Landscape Assessment of Northeye, Bexhill
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Rother District Council Development and Site Allocations Local Plan Landscape Assessment of Northeye, Bexhill August 2018 Environment Team Communities Economy and Transport East Sussex County Council St Anne’s Crescent Lewes East Sussex 1 Left blank for printing purposes 2 Contents 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Study Aims 1.2 Landscape policy context 2.0 Methodology for assessment 2.1 Existing Guidance 2.2 Methodology for Landscape Character Area Assessment 2.3 Definition of Key Terms 2.4 The Study Area 2.5 Desk Top Assessment 2.6 Field Assessment 2.7 Criteria Based Sensitivity Assessment 2.8 Landscape and visual sensitivity judgments 2.9 Landscape capacity 2.10 Mitigation and Management 3.0 General Character Context 3.1 Regional Landscape Character Context 3.2 County Landscape Character Context 3.3 Study Area Character Assessment 4.0 Landscape and Visual Assessment 4.1 Landscape Sensitivity Assessment 4.2 Landscape Value Assessment 4.3 Landscape Capacity Assessment 5.0 Development Opportunity 5.1 Green Infrastructure 5.2 Built Development 6.0 Conclusions Appendices Appendix 1: Consultancy Brief June 2018 Rother D.C. Appendix 2: County Landscape Assessment Appendix 3: Landscape and Visual Criteria Table Appendix 4: Character Area Sensitivity Assessment Sheets Appendix 5: Glossary of key terms Maps Map 1: Study area context and wider viewpoint locations Map 2: Local character areas Map 3: Site context and local views Map 4: Historic Mapping Map 5: Site Development Opportunities Figures Photographs viewpoints 1-10 3 Left blank for printing purposes 4 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Study Aims 1.1.1 The Environment Team of East Sussex County Council was commissioned in June 2018 by Rother District Council to carry out a landscape assessment of The Northeye area of Bexhill as specified in the project brief (Appendix 1). The focus of the assessment is to seek specialist advice of the landscape character and quality, and capacity to redevelop Northeye (United Arab Emirates – Former Technical Training Centre), Wartling Drive, known, hereafter as ‘The Site’ as mapped in Appendix 1. 1.1.2 The Rother District Council Development and Site Allocations Local Plan (DaSA) – Options and Preferred Options, which was publically consulted upon between December 2016-February 2017, identified four potential redevelopment options, including: • An employment-led redevelopment • A residential-led redevelopment • A tourism-led redevelopment • An institutional-led redevelopment 1.1.3 Common to all options was the existing greenfield part of the site is proposed to remain as open space or playing pitch/es. The Council did not put forward a preferred option for this site at that time. 1.1.4 The aim of the study is to define the landscape character, value and sensitivity of the site area to identify the potential capacity of the site area to accommodate particular types of development. The assessment will have regard to the scope for mitigation of potential development without detracting from the existing intrinsic character of the landscape. 1.1.5 The outcome will be an analysis of the baseline characteristics of the site in the context of the East Sussex County Council Landscape Assessment (2016). 1.1.6 The assessment set out in this report identifies the indicative capacity of the site area to accommodate development. No assessment of the landscape impacts of specific development proposals has been undertaken as part of this study. 1.1.7 To inform the assessment the study includes: a) Detailed analysis of the landscape character and visual baseline of the site and surrounding area. b) An assessment of the landscape sensitivity and capacity of the area to accommodate change. c) Opportunities will be identified for zoning of potential development within the site and for landscape enhancement. 5 1.2 Landscape Policy Context 1.2.1 The NPPF Section 15: Conserving and enhancing the natural environment, Paragraph 170 requires that: ‘Planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by: a) protecting and enhancing valued landscapes, sites of biodiversity or geological value and soils (in a manner commensurate with their statutory status or identified quality in the development plan). b) recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services – including the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, and of trees and woodland; 1.2.2 The NPPF Section 12, Paragraph 130 requires that: ‘Permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions, taking into account any local design standards or style guides in plans or supplementary planning documents’. 1.2.3 The Rother District Council Core Strategy (adopted 2014) sets out the Council's long-term spatial vision and policies to deliver that vision. Chapter 5 presents a “Vision for Rother in 2028” which is translated into 12 Strategic Objectives in Chapter 6. One of the Strategic Objectives relates specifically to the environment of the District: “To maintain the high quality and improve the long term stewardship, of the natural and built environment, with full regard to potential future consequences of climate change.” 