North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment Contents
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Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm Landscape Character Assessment Documents 3. North Norfolk District Council Applicant: Norfolk Vanguard Limited Document Reference: ExA; ISH; 10.D3.1E 3 Deadline 3 Date: February 2019 Photo: Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm LCA cover 09:Layout 1 14/7/09 15:31 Page 1 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT NORTH NORFOLK Local Development Framework Landscape Character Assessment Supplementary Planning Document www.northnorfolk.org June 2009 North Norfolk District Council Planning Policy Team Telephone: 01263 516318 E-Mail: [email protected] Write to: Planning Policy Manager, North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer, NR27 9EN www.northnorfolk.org/ldf All of the LDF Documents can be made available in Braille, audio, large print or in other languages. Please contact 01263 516318 to discuss your requirements. Cover Photo: Skelding Hill, Sheringham. Image courtesy of Alan Howard Professional Photography © North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment Contents 1 Landscape Character Assessment 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 What is Landscape Character Assessment? 5 2 North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment 9 2.1 Methodology 9 2.2 Outputs from the Characterisation Stage 12 2.3 Outputs from the Making Judgements Stage 14 3 How to use the Landscape Character Assessment 19 3.1 User Guide 19 3.2 Landscape Character Assessment Map 21 Landscape Character Types 4 Rolling Open Farmland 23 4.1 Egmere, Barsham, Tatterford Area (ROF1) 33 4.2 Wells-next-the-Sea Area (ROF2) 34 4.3 Fakenham Area (ROF3) 35 4.4 Raynham Area (ROF4) 36 4.5 Sculthorpe Airfield Area (ROF5) 36 5 Tributary Farmland 39 5.1 Morston and Hindringham (TF1) 49 5.2 Snoring, Stibbard and Hindolveston (TF2) 50 5.3 Hempstead, Bodham, Aylmerton and Wickmere Area (TF3) 51 5.4 Roughton, Southrepps, Trunch and Knapton Area (TF4) 52 5.5 Raynham, Pudding Norton and Great Ryburgh Area (TF5) 53 6 Low Plains 55 6.1 Edingthorpe to Honing Area (LP1) 64 6.2 Stalham Area (LP2) 64 6.3 Worstead, Coltishall, Hoveton and Smallburgh Area (LP3) 65 6.4 Colby, Banningham, Felmingham and Skeyton Area (LP4) 67 6.5 North Walsham Area (LP5) 68 7 Large Valleys 71 7.1 Raynham to Great Ryburgh (LV1) 80 7.2 Stiffkey to Warham (LV2) 82 7.3 Wiveton to Letheringsett (LV3) 84 7.4 White Horse Common to Briggate (LV4) 86 7.5 Saxthorpe to Itteringham (LV5) 88 8 Small Valleys 91 8.1 Wighton to Fulmodeston (SV1) 100 8.2 Binham to Langham (SV2) 101 8.3 Thornage to Brinton (SV3) 101 8.4 Banningham to Suffield (SV4) 102 8.5 Southrepps, Antingham and Spa Common (SV5) 103 8.6 Mun Valley (SV6) 104 8.7 Worstead, Beeston and Ashmanhaugh (SV7) 105 8.8 Gresham, Aldborough and Erpingham (SV8) 106 8.9 Raynham, Tatterford and Kettlestone (SV9) 107 North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment Contents 9 Settled Fen 109 9.1 Stalham, Ludham and Potter Heigham (SF1) 118 10 Coastal Plain 119 10.1 Bacton to Sea Palling (CP1) 129 10.2 Sea Palling to Waxham (CP2) 130 11 Coastal Towns & Villages 133 11.1 Weybourne to Sheringham (CTV1) 143 11.2 Sheringham to Overstrand (CTV2) 143 11.3 Sidestrand to Mundesley (CTV3) 145 12 Wooded with Parkland 147 12.1 Holkham (WP1) 158 12.2 Holt Cromer Area (WP2) 158 12.3 Gunton and Hanworth (WP3) 160 12.4 Wolterton and Mannington (WP4) 161 12.5 Plumstead and Barningham (WP5) 162 12.6 Westwick and Swanton Abbott (WP6) 162 12.7 Thursford, Swanton Novers and Melton Constable (WP7) 163 13 Rolling Heath & Arable 165 13.1 Blakeney Area (RHA1) 174 13.2 Salthouse and Kelling Area (RHA2) 175 14 Drained Coastal Marshes 177 14.1 Holkham (DCM1) 184 14.2 Blakeney, Wiveton, Cley and Salthouse (DCM2) 186 15 Open Coastal Marshes 189 15.1 Wells-next-the-Sea (OCM1) 196 15.2 Stiffkey (OCM2) 196 15.3 Morston and Blakeney (OCM3) 197 Appendices A Geology & Landscape in North Norfolk 200 B Glossary 201 North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment 3 Landscape Character Assessment 1 1 Landscape Character Assessment 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 Landscape as an entity is not static but is constantly changing and developing. Decisions relating to development often impinge considerably upon landscape, changing and altering it. It is therefore important that proposals are informed by an understanding of the landscape and what factors may be more, or less, appropriate. 1.1.2 North Norfolk District Council Core Strategy Policy EN2 requires that proposals for development should be informed by, and be sympathetic to, the distinctive character of an area. This Landscape Character Assessment provides the tools to help implement this policy and should be used alongside more detailed site specific appraisals of an area at the time of application. Structure of the Landscape Character Assessment 1.1.3 The document is arranged into different chapters with the main analysis of Landscape Character contained within the Character Types and Character Area chapters. The map in chapter 3 illustrates where the different Types and Areas are found. 