies for the control of development until 2031.

2.1.9 District Plan reviews must take into account the NPPF. The review of the DP gives the planning authority the opportunity to review Green Belt boundaries.

1 NPPF p19 2 NPPF p19

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‘Local planning authorities with Green Belts in their area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for Green Belt and settlement policy.’3

2.1.10 When defining boundaries, local planning authorities should:

• ensure consistency with the Local Plan strategy for meeting identified requirements for sustainable development;

• not include land which it is unnecessary to keep permanently open;

• where necessary, identify in their plans areas of ‘safeguarded land’ between the urban area and the Green Belt, in order to meet longer-term development needs stretching well beyond the plan period;

• make clear that the safeguarded land is not allocated for development at the present time. Planning permission for the permanent development of safeguarded land should only be granted following a Local Plan review which proposes the development;

• satisfy themselves that Green Belt boundaries will not need to be altered at the end of the development plan period; and

• define boundaries clearly, using physical features that are readily recognisable and likely to be permanent.4

2.1.11 The NPPF places a duty on the Planning Authority to review all their current Green Belt Boundaries, as it is required to demonstrate that the existing boundaries do not include land for which:

• “It is unnecessary to keep permanently open

• Green Belt boundaries will not need to be altered at the end of the development plan period

3 NPPF p19 4 NPPF p 20

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• is consistent with the Local Plan strategy for meeting identified requirements for sustainable development”5

2.1.12 It must therefore be necessary to assess all Green Belt boundaries to ensure they are compliant with the above points, as well as considering why normal planning and development planning policy would not be suitable for the land in question.

2.1.13 As part of the DP review, EHDC produced a ‘call for Sites’ to identify sites within the District that could potentially be made available for development, and that could be considered by EHDC for further review for inclusion within the DP going forward. The Site was identified in this process, but was removed at the first sieve.

2.2 Landscape Character

2.2.1 The landscape surrounding the Site is considered in the following documents:

• Countryside Commission (Now Natural England): Countryside Character of England: Volume 6: East of England

• East Herts District Supplementary Planning Document, Landscape Character Assessment, September 2007

2.3 National Landscape Character

2.3.1 The Site is within National Character Area (NCA) 86, South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland. The National Character Area Document makes no reference to Sawbridgeworth directly.

2.3.2 The key features of NCA 86 are:

• Broadly flat, chalky, boulder clay plateau dissected by undulating river valley topography, particularly marked in upper valley reaches, which are much smaller in scale.

5 NPPF p20 Para 85

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• Predominantly arable with wooded appearance. Some pasture in valley floors. Irregular field pattern despite rationalization; remnant Ancient Countryside.

• Scattered farmsteads, deep ditches and moats, parishes with scattered, small settlements around ‘tyes’ (commons) or strip greens, with isolated hamlets. Concentration of isolated moated sites.

• Timber-framed and colour-washed houses, sometimes faced with Georgian red brick. Impressive churches. Large villages and frequent towns, most with medieval street plans and elaborate timber frame houses. Rich heritage of barns. Fewer settlements and more 20th century development towards coast, with several large estates.

• Cultural association with Constable and tourist honey pot of Dedham Vale. Preserved, archetypal, lowland pastoral, English countryside coupled with attractive vernacular buildings dating from period of industrial wealth.

• Hedgerow tree of area is elm (with hornbeam) in Essex. Oak and ash in Suffolk. Few large woods (20 acres plus), but some ancient coppice woods and typical pattern of copses connected by hedgerow. Trees and woods appear to join together to give wooded skyline, with some bare ridgelines.

• Winding road pattern away from major routes, often with wide verges and strong hedgerows. Sunken hollow lanes are a feature, lined with hedgerows, but impact of Dutch Elm disease apparent. 6

2.4 District Level Landscape Character

2.4.1 East Hertfordshire produced a detailed district wide Landscape Character Assessment in 2007, within this document the district is broken down into 152 character areas. Each containing a detailed assessment of the Landscape Character of the area, an evaluation and guidelines.

6 JCA 86 South Suffolk and North Essex Claylands, p75

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2.4.2 The East Herts LCA (2007), illustrates the Site as being within Area 84, High Wych Slopes, and describes its location as “Bounded by Sawbridgeworth to the east, the Hunsdon plateau to the west and the Stort Valley to the south, with an open arable plateau to the north.”7

2.4.3 LCA 84 is a large area of which the Study Area takes up a comparatively small area, at approximately 7.5 acres.

2.4.4 The area is summarised as; “A south-facing slope of mixed farming within a small irregular field pattern, usually ditched rather than hedged. An area of transition, showing increasing urban influence in the southern part and with links to the parkland area to the west. Around High Wych there are wide stretches of open farmland with old houses nestling in small coppices. The flint church is surrounded by the school, ancient houses and thatched

cottages.”8

2.4.5 Its key characteristics are:

• Isolated farms and houses

• Small-scale open farmed landscape

• Gently undulating south-facing slope

• Discrete blocks of woodland

• Tight network of narrow, winding, sunken lanes, usually ditched

• Small areas of parkland on the western edge9

2.4.6 Its distinctive features are:

• High Wych retains village character despite links to Sawbridgeworth

• Golf course and hotel add suburban character to generally rural area

• High Wych Road is a commuter-run, therefore not tranquil10

7 East Herts District Supplementary Planning Document, Landscape Character Assessment, September 2007 p173 8 East Herts District Supplementary Planning Document, Landscape Character Assessment, September 2007 p173 9 East Herts District Supplementary Planning Document, Landscape Character Assessment, September 2007 p173

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2.5 Site Assessment

2.5.1 There is no public access to the Site. There is a public footpath running south east to south west along the southern boundary edge of the Site. The footpath continues to intersect with a bridleway on Chaseways, just south of Rowney Farm, which runs between High Wych Road and the A1184 Harlow Road. The Site is accessed from High Wych Road and is accessed from a gravel drive located between properties that front onto the High Wych Road. The curtilage of Primrose Cottage itself sits tight to the north eastern edge of the existing built settlement. A set of black double leafed gates are set back on the access drive and screen the Site from High Wych Road and provides a formal residential character to the arrival space. This section of driveway is not within the Green Belt. Beyond the gates, and now within the Green Belt designation, the formal residential character continues as the drive continues ahead past a series of black out buildings which consist of a mix of temporary sheds and buildings made of concrete and timber clad that form the administration centre for the business. The drive continues past the outbuildings and onto the right towards a multitude of caravans parked for storage. The drive at this point also sweeps away past the primary Site residence; Primrose Cottage. The area to the front of Primrose Cottage is predominantly ornamental gardens with areas of lawn. There are views from the rear of properties on the High Wych Road into this area of the Site, particularly from dwellings that have first floor windows orientated to a southerly aspect. The drive itself is lined with ornamental cherries and laurel hedging, and there is a large Willow tree in the centre of the lawn. A 6ft wooden fence separates the front gardens of Primrose Cottage from the rest of the Site. This area of the Site has a residential character.

2.5.2 There are another series of gates along the drive which act to separate the residential area of the Site from the operations surrounding the caravan storage facility. Approximately 60 mobile caravans are currently being stored in the north-west corner of the Site, as well as 6 larger, static caravans located just to the south of the mobile caravans. Following the refusal of planning permission (3/12/1476/FP) from April 2014 this number will be reduced to 30 caravans. The static caravans are larger, with more permanence. The character of this area of the Site is in marked contrast to the character of the surrounding area, which is

10 East Herts District Supplementary Planning Document, Landscape Character Assessment, September 2007 p173

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predominantly associated with agriculture or grazing. Earth mounding with Laurel hedging planted on top, reaching an approximate height of 6ft to surround groups of caravans. These features are incongruous and out of character with the surrounding landscape.

2.5.3 The upper area of the Site is afforded views from a number of properties on the High Wych Road, there are direct views from upper floor windows, the properties themselves are set back approximately 50m from the Site boundary, which at this point consists of typically 6ft garden fence panels, which create a relatively weak boundary. The new development at Bluebell Walk, despite its immediate proximity has limited views into the Site due to the orientation of the dwellings offering views mostly east, although there may be very oblique views possible from the 1st floor windows of a few properties across the whole of the Site. There would be direct views west and south from the 1st floor windows of Primrose Cottage and gardens over the Site. The northern Site boundary at this point is stronger than slightly further east along the fence line as there are a series of mature trees and a row of conifers which help strengthen the boundary with the properties associated with Bluebell walk. As well as the caravans located within this area of the Site, set right into the corner of the Site there are 4 containers and an outbuilding all appear to be used for storage. To the west and adjacent to this corner of the Site, is a small area of woodland associated with the neighbouring field which is currently being used as paddocks for horses. This area of woodland helps screen views of the north of the Site from the large farm building on the far side of the neighbouring field approximately 125m from the Site boundary. However, the most northern end of the western boundary has little vegetation which allows views in and out of the Site from the 1st floor of the farm property, including direct views of stored caravans and static caravans. It appears that existing vegetation may have been damaged by livestock within the paddocks. There is evidence of some recent planting of young conifer trees along this section of boundary, but until these mature, they would offer little interruption to the views, and in any case they are an inappropriate feature, being out of character with the existing landscape and offering little landscape value.