1.2.5 Chapter 7 of the Core Strategy sets out the overall spatial strategy for the District. Policy OSS3 lists the factors which sites and/or proposals for development will be considered in the context of. These include: (i) ‘the spatial strategy for the particular settlement or area and its distinct character’ and (vi) ‘the character and qualities of the landscape’. 1.2.6 The specific “environment” strategic objective is amplified in chapter 17 of the Core Strategy, which sets out more detailed environment objectives including: (i) ‘To conserve, manage and, where appropriate enhance, the high quality landscape resources, including the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the historic built environment’ and (iii) ‘to place strong emphasis on design quality in all development’. The resulting policies are EN1 – Landscape Stewardship which states that ‘Management of the high quality historic, built and natural landscape character is to be achieved by ensuring the protection, and wherever possible enhancement, of the district’s nationally designated and locally distinctive landscapes and landscape features’ (setting out 8 such landscapes/ features, including the visual character of settlements, settlement edges and their rural fringes); and Policy EN3, which requires development to be of a high design quality, ‘contributing positively to the character of the site and 6 surroundings, including taking opportunities to improve areas of poor visual character or with poor townscape qualities’, and demonstrate robust design solutions tested against identified key design principles set out in the Policy. 2.0 Methodology for Assessment 2.1 Existing Guidance 2.1.1 The methodology in this report has used Guidance for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (GLVIA) published by the Institute of Environmental Assessment and the Landscape Institute (Third Edition 2013). Detailed guidance for undertaking landscape character assessments to inform planning policy and decisions is also provided in the Landscape Character Assessment Guidance for England and Scotland published jointly by the Countryside Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage (2002). This assessment will make particular reference to: Topic Paper 6: Techniques and Criteria for Judging Sensitivity and Capacity (Natural England 2002). 2.2 Methodology for Landscape Character Assessment 2.2.1 The Assessment involves an appraisal of the landscape of the site in relation to the character of the surrounding area. 2.2.2 Desktop and field surveys have been undertaken to identify the character of the defined study area. 2.2.3 The landscape character of the area has been assessed according to existing guidance for character assessment. Published assessments are available for Rother District at regional and county levels. The assessment has taken in to consideration the existing assessments and identifies the character of the site area at the local level. 2.2.4 The following strategies have been considered in defining the landscape character of the study area: • National Character Area Profiles (Natural England 2014) • East Sussex County Council Landscape Character Assessment, (East Sussex County Council 2016 ). 2.2.5 The landscape character of the site and surrounding area has been divided into local character areas based on the site assessment findings. 2.3 Definition of Key Terms 2.3.1 The landscape is a combination of both cultural and physical characteristics and components, which give rise to patterns that are distinctive to particular localities and help to define a sense of place. The landscape is not therefore simply a visual phenomenon but relies upon other influences including topography, land use, land management, ecology, and cultural associations. The key terms which are 7 used to describe these different elements of the landscape assessment are listed and defined in Appendix 5: Glossary of Key Terms and Acronyms. 2.4 The Study Area 2.4.1 The Site Context and Constraints, Map 1, indicates the area of study which is based on the extent of the area from which the site under consideration could potentially be seen. This map includes the broader landscape, heritage and habitat designations (the Pevensey Levels and High Woods SSSIs and Ancient woodlands) for the area. 2.5 Desk top Study 2.5.1 The information obtained from the field survey exercise has been supplemented by a desk top study to map existing designations relating to historical, archaeological, biodiversity or other cultural interest. 2.5.2 Other factors which have been considered as part of the landscape character assessment are local cultural considerations and sense of place. 2.6 Field Survey 2.6.1 Field surveys have been carried out to identify the landscape character of the site and surrounding area.