Greater Nottingham LCA Appendices
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APPENDIX 1 Regional Character Area Landscape Character Type Nottinghamshire Coalfield Coalfield Farmlands Village Farmlands Village Farmlands with Ancient Woodlands River Meadowlands Magnesian Limestone Ridge Village Farmlands Village Farmlands with Ancient Woodlands River Meadowlands Estate Farmlands Vale of Belvoir Village Farmlands Nottinghamshire Wolds Village Farmlands Village Farmlands with Ancient Woodlands River Meadowlands Meadowlands with Plantations Estate Farmlands South Nottinghamshire Farmlands Village Farmlands Village Farmlands with Ancient Woodlands River Meadowlands Mid Nottinghamshire Farmlands Village Farmlands Village Farmlands with Ancient Woodlands River Meadowlands Meadowlands with Plantations Estate Farmlands Sherwood Village Farmlands River Meadowlands River Meadowlands with Plantations Estate Farmlands Estate Farmlands with Plantations Wooded Farmlands Wooded Estatelands Trent Washlands Village Farmlands River Meadowlands Trent Valley Village Farmlands River Meadowlands Wooded Meadowlands 1934.023 Appendix 1.doc APPENDIX 2 REF:_____ CHARACTER TYPE LDU REF Date Surveyor Conditions Location LANDFORM Flat Valley side Gently undulating Valley Floor Strongly undulating Plateau Steep Other Other features present: River Stream Description Views LANDCOVER LAND USE Open Farmland Woodland Farmland with Trees Parkland Farmland with Wetland Woods Farmland – Arable Open Water Farmland – Pastoral Urban Farmland – Rough Suburban grass Farmland - Mixed Village Forestry – Recreation or broadleaved amenity Forestry – conifer Disturbed Forestry Mixed Mineral Workings Nursery Commercial LU Allot Industrial Orchard Description Vulnerability WOODLAND COVER Extensive Hedge (trees and shrubs Interlocking Ditches Linear Walls Fragmented Fences Hedge (Shrubs) Tree Line, belts 1934.009A Appendix 2 Character assessment sheet.doc 1 APPENDIX 2 Description Vulnerability HISTORIC PATTERN TYPE Organic Planned Unenclosed Field boundary type Field size Overall pattern No boundaries Small Straight boundaries Medium Curving sinuous Large Transport pattern - Route Form Verges Trunk A road Tracks Straight Absent B road Railway Winding Variable C or unclassified Other Sunken Uniform (Wide/med/narrow) Ditched Settlement Town Village Hamlet Isolated Country House Other useful info: Building style Vernacular Non-vernacular Materials: Historic Pattern – Description Historic Pattern vulnerability to change Overall Character Summary 1934.009A Appendix 2 Character assessment sheet.doc 2 APPENDIX 2 LANDSCAPE CONDITION AND STRENGTH OF CHARACTER Distribution of STRONG MODERATE WEAK features Distinctive MANY MODERATE FEW Characteristics Sense of place STRONG MODERATE WEAK Strength of STRONG MODERATE WEAK Character LANDSCAPE CONDITION Management GOOD MODERATE POOR Intact features INTACT MODERATE FRAGMENTED Loss/decline of LOW MODERATE MANY features Landscape GOOD MODERATE LOW Condition LANDSCAPE STRENGTH AND CONDITION SUMMARY KEY PRESSURES 1934.009A Appendix 2 Character assessment sheet.doc 3 APPENDIX 3 Existing Landscape Character Assessment in Nottinghamshire In 1997 Nottinghamshire County Council published the “Nottinghamshire Landscape Guidelines” which divide the county into 10 Regional Landscape Character areas, further divided into landscape character sub types. The guidelines provide a description of the character areas with broad prescriptions for conservation, enhancement, restoration or creation of the landscape. As part of the survey work necessary to produce the above document, areas of the county “ least affected by adverse change” were identified and these became known as Mature Landscape Areas or MLAs. These are a specific Local Landscape Designation for Nottinghamshire. The need for change The reasons why the existing guidelines need to be revised are as follows:- • Changes in Government legislation • Development of GIS based systems • Need for transparency Changes in Government legislation continue to support the process of Landscape Character Assessment but are moving away from the designation of Local Landscape Designations as a result of thePPS7 statement to “ rigorously consider the justification for retaining existing Local Landscape Designations.” The Nottinghamshire and Nottingham Joint Structure Plan, 2006, states in policy 2/7; “Local Plans / development plan documents will define local landscape characteristics in accordance with the work of the Countryside Agency and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Landscape Guidelines, to inform land allocations and assessment of