2.5.4 A mature row of trees and associated hedgerow runs along the south west boundary of the Site. Adjacent to this boundary and running for approximately 130m are a series of mobile caravans that have been enclosed on the internal Site edge by a wooden panel fence and at parts by a Laurel hedge. On the Site boundary edge, behind the caravans, a further conifer hedge has been planted to help reinforce the existing hedge line. This line of

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caravans and fencing terminates approximately half way down the Site boundary, where it forms a residential compound with facilities for staff, comprising static caravans and associated toilet and shower block, located within a screened off area to the west boundary and partly set amongst the tree line.

2.5.5 The middle of the Site is characterised by a series of ponds, ornamental gardens and an open amenity area. Whilst open in character, this area is of domestic character being associated with Primrose Cottage and the static caravans. The amenity area is open with ornamental trees, picnic benches and close mown grass, giving the impression of a managed domestic garden. The ponds are sculpted and engineered structures created by earthworks and the levelling of soils and despite having vegetated edges they contrast with the local character and topography due to the earth works that have taken place to support them. The planting surrounding the ponds is also out of character with the surrounding landscape. Conifers and tall eucalyptus trees surround the lake, which contrast with the areas character.

2.5.6 From the ponds there are long distance views out of the Site, south and south east across the River Stort and onto the opposite valley sides, including views towards the village of Churchgate Street adjacent to Harlow.

2.5.7 On the Sites north eastern boundary, and adjacent to the ponds are a series of ornamental gardens which are residential in character and associated with Primrose Cottage and the holiday lets. They include structures (garages, trellis and pergolas), sheds, bridges, raised beds, vegetable gardens and garden ornaments, which all add to the character of tended and managed ornamental residential. The formal gardens are to the south of Primrose Bungalow, and while they are separated by a wall, it offers a permeable boundary ranging between 3ft and 6ft high depending on the fall of the land, and so allows for views in and out from the private gardens associated with Primrose Bungalow, the holiday lets and the wider landscape of the Site. This boundary therefore gives the impression that the extended formal gardens are an extension to the original private gardens, and supports the residential characteristics displayed across the majority of the upper portion of the Site. The residential gardens directly within the curtilage of Primrose Cottage are not within the Green Belt designation. The single storey double garage and covered sides are within the Green Belt designation and received retrospective planning permission.

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2.5.8 Properties on Rowney Wood have direct views from upstairs windows towards this area of the Site. The three properties at the western end of Rowney Wood are all bungalows and views into the Site are limited due to a length of Leylandii hedge that provides screening on the north east Site boundary. Properties further along Rowney Wood are typical 1950s semi-detached dwellings, with a mixture of direct and oblique views from 1st floor windows. Properties 7 – 11 are afforded direct views across the centre of the Site, including the ponds, amenity space and formal gardens. The properties on Rowney Wood are aligned away from the Site as they follow the line of the road east. These properties have direct views of the Site from their 1st storey windows, but predominantly over the southern section of the Site.

2.5.9 The southern section of the Site is comprised of agricultural allotments, animal shelters, polytunnels, a pond and a newly planted area of woodland(on the Sites south west boundary). This area of the Site has a contrasting character to the top of the Site, with more focus on agricultural and informal use. Despite this however, due to the regimentation of the agricultural practices, the area still has a strong appearance of being ‘produced’ as opposed to natural. The openness without being in large scale agriculture is out of character with surrounding agricultural fields, with the Site having a domestic character. This area is directly overlooked by properties on Wheatley Close, however the design of the properties helps to limit views into the Site, with the dwellings being chalet bungalow style. The Site boundary adjacent to the agricultural allotments within the southern section of the Site ranges from open to the north to being more dense at the south east corner of the Site where semi mature trees within the Site help to thicken the boundary.

2.5.10 Towards the Sites southern boundary, in a north west to south east orientation, are two polytunnels associated with the small scale agriculture taking place on site. These, are not large enough to be commercial in character, but add to the allotment gardening character of this area of the Site.

2.5.11 Adjacent to the polytunnels, and located in the southern corner of the Site is a pond. Set out in a naturalistic design, it is intended to supply irrigation water to the allotments.

2.5.12 The southern boundary of the Site is dense and contains a mix of mature trees of similar height at approximately 15m. This dense boundary helps contain the Site, and restricts

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views south from this area of the Site. Woodland on the southern adjacent field’s northern boundary also contributes to the screening of the Site.

2.5.13 There is an access gate in the south west corner of the Site into the adjacent field, south of Rowney Wood. There are a series of compost heaps located here, associated with horticultural activities taking place on Site. From this access point there are views out from the Site across the adjacent field to Rowney Farm. Rowney Farm itself has limited views across the Site, as only 1st floor windows from the main farm building look towards the Site, and these are set behind a mature tree and two hedge lines. The field between the Site and Rowney Farm is currently arable land used by dog walkers, the field has been fenced and gated to enable dog walker’s access and to allow them to run their dogs in the field. It has a different character to that of the Site, it is characteristic of enclosed arable land, associated with farming. Other than the gate at the southern corner, the south western boundary is well established with mature trees and a mature hedge row. Adjacent to this boundary and to the north of the pond, an extensive area of linear woodland has been planted. This is establishing well and helps strengthen the south western boundary. A surfaced track is contained by and runs through the wooded belt and connects back to the workers caravans.

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3 LOCAL VIEWS

3.1 Bridleway 18, adjacent to Rowney Wood and Rowney Farm

3.1.1 This bridleway starts from the High Wych Road and runs south past Rowney Wood, Rowney Farm and down to the A1184 Harlow Road. The Bridleway lies in between and passes adjacent to High Wych Allotments on the west and domestic gardens to the east and follows the length of the allotments for approximately 100m, before running between two field boundaries banked by hedgerows on both sides, including some semi mature Oak trees. There are glimpsed views east and west through the hedge lines across the surrounding landscape. Including glimpsed views of the Site, the (contrasting white coloured) caravans positioned along the western edge of the Site are visible from various points along the Bridleway. Behind Rowney wood, the Bridleway emerges into a narrow meadow. Beyond the southern edge of Rowney Wood, the landscape broadens to reveal views towards the fields associated with Rowney Farm and currently used for dog walking. This area has a rural character, associated with the historic farm buildings and field pattern. A public footpath running east (adjacent to the southern boundary of the Site) connects to the Bridleway at the end of Chaseway, a private road. The Bridleway continues along Chaseway banked by mature trees and hedgerows that restrict views to the Site from the residential properties set behind it. From Chaseways there are glimpsed views into the field to the south of the Site, which is being used for horse pasture.

3.2 Rowney Gardens

3.2.1 Rowney Gardens are a series of properties set back on a private road running parallel with the Harlow Road. The rear 1st floor windows of these properties look north across the field immediately south of the Site, so it can be assumed that these properties are likely to have direct views to the Site. The vegetation associated with the Sites southern boundary would contribute to screening views of the Site at the southern end; however, there are likely to be direct views towards the slightly elevated upper portion of the Site.

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3.3 Public Footpath 17 to the South of the Site

3.3.1 Public footpath 017 runs south west to north east past the south of the Site. It is tightly contained between the boundary of the Site and the adjacent field. The vegetation on each side is dense and views are mostly limited. However, there are small sections where the Site’s boundary vegetation is sparse allowing direct views into the Site. Once past the Site, the footpath connects to the residential areas at the back of Wheatley Close.

3.4 Long Distance Views

3.4.1 Long distance views are limited; however there are transient long distance views from various points along the upper sections of public footpath (PROW 185_14) that runs from the B183 Gilden Way north to Gibberd Garden. As the footpath climbs from the Gilden Way to the 60m contour there are long distance views across the Stort Valley towards the Site. From this location it is possible to view the contrasting white coloured caravans stored at the upper portion of the Site. It is, however, difficult to distinguish more of the Site as the view comprises trees and woodland blocks. Contained within these views are the existing development at the edge of Sawbridgeworth, including the properties at Rowney Wood and Wheatley Close, including some rooftops and upper storey windows, but they do not form a key component of the view, which is well wooded (and do not contrast strongly, as caravans do).

