Landscape Character Assessment of the Essex Coast Preface / Users Guide CONTENTS
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Landscape Character Assessment of the Essex Coast Preface / Users Guide CONTENTS Preface PREFACE Executive Summary Landscape Framework This document was commissioned by SAIL (Schéma With additional advice particularly from: d’Aménagement Intègre du Littoral) and Essex County Ray Brewer - Essex County Council Part One. Landscape Council. It aims to collate current information about the Nigel Brown - Essex County Council Character Types landscape character of the Essex coast in a structure Terry Coehlo - Essex County Council Part Two. Landscape designed to help inform future planning decisions. The Lynn Dyson-Bruce - Essex County Council Character Areas study involved consultation and gathering of existing data Debbie Knopp - Essex County Council and information and we appreciate the time and advice Peter Spurrier - Essex County Council Bibliography given by many individuals within Essex County Council. and Oliver Ishmael and Dennis Bauszus in GIS Consultees Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the report Photographs by Catherine Bailey, Mary McHugh and Appendices is factually accurate, its contents, opinions, conclusions and Almudena Quiralte. recommendations are entirely those of the consultant who carried out the study. It is for information purposes only The project team who produced this document was: and to be used as a background technical document. Mary McHugh Almudena Quiralte Catherine Bailey wrote the draft of the Mid-Essex Landscape Character Assessment in 2002. USERS GUIDE We are grateful for the guidance and advice provided by This document attempts to be partly interactive. On the the steering group: VDPH &'5RP \RX ZLOO ¿QG RWKHU /DQGVFDSH &KDUDFWHU Assessments, which are accessed in certain sections of the Beverley McClean - Essex Estuaries Partnership text. Alex Midlen - Essex Estuaries Partnership Crispin Downs - Essex County Council This will allow the reader to receive relevant paragraphs as Sarah Green - Essex County Council if forming part of this present document, and then also to Martin Wakelin - Essex County Council browse further background information. IMPORTANT INFORMATION All the links to websites, further information and maps in this document are marked in blue. To navigate through this document we advise you to use the CONTENTS column on the left hand side of the page. You can also navigate through the ‘Bookmarks’ window. October 2005 2 Contents PREFACE MID ESSEX COAST EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CROUCH ESTUARY AND FOULNESS ARCHIPELAGO LANDSCAPE FRAMEWORK ROCHFORD MIXED FARMLANDS GENERAL BACKGROUND RIVER ROACH PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF MID ESSEX LCA CANEWDON SLOPING CLAYLANDS METHODOLOGY RIVER CROUCH GEOLOGY AND LANDFORM BURNHAM SLOPING CLAYLANDS SOILS DENGIE COASTLANDS HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY TILLINGHAM ANCIENT FARMLANDS SETTLEMENT AND LAND-USE DENGIE ANCIENT CLAYLANDS CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS UPPER BLACKWATER ESTUARY ECOLOGY LOWER BLACKWATER ESTUARY STUDY AREA MALDON MIXED FARMLANDS PART ONE. LANDSCAPE CHARACTER TYPES TOLLESBURY ROLLING FARMLANDS UNVEGETATED FORESHORE TOLLESBURY COASTLANDS INTER-TIDAL SALT MARSH NORTH ESSEX COAST DIVERSE COASTAL MARSHLAND MERSEA ISLAND UNIFORM COASTAL MARSHLAND COLCHESTER CLAYLANDS AND MARSHLANDS URBAN FRINGE MARSHLAND LOWER ROMAN RIVER RIVER TERRACE FARMLANDS LOWER COLNE ESTUARY MIXED MARSHLAND EDGE UPPER COLNE ESTUARY ROLLING CLAY FARMLANDS BRIGHTLINGSEA ENCLOSED VALELANDS VALE TOP FARMLANDS BRIGHTLINGSEA FLAG CREEK ENCLOSED VALLEY-SIDES ST OSYTH COASTLANDS PART TWO. LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS HOLLAND COASTLANDS •INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORIC LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISATION HAMFORD WATER •LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS STOUR ESTUARY SOUTH ESSEX COAST BIBLIOGRAPHY AVELEY, WENNINGTON & RAINHAM MARSHES CONSULTEES TILBURY, MUCKING & FOBBING MARSHES APPENDICES CHADWELL AND WEST TILBURY FIELD SURVEY SHEET USED FOR MID-ESSEX LCA WEST CANVEY / SHELLHAVEN CANVEY BENFLEET 3 4 Executive Summary E CONTENTS x Preface e Because of its proximity to London there has been longstanding use of the coastal area of Essex not only for holidays Executive Summary and recreation, but also for industry and military purposes. This seeming contradiction is explained by the remoteness of c Landscape Framework some of its creeks and headlands. u t Part One. Landscape This document aims to collate current information about the landscape character of the Essex coast, to help inform future Character Types planning decisions. i Part Two. Landscape v Character Areas Several Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) studies have been undertaken of the county of Essex. This document, e The Landscape Character Assessment