1.1.4 For those users unfamiliar with Landscape Character Assessments, it may help to understand the reasoning behind how, and why, certain judgements are made within the North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment by reading the Introduction section. This details the development of Landscape Character Assessment, an overview of the process involved, and how it can be utilised when making decisions about development within the context of landscape and the Core Strategy policies. A User Guide is included in section 3 of the document to enable those less familiar with Landscape Character Assessment to help interpret the Core Strategy policy and this document. 1.1.5 Chapter 2 describes the North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment in detail, explaining the rationale, principles and processes behind the assessment. This should be referred to during use to gain the context of the study. Policy Context 1.1.6 The North Norfolk Core Strategy incorporating development control policies was adopted by the Council on 24 September 2008. This contains a series of polices which will be used to determine planning applications in the District. It covers the period to 2021 but can be reviewed within that period. 1.1.7 Core Strategy Policy EN2, Protection of Landscape and Settlement Character, requires that proposals should be informed by, and be sympathetic to, the distinctive character areas identified in the Landscape Character Assessment. This document is therefore an important piece of evidence that should be used to inform development proposals and consideration of planning applications. 1.1.8 Government policy (PPS1 - Delivering Sustainable Development) requires that development plans and decisions on planning applications contribute to the delivery of sustainable development, by: Seeking to achieve environmental, economic and social objectives together over time, addressing the causes and potential impacts of climate change, taking a spatial approach to planning, promoting high quality inclusive design, improving access for all, and ensuring that communities can contribute to the planning process. 4 North Norfolk Landscape Character Assessment 1 Landscape Character Assessment 1.1.9 This document has had regard to, and seeks to achieve, these principles. It was subject to sustainability appraisal which requires consideration of the range of effects (both positive and negative) on the environment, as well as the possible effects of development in terms of economic benefits and social well being. Decision Making and Conflicts 1.1.10 When considering development proposals or planning applications, judgements made through the LCA process will be important in informing the final decision. As stated in section 2 landscape character assessment is not a tool designed to resist changes that may influence the landscape. Rather it is an aid to decision making, a tool to help understand what the landscape is like today, how it came to be like that and how it may change in the future. Government policy in PPS1 requires that development plans and decisions on planning applications contribute to the delivery of sustainable development. In some circumstances a Planning Authority may decide in reaching a decision to give different weight to social, environmental, resource or economic considerations. Where this is the case, the reasons for doing so should be explicit and the consequences considered. Adverse environmental, social and economic impacts should be avoided, mitigated or compensated for. 1.1.11 Situations may arise where there is conflict between LCA conclusions and the social and economic objectives of the Core Strategy. In these instances the benefits and consequences should be carefully considered and, if development is to proceed, the information contained in the LCA should be used to minimise the impact of the development on the character of the landscape or steer it to a more appropriate location (in terms of landscape character) if possible. 1.1.12 Site specific appraisals, such as through individual landscape character and visual assessments, will be important in translating the principles contained in the LCA to individual proposals. Renewable Energy 1.1.13 Government policy on Renewable Energy (PPS22) requires that local development documents should contain policies which promote and encourage, rather than restrict, the development of renewable energy resources. The wider environmental and economic benefits of all proposals for renewable energy projects, whatever their scale, are material considerations that should be given significant weight in determining whether proposals should be granted planning permission. 1.1.14 The landscape and visual effects of particular renewable energy development will vary on a case by case basis according to the type of development, its location and the landscape setting of the proposed development. Some of these effects may be minimised through appropriate siting, design and landscaping schemes, depending on the size and type of development proposed.