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4 GREEN BELT ASSESSMENT

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 The following review assess the contribution that the Study Area makes to the functions of the existing Green Belt as well as an assessment of the likely effect on the five purposes of Green Belt if the Site is removed from the Green Belt for development.

4.2 National Planning Policy

4.2.1 The purposes of including land in the Green Belt are set out in Clause 80 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

4.2.2 They are:

• “to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas

• to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another

• to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment

• to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns

• to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.” 11

4.2.3 Local planning authorities with Green Belts in their area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for Green Belt and settlement policy. Once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances, through the preparation or review of the Local Plan. At that time, authorities should consider the Green Belt boundaries having regard to their intended permanence in the long term, so that they should be capable of enduring beyond the plan period.

11 NPPF Page 19 Point 80

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4.2.4 The aim of this report is to determine if the Site still serves the purposes and, if not, why it might be considered for exclusion from the Green Belt.

4.2.5 Methodologies for landscape sensitivity studies and the identification of land that might compensate for the removal of the Site proposed for exclusion from the Green Belt are not covered by this Methodology.

4.2.6 This report addresses the parcel of land that surrounds Primrose Cottage, High Wych Rd, Sawbridgeworth (the Study Area) as shown on 1510 Figure 1 Designations (See Appendix A). The Study Area is adjacent to the western boundary of the settlement edge of Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire, and is located within the Metropolitan Green Belt (MGB).

4.3 Local Planning Policy

4.3.1 The East Herts Local Plan 2007 is the current planning document that sets out the planning policies that planning applications in East Herts are judged against. However, the Local Plan will become out of date and its planning policies will be replaced. Instead of producing another Local Plan, the Council is producing a District Plan. The District Plan will shape the future of East Herts to 2031.

4.3.2 East Herts District Council is in the process of reviewing the District Plan and formulating new policies for the control of development through to 2031.

4.3.3 It is a legal requirement for every Local Planning Authority to produce a plan containing its planning policies for managing development proposals through the planning application process. The District Plan is the new name for the Local Development Framework (LDF) that the Council was required to produce.

4.3.4 It was the original intention of East Herts District Council to release the District Plan in two documents, at two separate dates:

• District Plan: Part 1 - Strategy

• District Plan: Part 2 - Allocations & Policies

4.3.5 However, it is now likely that they would be released together in late autumn 2013. The Council is currently working on preparing the preferred strategy or draft District Plan: Part 1. As part of the Development Plan review East Herts council made a ‘call for sites’ to help

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it identify land and sites that are not currently known to be available for development but that should be considered by the Council for inclusion in the review. A number of parcels of land, including Primrose Cottage and other land nearby were submitted for consideration but in an early 'sieving' process these were discounted.

4.3.6 The existing Local Plan 2007 classifies the Study Area as Green Belt. No other designations are present within the Study Area. Rowney Wood is located to the south west of the Study Area and is designated a Wildlife Site in the Local Plan. The parcel of land to the south east of the Study Area is also located within Metropolitan Green Belt, and is designated as being an area of archaeological significance.

4.3.7 East Herts is currently in the process of undertaking a Green Belt review, but the outcome of this is someway off, potentially 2014.

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5 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

5.1 Assessment Methodology

5.1.1 Central to the process of assessing the 5 purposes of Green Belt is the identification of the boundaries for the Study Area. These are based on clear physical features or boundaries. Ordnance Survey maps and aerial photographs were initially used to identify the Study Area, boundaries were then checked on site and a photographic survey of the boundary was recorded. The Site Visit confirmed the Study Area boundaries identified in desk top study. The NPPF states that “When defining boundaries, local planning authorities should: define boundaries clearly, using physical features that are readily recognisable and likely to be permanent”.12

5.1.2 Once the Study Area boundaries had been identified an analysis was made of the Study Area and its Green Belt functions.

5.1.3 Primrose Cottage is located outside the Green Belt boundary (1510 Figure 3), and forms an unusual break to the southern settlement boundary of Sawbridgeworth. The domestic gardens associated with Primrose Cottage, however, do not appear consistent with the settlement pattern or Green Belt boundary, lying partly within and partly outside both the settlement boundary and the Green Belt designations.

5.2 Assessment of Green Belt Functions Purpose 1: To check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas

5.2.1 The premise here is that where a site is already contained on three sides by urban development, it is no longer serving the objective of containing urban sprawl, as compared to a site where the majority of the Study Area is detached from the built up area then it is deemed to be containing urban sprawl.

12 NPPF Page 20 Point 85

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5.2.2 The Study Area is partially contained by existing development being surrounded on two sides by a built-up area. A recent residential development on Bluebell Walk abuts the Sites north western boundary together with properties on High Wych Road, and the mid to late 20th Century developments on Rowney Wood and Wheatley Close about the north east boundary. Therefore not completely fulfilling the purpose of Green Belt due to 50% of the study area being adjacent to the built up area.

5.2.3 The removal of the Study Area from Green Belt creates a new boundary that provides (or would provide) a very strong, identifiable new edge to the Green Belt. The removal of the Study Area from Green Belt has low potential to lead to unrestricted sprawl of large built up areas.

Purpose 2: To prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another

5.2.4 Parcels of land which preserve the separation of built up areas contribute most to preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another. The smaller the gap between two settlements the more important the parcel to this objective. The most straight forward way of making this assessment is based on a linear measurement of distance. PPG 2 suggested that where possible Green Belts should be several miles wide but the NPPF does not make any such suggestion. It would therefore be unreasonable to suggest a linear distance but rather as long as a site is preventing neighbouring towns from merging into one another and when the removal of a parcel from Green Belt would result in a gap between two settlements becoming so close as to no longer serve this purpose. The important consideration is whether development would appear to result in the merging of built up areas.

5.2.5 The Site is located towards the western settlement edge of Sawbridgeworth. The settlement pattern to the south west of the town has been established along two arterial routes connecting Sawbridgeworth to High Wych and Harlow. Sawbridgeworth extends to the south east of the Study Area towards Old Harlow along the ribbon development associated with Harlow Road. Development along Chaseways and High Wych Road contribute to the containment of the Study Area on 3 sides. The settlement boundary of Sawbridgeworth extends along High Wych Road to within 0.5km of High Wych village andthe village core is mostly located on the northern side of High Wych Road. The High Wych Road Allotments act as a green wedge or strategic gap separating the two

1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth

settlements. There is existing development between the Study Area and High Wych along High Wych Road and new development, such as recent garden infill development on Bluebell Walk forms a continuation of the pattern of infilling established by small estate developments along High Wych Road at the end of the 20th Century (e.g. Rowney Wood and Wheatley Close).

5.2.6 Development of the Study Area does not create a marginal space between two settlements. Development of the Study Area would not result in actual coalescence or merging of settlements, although it would reduce the extent of Green Belt between settlements to a small degree. The two arterial routes linking High Wych and Harlow to Sawbridgeworth would remain as the outermost edges of settlement. Development of the Study Area would be contained by existing natural features, infrastructure or existing built form. Development would extend the established development pattern of creating small scale estate developments off High Wych Road.

Purpose 3: To assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment

5.2.7 Encroachment into the Green Belt can come from a mixture of activities, but predominantly will be associated with built development within the urban fringe with pressure for development to expand outwards into the countryside. It may be evident in areas adjacent to the existing built up area, or detached from it. Encroachment may be ad hoc, or small in scale, but cumulatively it can threaten the character and integrity of the countryside.

5.2.8 The NPPF (Point 89) identifies that there are cases where development within the countryside is not inappropriate;

• “buildings for agriculture and forestry

• achieving sustainable development

• provision of appropriate facilities for outdoor sport, outdoor recreation and for cemeteries, as long as it preserves the openness of the Green Belt and does not conflict with the purposes of including land within it

• the extension or alteration of a building provided that it does not result in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building

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Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 21

• the replacement of a building, provided the new building is in the same use and not materially larger than the one it replaces

• limited infilling in villages, and limited affordable housing for local community needs under policies set out in the Local Plan; or

• limited infilling or the partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed sites (brownfield land), whether redundant or in continuing use (excluding temporary buildings), which would not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt and the purpose of including land within it than the existing development.” 13

5.2.9 When assessing encroachment there are four key areas of assessment; Boundary Strength is a key issue in determining encroachment. Where the Study Area forms clear parcels of land with a clearly defined boundary then it is deemed to be restricting encroachment into the countryside by creating a strong boundary to the Green Belt. Strong boundary features include; urban edge, roads, railways, streams, water features and belts of trees and woodland. Where a parcel has poorly defined boundaries then it will not be deemed to be restricting encroachment, and to be creating a weak boundary to the Green Belt. Weak boundary features include; field boundaries; hedges, fence, single line of trees and manmade features such as farm tracks, private roads, ditches, built up areas with permeable boundaries.