of the Essex Coast, co-ordinates access to those character assessments which have Bibliography been published to date, whether at a regional or local scale. Consultees S However the sections referring to South East Essex and North Essex have been included via links to other assessments Appendices u because this document also includes the publication of the Mid Essex Coast Local Landscape Character Assessment for m WKH¿UVWWLPHDQGWKDWVHFWLRQLVKHUHSUHVHQWHGLQJUHDWHUGHWDLO m The aim is to provide an extended overview from Thurrock, part of the Thames Gateway, in the south to Harwich and a the Stour Estuary bordering the county of Suffolk. It concentrates on those sections which analyse the Essex coast and r provides visual data and links to further information available through Geographical Information Systems (GIS). y The structure of this document aims to allow further LCAs to be incorporated in the future, so that a ‘one-stop’ access to information remains current. Thus a bench-mark from which to base a description of the unique character of the Essex coast has been created and can be revised or amended to remain up to date. 5 General Background L CONTENTS a Preface n Countryside Character Initiative and Landscape Character Assessment Executive Summary d Landscape Framework s •General Background c The landscape is what determines the character of the British countryside: it belongs to each and every one of us. Policy a •Purpose and Scope makers, practitioners and special interest groups need techniques to identify what gives a locality its own sense of place, what makes it different from its neighbouring area, and what conditions should be set for any new development and p •Methodology change. e •Geology and Landform “Most of us welcome progressive change, but don’t want to see development running amok. We applaud new woodland to enhance the landscape, but know that planting and management must be sensitive to the locality. F •Soils r •History and We can be excited by bold regeneration for places in need of a lift, but recognise that the new development must work Archaeology a around the best of the old, and not sweep it away.” •Settlement and Richard Wakeford Chief Executive, Countryside Agency m Land-use e •Cultural Perceptions The Countryside Character Initiative came about because it was recognised that there was a need for a new approach w WRODQGVFDSHDVVHVVPHQWZKLFKZRXOGORRNDWWKHZKROHRI(QJODQG¶VFRXQWU\VLGHUDWKHUWKDQMXVWVSHFL¿FGHVLJQDWHG o •Ecology areas - and provide a consistent national framework within which more detailed local landscape assessments would •Study Area sit. r k Part One. Landscape This new approach led to the task of mapping the country into 159 separate, distinctive character areas. The features Character Types WKDW GH¿QH WKH ODQGVFDSH RI HDFK DUHD DUH UHFRUGHG LQ LQGLYLGXDO GHVFULSWLRQV ZKLFK H[SODLQ ZKDW PDNHV RQH DUHD Part Two. Landscape different from another and show how that character has arisen and how it is changing. Character Areas Bibliography http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LivingLandscapes Consultees Appendices 6 Purpose and Scope (of Mid Essex LCA) L CONTENTS a Preface n The Mid Essex Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) was The key aims of the Mid Essex LCA were to: Executive Summary produced in draft form in 2001-2, (hereafter referred to d Landscape Framework as Mid Essex LCA) and, edited and published here, forms • identify and describe the local landscape character types s the core part of this document The Landscape Character and areas of Mid Essex •General Background c Assessment of the Essex Coast. • establish the condition of these character types and a •Purpose and Scope areas and the issues that affect them The area covered by the Mid Essex LCA was broadly • use this assessment as a basis for possible future Heritage p •Methodology equivalent to the existing Essex Coastal Protection Belt Coast status e •Geology and from Jaywick (near Clacton-on-Sea) to Shoeburyness Landform (near Southend-on-Sea). There is some overlap with the (The main objectives of the Heritage Coast policy of the old Countryside Commission [now Countryside Agency] was F •Soils 1RUWK(VVH[ 7HQGULQJ/&$ GH¿QLWLRQV to include the conservation, protection and enhancement r •History and The Essex Coastal Protection Belt is a county planning of the natural beauty of the coasts, and their heritage Archaeology a designation that covers undeveloped coastal areas, together features of architectural, historical and archaeological m •Settlement and ZLWKWKHHVWXDULHVDQGULYHUVVXEMHFWWRWLGDOLQÀXHQFHDQG interest) Land-use which protects them from all but essential development. e •Cultural Perceptions The belt broadly follows the 10m AOD contour as its A proposal to grant Heritage Coast status to the Essex w inland limit which itself has a strong relationship with the Coast would be based on the information collated in this o •Ecology underlying geology and soils. The assessment boundary document, The