5.2.10 The Study Area has 2 strong boundaries and 2 weak. The weak boundaries are adjacent to the settlement edge of Sawbridgeworth where residential properties at Wheatley Close and Rowney Wood back onto the Study Area, and the north western edge of the Study Area where the Study Area shares a boundary with residential properties on High Wych Rd and Bluebell Walk. Both these boundaries comprise a typical range of residential rear garden treatments of hedging and panel fencing, which offer a permeable boundary. The north western boundary is adjacent to new development at Bluebell Walk, and although this boundary has some mature trees, it is characteristic of a permeable residential boundary with views to and from residential windows and gardens. On the boundary with Sawbridgeworth’s settlement edge the street layout of the residential properties at Rowney

13 NPPF Page 21 Point 89

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Wood dictates that the dwellings are mostly set back, from the boundary, but are still distinctively permeable residential in character. This boundary has a kink in it due to the location of Primrose Bungalow. Primrose Bungalow projects from the settlement edge, creating a jutting out effect in the boundary line. This is also represented on the Green Belt boundary line.

5.2.11 The remaining 2 boundaries of the Study Area, to the south east and south west are strong.

5.2.12 The south west boundary is composed of a strong and clearly defined wooded hedge line. There are sections of this boundary at each end however that are not as robust. Abutting the Study Area, a woodland block, known as Rowney Wood within a designated ecological site, further strengthen the parcel edge.

5.2.13 The south eastern boundary is comprised of dense mature conifer trees; these are supported by a well wooded boundary margin within the adjacent field which together help to create a strong, dense wooded boundary feature. The form of this strong wooded boundary margin within the adjacent field continues on its western boundary and contains settlement edge and already serves to prevent any encroachment at Wheatley Close just to the east of the Study Area.

5.2.14 Measuring the extent of the coverage of physical structures establishes the extent of development within the study area. The greater the amount of development the less the area is deemed to be restricting encroachment. The lower the development coverage, the greater the area is deemed to be restricting encroachment.

5.2.15 The Study Area has been extensively developed and includes the following features spread across the Study Area extents:

• extensive caravan parking and storage areas to the western portion of the Study Area over extensive hard standing areas of concrete, asphalt and compacted gravels, screened with domestic non-native hedges and engineered bunds

• Portacabins, garages, sheds, administration and accommodation buildings, associated with the management and operation of the Study Area

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Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 23

• Extended large scale residential gardens within the Green Belt beyond the original curtilage of the Cottage, consisting of walls, trellis and associated garden structures, including lighting

• Ornamental Lakes formed with reprofiled/engineered soils for retention and levelling

• Areas dedicated to kitchen gardening

• Large scale organic allotments with two associated polytunnels, animal shelters and fencing.

5.2.16 Where a Study Area reflects appropriate use of the Green Belt (as defined in the NPPF) it should be deemed to be contributing to restricting the countryside from encroachment. Where land use is not an appropriate use of Green Belt then the Study Area would be contributing to encroachment. The majority of land use within the Study Area is not within a defined non inappropriate Green Belt use including those defined in paragraphs 89 and 90 of the NPPF.

5.2.17 The final point to consider is Development pre Green Belt designation. Where development within the Study Area has taken place post designation then the Study Area will not be deemed to be safeguarding the countryside from encroachment. Development before designation does not add to encroachment. The Metropolitan Green Belt was originally designated under the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, however the Green Belt surrounding Sawbridgeworth was not designated until 1981. The Majority of development appears to be post Green Belt designation, there was a licence granted in the 1970s for the partial use of the Site for caravan storage in the north west corner.

5.2.18 The cumulative impact of the developed features means that the Study Area exhibits limited characteristics of open countryside, as only a small portion of the Study Area remains undeveloped. There are small scale pockets of undeveloped land across the Study Area and only a small amount of the land use is in a defined non inappropriate Green Belt use(NPPF paras 89 and 90), being associated with the agricultural allotments and polytunnels.

1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth

5.2.19 Whilst the Study Area does have some countryside characteristics, such as the organic allotments, and patterns of dominant hedgerows the domestic character contrasts markedly with surrounding parcels of land that are a combination of grazed paddocks, rough grassland, woodland and arable fields .

5.2.20 Development of the Study Area would encroach on countryside to a minor degree.

Purpose 4: To preserve the setting and special character of historic towns

5.2.21 In assessing the purpose of preserving the setting and special character of historic towns consideration is given to the special setting and historic characteristics present within the Study Area, and immediate surrounding area.

5.2.22 The Village of High Wych has a Conservation Area, as does the historic core of Sawbridgeworth, the Study Area is detached from both of these Conservation Areas, and plays no part in their setting. Pishiobury Park (an English Heritage Registered Park and Garden) is located to the south of the A1184 Harlow Road; the Study Area does not impact on the setting of this Park. There are no Grade 1 or 2* Listed Buildings within the proximity of the Study Area, the closest being a Grade 2* Listed dwelling approximately 400m to the east along High Wych Rd towards Sawbridgeworth. The Study Area does not impact on the setting of any Grade 1 or Grade 2* listed buildings.

5.2.23 The Study Area plays no part in the preservation of any setting or special character of a historic town or any significant feature of historic interest. Appropriately designed development would have no effect on the setting or special character of the historic town or a feature of historic interest.

Purpose 5: To assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land

5.2.24 By its very definition Green Belt is intended to assist urban recycling by encouraging development on urban brownfield sites, as opposed to development on Green Belt land. For this purpose the Study Area is deemed to be meeting the purpose of green belt, by restricting development. There has however been a number of planning infringements which have taken place within the Study Area, leading to unsanctioned development. It can be said therefore that in this instance, the Green Belt Designation is not encouraging development elsewhere, as it has already taken place.

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Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 25

6 CONCLUSION

6.1 Discussion of Findings

6.1.1 The Study Area is a minor component of an important link at the strategic or sub-regional level, being located on the settlement edge of Sawbridgeworth and between the settlement of High Wych and Harlow. Removing the Study Area from the Metropolitan Green Belt and therefore creating a new Green Belt Boundary around the Study Area would provide a very strong, identifiable new edge to the Green Belt. Development of the Study Area has Low potential to lead to unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, due to the strength of the proposed boundaries, with development being almost completely contained by natural features or infrastructure. Whilst development of the Study Area would not result in actual coalescence of Sawbridgeworth, High Wych or Harlow, it would reduce the Green Belt gap between these settlements, but only to a small degree. Appropriately designed development would have no effect on the setting, or special character of the historic town or any features of historic interest.

6.1.2 The Study Area has limited characteristics of ‘open’ countryside’. It has some countryside characteristics like fields in cultivation and patterns of dominant hedgerows. Only a small part of the Study Area is free of development and only a small part of the land-use is a countryside use as defined in paragraphs 89 and 90 of the NPPF. The Study Area therefore makes a limited contribution in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.

6.1.3 Development of the Study Area or parcel would encroach on countryside to a minor degree however appropriately designed development could be added on the Study Area or parcel without a significant adverse effect.

1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Appendix A PRIMROSE COTTAGE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH Figures 1-5

July 2013

1510 FIGURE 1 Local Designations Google Base

LEGEND English Heritage Registered Parks and Gardens

Area of Archaeological Signi cance - AAS

Listed Buildings

Grade 1

Grade 2*

Grade 2

Public Rights of Way

Footpath

Bridleway

Recreational Route

Site Boundary

Project: Primrose Cottage

Client: Sylvia Ashley

Date: June 2012

Scale: See Bar Scale

Status: Final

0 250m 500m

© Based upon Ordnance Survey map, with the permission of the controller of HMSO © Crown Copyright, Liz Lake Associates Ltd Licence Number AR189650. © Liz lake Associates 1510 FIGURE 2 Green Belt Boundary Wider Area

LEGEND Project: Primrose Cottage Metropolitan Greenbelt Client: Sylvia Ashley

Site Boundary Date: June 2012

Scale: NTS

Status: Final

LEGEND

Metropolitan Greenbelt

Site Boundary

Project: Primrose Cottage

Client: Sylvia Ashley

Date: June 2012

Scale: NTS

Status: Final

LEGEND

Metropolitan Greenbelt

Site Boundary

Project: Primrose Cottage

Client: Sylvia Ashley

Date: June 2012

Scale: NTS

Status: Final

LEGEND Area 81 Stanstead to Pishiobury Parklands

85 Area 82 River Stort Area

Area 84 High Wych Slopes 82 152 Area 85 Thorley Uplands 84 Area 152 Great Hyde Sawbridgeworth Urban Area Sawbridgeworth Countly Boundary

Site Boundary

81 82 81

82 Project: Primrose Cottage Client: Sylvia Ashley

Date: June 2012

Scale: See Bar Scale

Status: Final

0 500m 1km

© Based upon Ordnance Survey map, with the permission of the controller of HMSO © Crown Copyright, Liz Lake Associates Ltd Licence Number AR189650. © Liz lake Associates Appendix B PRIMROSE COTTAGE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH Source Documents

July 2013

Character Area South Suffolk and 86 North Essex Clayland

Key Characteristics Landscape Character

● Broadly flat, chalky, boulder clay plateau dissected The South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland, while part of by undulating river valley topography, particularly the same boulder clay plateau as the South Norfolk and High marked in upper valley reaches, which are much Suffolk Claylands, is distinguished by differences in smaller in scale. topography, vegetation cover, settlement pattern and size. To the north it follows the valley of the river Gipping north- ● Predominantly arable with wooded appearance. west from Ipswich in a broad transition zone as far as Some pasture in valley floors. Irregular field Stowmarket, then loops southwards before skirting the pattern despite rationalization; remnant northern fringe of Bury St Edmunds. To the north and west Ancient Countryside. of Bury it abuts Breckland. The western boundary continues ● Scattered farmsteads, deep ditches and moats, southwards to include Saffron Walden, a valley town on the parishes with scattered, small settlements around edge of the chalk. The southern edge of this area is ‘tyes’ (commons) or strip greens, with isolated delineated by the Northern Thames Basin: a shallow wooded hamlets. Concentration of isolated moated sites. ridge sweeps round in a curve from Tiptree to Epping Forest, marking the northern extent of the London Clay and ● Timber-framed and colour-washed houses, the western extent of the lighter soils of the Essex coastal sometimes faced with Georgian red brick. Impressive heathlands. Also within the area lies the Dedham Vale, with churches. Large villages and frequent towns, most its variable topography and more pastoral character. with medieval street plans and elaborate timber- frame houses. Rich heritage of barns. Fewer settlements and more 20th century development towards coast, with several large estates.

● Cultural association with Constable and tourist honey pot of Dedham Vale. Preserved, archetypal, lowland pastoral, English countryside coupled with attractive vernacular buildings dating from period of industrial wealth.

● Hedgerow tree of area is elm (with hornbeam) in Essex. Oak and ash in Suffolk. Few large woods (20 acres plus), but some ancient coppice woods and typical pattern of copses connected by hedgerow. Trees and woods appear to join together to give wooded skyline, with some bare ridgelines.

● Winding road pattern away from major routes,

often with wide verges and strong hedgerows. AGENCY JOHN TYLER/COUNTRYSIDE Sunken hollow lanes are a feature, lined with Barrow Hill in Suffolk.This character area is undulating country, hedgerows, but impact of Dutch Elm incised by small river valleys which combine with an endowment of hedgerows, copses and a few larger woodlands to give an open disease apparent. but wooded feel throughout.

7575 5 4 10km 3 6 82 level in feet level

Ipswich 83 District

Claydon A137 sea- height above 0-200'

IPSWICH A1120 200-400'

A140 A14 400-600' A12

River Gipping Manningtree 0 District Stowupland Mid Suffolk Capel Elmsett St Mary East Hintlesham Market Dedham Needham Bergholt District Babergh Hadleigh Great Bricett

Bildeston

Polstead A1017 District

Colchester

TL 0 TMTL 0 1 River Stour River

A1141 STOWMARKET A1088 River Brett Felsham Nayland 111 Stoke-by-

A14 Eleigh Monks A134 Nayland Boxford 2 Lavenham

Great Waldingfield

Wakes Colne A12

9 A134 Bradfield Combust

Great Welnetham

A134 Bures

A143 A604 Long Melford Kelvedon A134 1 River Colne Coggeshall District Maldon

Alpheton Hartest Wickham St Paul SUFFOLK A131 Witham Brockley Green Earls Colne Halstead SUDBURY BURY ST EDMUNDS BURY

Silver End

A120 Risby A143 Hatfield Peverel River Blackwater 8 Castle Hedingham Foxearth

A1101 District Cavendish Braintree

Glemsford A1092 Barrow

Great Yeldham River Brain

District River Ter A12 A414 St Edmunds Sible A1017 Fuller Street Thorns Hawkedon Beazley End Clare

85 River Pant A131 Hedingham

A14 Little Waltham

CHELMSFORD A12

Kedington River Stour

Pods Brook Lakes Leez Lodge BRAINTREE ESSEX Cheveley Felsted Cornish Hall End Great Thurlow

Great Bardfield A11 Great Bradley Great

Cowlinge A120

District Waltham Helions Bumpstead A1016 Chelmsford

River A130 A1304 Chelmer

A1060 Writtle Pleshey Good Easter Haverhill Finchingfield Horseheath Thaxted Great Easton Great High Roding West Wratting Withersfield

A1307 67 Sampford A414 Ashdon Great Balsham District Dunmow Roding District Debden Uttlesford 87 Leaden Roding Chipping Ongar East Cambridgeshire Hatfield Oak Broad Saffron Walden Beauchamp Henham Elsenham

District River Cam Linton A120 Hatfield Heath or Granta Takeley Sheering

M11 District South Cambridgeshire Green North Weald Bassett Epping Forest 5 Matching

Clavering M11 A1184 HARLOW Stanstead Bridge Green River Stort Mountfitchet

Manuden

Harlow District

BISHOP’S Ash River A414 STORTFORD A120 Sawbridgeworth Much Braughing Pelham 4 Furneux Stanstead Abbots Barkway

River Quin Hadham River Rib River End

CAMBRIDGESHIRE Ware

Buntingford

A10 Bakers

Reed A10 Dane End Puckeridge A602 Hoddesdon North District East 3 Hertfordshire

District A119 A414 Hertfordshire Holl’s Green 87 STEVENAGE A602 Watton Stone at A507 HERTFORD District

Stevenage A1072 A1(M)

A602 110 Area 86 boundary Area Adjacent Area Motorway A Road B Road and station Railway County boundary District boundary Character Area Area Character 86 and NorthSouth Suffolk Essex Clayland HERTFORDSHIRE

76 This area has an open yet wooded character, demonstrating aspects of medieval enclosure and the impact of 20th century field rationalization and Dutch Elm disease. Although the north-western part of Essex was historically not as forested as the ridge that sweeps round in an arc from Tiptree to Epping Forest, it is now sufficiently endowed with copses and woods to have wooded horizons, which give a large, distantly enclosed character to the landscape – an enclosure that is missing at close quarters due to the loss of hedges and hedgerow trees. This pattern varies slightly in the northern part of the area, where the hedgerow tree is oak and there are a number of larger woods. Within the Stour valley the main impression is of the blocks of willows and poplars planted on the valley floor and sides. The willow pollards along the river are also a notable landscape feature of this area. It is undulating country, incised by small river valleys flowing east to the North Sea, with sporadic flat areas. It AGENCY JOHN TYLER/COUNTRYSIDE This photo near the river Chelmer shows the characteristic is an area of exceptional medieval towns and villages, wooded ridge with arable cropping dominating the valley floor. frequently photographed examples being settlements such as Typically soils are variable with chalky boulder clays common on the plateaux and gravels more common in the river valleys. Lavenham, Finchingfield, Cavendish and Thaxted. When Remnant hedgerows are common but hedgerow trees persist in the woollen trade declined after 1700, to focus on northern many areas. and western England, the area became fossilised. Although Its river valleys are deeper and more numerous and the many villages and towns have accommodated significant headwaters of some streams are so close together that the post-war housing the historic cores remain intact; little interfluve is no more than a narrow ridge in many places. local industry has developed and the beauty and charm of The area is bounded to the north-west by the lighter soils these towns and villages have ensured their preservation. of Breckland and to the east by the transition to former Twentieth-century development in Chelmsford followed heathland on lighter soils, a boundary marked by a low the sale of land for railways, and the broad, shallow ridge which relates approximately to the line of the A12 Chelmer valley is now obliterated by recent development. between Chelmsford and Colchester and then swings round The north-western part of Essex has largely avoided the in an arc marked by Galleywood, Thorndon, Hainault and massive 20th century outward migration from London Epping Forest, which is noticeably crowned with woodland. which is so pronounced a feature of the London Clay to the In the south-east, this ridge slopes to the coastal region of south. This is largely due to the effectiveness of Green Belt straight boundaries and the planned character of late policy in preventing the coalescence of towns. South Suffolk enclosure, whereas in the south it overlooks the heavy has seen very little recent development except around London Clay of what is now a huge urbanized area forming Stowmarket which, being on the mainline railway line, now London’s northern fringe. The countryside ceases abruptly has some characteristics of a commuter town, and the in Essex. An increase in the size of villages and reduction significant expansions of both Sudbury and Ipswich. in the area of countryside between them in a narrow band adjacent to the urban areas is the main indicator, together Physical Influences with an increase in major roads. A large part of North Essex, however, is still surprisingly rural, relating well to Like the South Norfolk and High Suffolk claylands this is the generally rural character of South Suffolk. an area of chalky boulder clay (glacial till), but with more topographical variation than the area to the north. This is Historical and Cultural Influences particularly notable in the upper reaches of the Stour and its tributaries, which are deeply incised, revealing The dominant historical impact on this area is that of the underlying gravel and sand deposits on the valley sides. It, wealth generated by the woollen trade in the 14th to 16th too, is Ancient Countryside, and appears in many areas to centuries, manifested in the medieval timber-framed houses have undergone little rationalization to excessively large clustered in towns and villages, and in the ostentatious but field sizes. It is more wooded than its northern magnificent churches of North Essex and South Suffolk. counterpart, especially towards its southern boundary, and Between the 15th and early 17th centuries this was the more densely settled. wealthiest part of England. The peak of prosperity was

77 1450-1550, with a minor boom in the 17th century, and toll on agriculture here as elsewhere. There was a drift of there was little post-17th century architecture until the labour to the capital, balanced in this century by increased advent of 20th century housing and commercial estates. mechanization and the southern drift of Scottish farmers who were prepared to take on derelict farms. Since 1945 this Towns such as Braintree, Great Dunmow, Halstead and region has been well farmed, producing a wide range of food Coggeshall were ‘bays and says’ towns, so called because of crops and dairy products, often for the London, and latterly their production of baize-serge-like cloths from the 14th the European, market. This has resulted in significant losses century onwards. Chelmsford was the county town by the of semi-natural vegetation, especially lowland grassland. early 13th century despite Colchester’s position as capital of south eastern Britain when the Romans invaded. John Constable gave the world the quintessential lowland Settlements owe their charm to idiosyncratic street English landscape of Dedham Vale and there is a persistent patterns, the juxtaposition of splendid large church with appreciation of the beauty of the landscapes he depicted. The village green, usually with duckpond, and the groups of Stour was canalized for transport in the 18th century but colour-washed medieval houses with steeply-pitched pegtile subsequent growth of riverside vegetation has softened it. roofs and the occasional Georgian brick front. Gainsborough, too, painted the landscape around his Sudbury home (cf. ‘Cornard Wood’). More recently Cedric Morris (1889-1982) at Hadleigh and John Nash at Wormingford have been influential. Both Alfred Munnings and Lucien Pisarro painted ‘Constable’ scenes and many artists, amateur and professional, continue to depict this landscape.

Buildings and Settlements

The existing pattern of towns and villages was laid down by the time of Domesday, when the area was already densely settled. This pattern intensified with the development of the woollen trade, which was mainly home-based, and its collection of interdependent tradespeople within each town or village. Villages tend to be larger than in the South Norfolk and High Suffolk JOHN TYLER/COUNTRYSIDE AGENCY JOHN TYLER/COUNTRYSIDE Claylands due to this industrial growth but are still quite The area was already densely settled by the time of Domesday. Timber-framed and colour washed houses, roofs traditionally widely spaced. They are most often found near the top of thatched but later replaced with clay-tile, are still abundant here the valley slopes while isolated farmhouses are found on the at Belchamp St Paul.These are often grouped around narrow clay plateau. From the time of the Norman Conquest until greens or ‘tyes’. the 19th century spread of London, the north-west part of One distinguishing etymological and historical feature is still Essex was the most densely populated part of the county. displayed in differences between village names: in Essex This Ancient Countryside contains an intricate maze of groups of villages took the name of the lord of the manor, narrow, often sunken, lanes bounded by deep ditches which as at Woodham Ferrers/Woodham Mortimer/Woodham take surprising right-angle turns. Many parishes contain Walter, while the more independent Suffolk folk used their moated farmhouses and they are concentrated in the north- local church’s patron saint’s name, as in Creeting St Mary, western part of the county where they flow into a similar Creeting All Saints, etc. Norman influence on placenames concentration that spreads throughout High Suffolk and into was much greater in Essex than further north and this lives South Norfolk, numbering over 2,000 in all. This is an area on in the great number of Norman placenames, such as of scattered parishes, which often feature greens or ‘tyes’ and Beauchamp Roding. development away from the church. The greens are smaller Although the woollen trade declined in the 17th century, than in High Suffolk and South Norfolk and tend to be more at the beginning of the 18th century the Golden Age of strip-like, reflecting the narrower interfluves. Essex differs in local agriculture was beginning. The average landholding its development of ‘Ends’, hamlets that grew up away from was probably 150 acres but improved drainage techniques, the main village. There are 150 such hamlets on the boulder increasing mechanization and the influence of the proximity clay of north-west Essex but only a handful in Suffolk. of the London market spread throughout the area by late Timber is the main building material of this area, with brick Georgian times and brought new wealth. in the valleys, often pink-buff Georgian brick facing a timber However, the agricultural depressions, of the mid- and late- frame. This contrasts with the flint used in the coastal region 19th century and the between-wars 20th century, took their and the clunch (building chalk) or brick used to the west.

78 Traditional timber construction used an infill of ‘loam and enjoyed the rewards of both cloth and Crocus sativus (used laths’ between vertical timber studs, which was then lime- to dye cloth) until the 19th century, when artificial washed to protect it from the elements. Coloured lime wash substitutes destroyed this latter trade. is a feature of villages in this area, as are exposed timbers The Anglo-Saxon origins and medieval character of Ipswich, for example Paycockes House, Coggeshall (NT). Pargeting which lies at the point where the Gipping becomes the is a form of raised plaster decoration on the external walls; Orwell, have been replaced by Victorian neo-Italianate good examples can be seen in Clare, Ipswich and Saffron Gothic buildings (Norman Scarfe) and 20th century car Walden. Pegtiles rather than pantiles are seen in this area parks. It does, however, contain one of the few post-1970s and there is a significant amount of wheat straw thatch. Clay buildings to be listed by English Heritage, a curving black ‘lump’ is also a distinctive building material, used for farm glass structure with a lawned roof, designed by Sir Norman buildings and cottages. Foster and used as offices.

Land Cover

This is wooded arable countryside, where hedgerows, copses and woodland blocks combine to give a wooded horizon and sense of distant enclosure, despite the sometimes huge size of the intervening fields. It is primarily agricultural, except on parts of the river valley floors, where pasture and willow pollards contribute to a pastoral quality that is uncommon elsewhere in East Anglia. Oak, ash and field maple are the main species with some cherry while, around Higham and Stoke-by- Nayland, holly is a dominant hedgerow tree or shrub. CLARE WALKER\EAST OF ENGLAND TOURIST BOARD TOURIST OF ENGLAND WALKER\EAST CLARE This area contains numerous large villages and towns with extant The remnants of small-scale irregular medieval enclosure medieval street plans and a wealth of elaborate timber-framed are still visible despite some rationalization of field sizes and buildings, built on the prosperity of the woollen trade during that many examples of ancient woodland survive. The dominant period. One of the best known examples is Lavenham in Suffolk. hedgerow tree in Essex was elm, and Dutch Elm disease The area has relied solely on agricultural wealth since the has had a profound effect on hedgerow and field boundaries demise of the wool trade and has changed little since 1700. which are now lost, gappy or decrepit. In the Suffolk part This area is not one of great landowners and magnificent of the area hedgerow oaks and dense hedgerows continue houses, an exception being Audley End. Thomas Howard, Earl to give a more treed and hedged character. of Suffolk and Lord Treasurer to James 1, built himself a Although huge areas of cereals or oil-seed rape can appear magnificent and enormous house in the early 17th century that to dominate the landscape, especially in early summer, this subsequently became a royal palace of Charles II. It was area also provides dairy products and sugar beet, with peas, substantially remodelled and reduced in size in the 18th century fruit farms and market gardening on areas of lighter land. by Vanbrugh, Adam and Brown and the grounds have recently undergone restoration. There are a few substantial estates, such The Changing Countryside as Ickworth, Kentwell, Long Melford and Chadacre. Bury St Edmunds, on the northern edge of this regional ● Development relating to the possible expansion of area, is a fine old market town (significantly expanded in Stansted airport, expansion of local settlements and the 20th century) that owes its name, its early fame and development of the road transport infrastructure (A14) consequent monastic wealth to possession of the remains of and associated retail and commercial outlets. King Edmund who was martyred by Vikings in 869. By the ● Agricultural change. Field rationalization and change to early Middle Ages this place of pilgrimage was one of the arable is now regarded as largely complete although five richest and most powerful abbeys in England, a power there are still some isolated examples. Within the Stour that ended at the Dissolution. The town contains a fine valley, areas of pasture have increased although, in other blend of medieval and Georgian-fronted houses set within valleys, there have been losses of pasture. a late 11th century gridiron street pattern. ● Neglect of ancient woodland and other woodland Other towns, such as Long Melford, Lavenham, Thaxted, planting, and increase in poplar and willow plantations. Halstead and Coggeshall also contain remarkable buildings, demonstrating the wealth founded in wool, and frequently ● Predominance of winter cereals has resulted in a loss of retain their medieval street patterns. Thaxted also winter field stubble which has seasonal landscape and prospered from its cutlery trade and Saffron Walden ecological implications.

79 ● Conversion of historic farm buildings to residential use Essex County Council, County Planning Department has been found to lead to a change of character, but (1992), The Essex Environment, Essex C.C., Chelmsford. change of use may not be the only way to prevent these Fincham, P (1976), East Anglia, Faber, London. buildings becoming derelict. Gentrification is perceived as a threat to local character. Jarvis, S M & Harrison C T (undated), In Search of Essex, Essex Countryside, Letchworth. ● Proliferation of mobile telephone transmitter masts and National Grid power lines particularly near the Gipping Jebb, M (1995), Suffolk, Pimlico County History Guides, Valley and in parts of Essex. London.

● Visitor congestion at honey-pot sites, with pressure to Mee, A (ed) (undated), Suffolk, Our Farthest East, Caxton, accommodate cars and coaches. London. Milton, P (1989), Ancient Landscapes, Essex County Council, Shaping the Future Chelmsford.

● The conservation and management of hedgerows is Milton, P (1985), Countryside Conservation Plan, Essex important to the area. This should include the County Council, Chelmsford. encouragement of trees from existing hedgerow stocks Milton, P (1991), Essex Landscape Conservation Programme and managing and replanting hedgerows. 1972-1989 Review, Essex County Council/Task Force ● Tree planting would help maintain the traditional wooded Trees, Chelmsford. appearance and character of this landscape. Planting on Milton, P (1991 reprint), Protected Lanes, Essex County pastures and greens needs careful consideration. Council, Chelmsford. ● The maintainence and extention of river valley pasture Ravendale, J & Muir, R (1984), East Anglian Landscape, should be considered. Michael Joseph, London.

● Planning and design guidelines would encourage Salmon, J (1977), The Suffolk-Essex Border, Boydale Press, alternative uses for redundant farm buildings to respect Ipswich. the character of this agricultural area. Scarfe, N (1968), The Shell Guide to Essex, Faber & Faber, ● The conservation of ancient sunken lanes and botanically- London. rich and historic grass verges should be addressed. Scarfe, N (1988, 4th edn), The Suffolk Guide, Alastair Press, ● Visitor pressures and car parking in popular areas such Suffolk. as Dedham Vale would benefit from management. Tennyson, J (1939), Suffolk Scene, Blackie, London. ● Moated sites are an important characteristic of the area. Timpson, J (1990), Timpson’s Travels in East Anglia, Heinemann, London. Selected References Trist, P J O (1969), A Survey of the Agriculture of Suffolk, R.A.S.E. Arnott, W G (1950), Suffolk Estuary, The Story of the River Deben, Adlard & Co, Ipswich. Beardall, C & Casey, D (1995), Suffolk’s Changing Countryside, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Ashbocking. Corke, D (1984), The Nature of Essex, Barracuda, Buckingham. Dedham Vale Joint Action Committee (1977-79), Dedham Vale Landscape Study, Dedham Vale Joint Action Committee. Dymond, D & Martin, E (eds) (1988), An Historical Atlas of Suffolk, Suffolk County Council and SIAH, Ipswich. Dymond, D & Northeast, P (1985), A History of Suffolk, Phillimore, Cheltenham. AGENCY SIMON WARNER/COUNTRYSIDE Dedham Vale is one of the smallest AONBs in England but it contains Edwards, A C (1958), A History of Essex, Darwen Finlayson, a great variety of all the features that combine to produce the classic English lowland landscape. Rolling hills and gentle valleys, trees, London. riverbank willows, floodplain meadows, ancient lanes, traditional villages and farm buildings and the meandering river have together Essex County Council (1991), Landscape Conservation inspired writers and painters such as Constable to capture the Programme, Essex C.C., Chelmsford. beauty and peace of the Vale, illustrated here at Stratford St Mary. 80 National Planning Policy Framework

www.communities.gov.uk community, opportunity, prosperity Achieving sustainable development | 19

78. Local policy for managing development within a Local Green Space should be consistent with policy for Green Belts.

9. Protecting Green Belt land 79. The Government attaches great importance to Green Belts. The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.

80. Green Belt serves five purposes:

●● to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;

●● to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;

●● to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;

●● to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and

●● to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

81. Once Green Belts have been defined, local planning authorities should plan positively to enhance the beneficial use of the Green Belt, such as looking for opportunities to provide access; to provide opportunities for outdoor sport and recreation; to retain and enhance landscapes, visual amenity and biodiversity; or to improve damaged and derelict land.

82. The general extent of Green Belts across the country is already established. New Green Belts should only be established in exceptional circumstances, for example when planning for larger scale development such as new settlements or major urban extensions. If proposing a new Green Belt, local planning authorities should:

●● demonstrate why normal planning and development management policies would not be adequate;

●● set out whether any major changes in circumstances have made the adoption of this exceptional measure necessary;

●● show what the consequences of the proposal would be for sustainable development;

●● demonstrate the necessity for the Green Belt and its consistency with Local Plans for adjoining areas; and

●● show how the Green Belt would meet the other objectives of the Framework.

83. Local planning authorities with Green Belts in their area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for Green Belt and settlement policy. Once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances, through the preparation or review of the Local Plan. At that time, authorities should consider the Green 20 | National Planning Policy Framework

Belt boundaries having regard to their intended permanence in the long term, so that they should be capable of enduring beyond the plan period.

84. When drawing up or reviewing Green Belt boundaries local planning authorities should take account of the need to promote sustainable patterns of development. They should consider the consequences for sustainable development of channelling development towards urban areas inside the Green Belt boundary, towards towns and villages inset within the Green Belt or towards locations beyond the outer Green Belt boundary.

85. When defining boundaries, local planning authorities should:

●● ensure consistency with the Local Plan strategy for meeting identified requirements for sustainable development;

●● not include land which it is unnecessary to keep permanently open;

●● where necessary, identify in their plans areas of ‘safeguarded land’ between the urban area and the Green Belt, in order to meet longer-term development needs stretching well beyond the plan period;

●● make clear that the safeguarded land is not allocated for development at the present time. Planning permission for the permanent development of safeguarded land should only be granted following a Local Plan review which proposes the development;

●● satisfy themselves that Green Belt boundaries will not need to be altered at the end of the development plan period; and

●● define boundaries clearly, using physical features that are readily recognisable and likely to be permanent.

86. If it is necessary to prevent development in a village primarily because of the important contribution which the open character of the village makes to the openness of the Green Belt, the village should be included in the Green Belt. If, however, the character of the village needs to be protected for other reasons, other means should be used, such as conservation area or normal development management policies, and the village should be excluded from the Green Belt.

87. As with previous Green Belt policy, inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

88. When considering any planning application, local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt. ‘Very special circumstances’ will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations.

89. A local planning authority should regard the construction of new buildings as inappropriate in Green Belt. Exceptions to this are:

●● buildings for agriculture and forestry; Achieving sustainable development | 21

●● provision of appropriate facilities for outdoor sport, outdoor recreation and for cemeteries, as long as it preserves the openness of the Green Belt and does not conflict with the purposes of including land within it;

●● the extension or alteration of a building provided that it does not result in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building;

●● the replacement of a building, provided the new building is in the same use and not materially larger than the one it replaces;

●● limited infilling in villages, and limited affordable housing for local community needs under policies set out in the Local Plan; or

●● limited infilling or the partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed sites (brownfield land), whether redundant or in continuing use (excluding temporary buildings), which would not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt and the purpose of including land within it than the existing development.

90. Certain other forms of development are also not inappropriate in Green Belt provided they preserve the openness of the Green Belt and do not conflict with the purposes of including land in Green Belt. These are:

●● mineral extraction;

●● engineering operations;

●● local transport infrastructure which can demonstrate a requirement for a Green Belt location;

●● the re-use of buildings provided that the buildings are of permanent and substantial construction; and

●● development brought forward under a Community Right to Build Order. 91. When located in the Green Belt, elements of many renewable energy projects will comprise inappropriate development. In such cases developers will need to demonstrate very special circumstances if projects are to proceed. Such very special circumstances may include the wider environmental benefits associated with increased production of energy from renewable sources.

92. Community Forests offer valuable opportunities for improving the environment around towns, by upgrading the landscape and providing for recreation and wildlife. An approved Community Forest plan may be a material consideration in preparing development plans and in deciding planning applications. Any development proposals within Community Forests in the Green Belt should be subject to the normal policies controlling development in Green Belts.

10. Meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and coastal change 93. Planning plays a key role in helping shape places to secure radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, minimising vulnerability and providing resilience to the impacts of climate change, and supporting the delivery of renewable Front and Back Cover:Front and Back Cover 1/10/07 13:47 Page 1

Supplementary Planning Document

Development Plans Team September 2007 Summary Assessment Evaluation Guidelines Area HIGH WYCH SLOPES 84

Buntingford

Stevenage Puckeridge /Standon District map showing location of Bishop’s Watton LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREA Stortford at Stone ©Crown copyright .All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council Sawbridgeworth 100019606 2004 Ware Hertford

Area 84

LOCATION KEY CHARACTERISTICS Bounded by Sawbridgeworth to the east, the Hunsdon plateau to • isolated farms and houses the west and the Stort valley to the south, with an open arable • small-scale open farmed landscape plateau to the north. • gently undulating south-facing slope • discrete blocks of woodland LANDSCAPE CHARACTER • tight network of narrow, winding, sunken lanes, usually ditched A south-facing slope of mixed farming within a small irregular • small areas of parkland on the western edge field pattern, usually ditched rather than hedged. An area of transition, showing increasing urban influence in the southern part DISTINCTIVE FEATURES and with links to the parkland area to the west. Around High • High Wych retains village character despite links to Wych there are wide stretches of open farmland with old houses Sawbridgeworth nestling in small coppices. The flint church is surrounded by the • golf course and hotel add suburban character to generally rural school, ancient houses and thatched cottages. area • High Wych Road is a commuter-run, therefore not tranquil

Allens Green (P. Shears)

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PHYSICAL INFLUENCES Geology and soils. Slowly permeable calcareous clayey soils over chalky till (Hanslope series). Topography. Gently undulating south-facing slope with slight dip to Fiddlers' Brook in west. Degree of slope. 1 in 70 to 1 in 130. Altitude range. 60m to 80m. Hydrology. Fiddlers’ Brook meanders southwards through Gilston Park (where it is dammed to form a lake) to the Stort. There are other minor streams flowing into the Stort. Land cover and land use. Open arable farmland, small areas of parkland and suburban development, in a confusing mix. Few hedgerows and little pasture. Around the urban edge development is dense enough to completely mask the local topography. Vegetation and wildlife. This uniform area of boulder clay farmland contains rather species-poor remnants of semi-natural woodland, mostly ash/maple but formerly with frequent elm. The former hazel/maple/elm hedges have largely been removed and almost no natural grassland remains. Poplar, lime and horse chestnut have all been planted within the area.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES This is arable farmland with a pattern of dispersed settlement. Field pattern. Irregular, with a gradual increase in size away from settlements, varying from very small to very large. Generally unhedged and divided by ditches. Transport pattern. A tight network of small lanes, with a rectangular pattern west of Sawbridgeworth, often enclosing small areas. Settlements and built form. 'G.E.Pritchett's High Wych [church] of 1861 deserves to be specially mentioned as an eminently typical example of High Victorian design at its most revolting' (Pevsner). • There are no settlements other than the village of High Wych. Elsewhere the built form is of isolated houses or farms, often using black weatherboard and red brick. • The hotel at The Manor of Groves, with its golf course, is almost an extension of the urban character of Sawbridgeworth, despite its geographical links to the former deer park and parkland of Gilston. Although screened, it is hedged with non- indigenous species, and the rear of the hotel backs directly onto the lane. • Allen’s Green is the only hamlet within the area, with its own tiny flint church.

OTHER SOURCES OF AREA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION Pevsner, N., rev. Cherry, B., Hertfordshire, Penguin (2000).

East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment - Page 174 Summary Assessment Evaluation Guidelines HIGH WYCH SLOPES - Area 84

VISUAL AND SENSORY PERCEPTION the junction with Beaufield Road isolated farmhouses are strung From outside this area is largely concealed from view by its along the lane with indigenous vegetation associated with them. topography, while from within it offers extensive views over the East of the junction the development is cramped suburban with Stort valley to the industrial edge of Harlow and mineral 'golf course' vegetation - laurels and cherry trees - set in the still workings. The scale of landscape elements is mixed and there is predominantly agricultural landscape. On the western edge of this little visual unity, giving an appearance of incoherence, despite the area there are links to the parkland beyond, at High Wych Park openness. This is not a tranquil area, with commuter through- and The Manor of Groves, but these give the appearance of being routes and the constant noise of traffic. relic rather than maintained historic elements. Rarity and distinctiveness. The change within this area from north to south provides a good indication of the effect of creeping ACCESSIBILITY urbanisation. Frequency/density of footpaths: network along former field boundaries. VISUAL IMPACT Condition: not known. There is a widespread and significant visual impact on this area from the transport corridor and urban development to the south and east. Farmland is being lost to the spread of suburban housing and the balance of the landscape is changing. This is particularly noticeable along Gangies Hill and West Road. West of

CONDITION STRENGTH OF CHARACTER Land cover change: localised Impact of landform: apparent Age structure of tree cover: mature Impact of land cover: apparent Extent of semi-natural habitat survival: fragmennted Impact of historic pattern: relic Management of semi-natural habitat: not obvious Visibility from outside: concealed Survival of cultural pattern: declining Sense of enclosure: open Impact of built development: high Visual unity: incoherent Impact of land-use change: high Distinctiveness/rarity: frequent

Strengthen Conserve Safeguard and and and reinforce strengthen manage GOOD

TE Improve Improve Conserve and and and reinforce conserve restore MODERA CONDITION Improve Restore Reconstruct and condition to maintain

POOR restore character

WEAK MODERATE STRONG STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

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STRATEGY AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING CHANGE: IMPROVE AND RESTORE • encourage landowners to safeguard existing hedges, increase hedged field boundaries, create permanent grass strips around field margins and prevent spray drift, using financial incentives as available • discourage the use of non-native species for woodland and hedgerow planting • encourage the use of native species of local provenance for all new planting • encourage the replanting of former hedges along historic boundaries, ensuring that historic features such as ditches and banks are not destroyed • encourage the reduction of urban impact by dense woodland planting around settlements. Over time this could become a valuable local amenity; public participation in its establishment should be encouraged • reinforce the small parklands by planting additional woodlands adjacent to their boundaries, using locally indigenous species, of local provenance if possible • encourage a reversion of arable to pasture and the management of new and existing grasslands to maximise their biodiversity potential, using low-density stock grazing where possible

East Herts District Landscape Character Assessment - Page 176 Liz Lake Associates Chartered Landscape Architects Urban Designers Landscape Planners

Western House t +44 (0)1279 647044 Chapel Hill e [email protected] Stansted Mountfitchet www.lizlake.com Essex CM24 8AG