development proposals. The landscape character approach will be used to promote the conservation and enhancement of local landscape character and distinctiveness and the maintenance of landscape diversity throughout the whole plan area.” The East Midlands Regional Plan adopted in March 2009 states in policy 31; “ Where not already in place, Local Authorities should prepare Landscape Character Assessments to inform the preparation of Local Development Frameworks. These can also be used to develop Supplementary Planning documents.” This continues to move away from Local Landscape Designations. The original Nottinghamshire Landscape Guidelines, published in 1997, were developed as a result of a manual process of information collection begun in 1990 which was stored on a paper based system. Central to the process of Landscape Character Assessment is the analysis of the relationship between different landscape elements such as geology, soils, topography, woodland cover, farm type and settlement pattern in order to classify and describe the landscape. Since the start of the first assessment there have been major developments in the use of GIS software used for handling map- based information. This facilitates the process, storage and analysis of presentation of spatial data and is therefore particularly suited to LCA work. 1934.024 Appendix 3 NCC Method.doc 1 APPENDIX 3 The new GIS based system should be more transparent the preceding paper based system in that it should be possible to break down the stages of the assessment process and see how different character areas are derived. Theoretically, because it is a computer-based system, given the same initial datasets, the same classification should be achieved every time. Revised Methodology and Assessment The County Council Landscape and Reclamation Team have commenced work on producing a more detailed Landscape Character Assessment replacing the existing MLA designation and guidelines. This is in the process of developing detailed landscape policy zones for the Regional Landscape Character Areas based on an assessment of character, condition and sensitivity of the existing landscape. The methodology of this process has been designed to be more transparent and objective than the previous approach. It is derived from a process of sifting physical and cultural characteristics using GIS, to define units of uniform landscape character. This is verified by site survey. The character units are then further assessed in terms of their condition and sensitivity, and finally policies or strategies are developed for future management and development of the landscape. The new methodology has been tested through a pilot project which has focused on the Sherwood Landscape Character area. Further character assessment work has been undertaken in the Trent valley from Nottingham city north eastwards to the Retford area. Two separate landscape character surveys are now being undertaken for the Bassetlaw District Council area and for the remainder of the County. Compatibility with other Landscape Character Assessments Officers in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire have liaised to ensure compatibility as far as possible between the methodologies adopted across the 3 counties. Representatives are further able to liaise through the Landscape Character Network, which is administered by Natural England and through the Regional Landscape Character network, again administered through Natural England which is currently coordinating a Regional Landscape Character Assessment. The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire approach are particularly compatible as directly comparable methodology has been adopted to derive the draft Landscape character units using sifting of GIS data 1934.024 Appendix 3 NCC Method.doc 2 APPENDIX 4 APPENDIX 4: Summary of the Nottingham Landscape Guidelines Summary A4.1 This regional level landscape character assessment was adopted in 1996. Closely linked with the Countryside Commission’s Countryside Character Programme, the guidelines were intended to provide a framework to conserve and enhance the character of the countryside. A4.2 The Nottinghamshire Landscape Guidelines project advanced the method of landscape protection and focuses attention on the whole countryside area. It recognised all landscapes have their own character, whether emphasis is on conservation of high quality landscape or enhancement of more degraded areas. The priority is to enrich the quality of the whole countryside. A4.3 The Guidelines used the National Character Map of England (as produced by the Countryside Commission) as a basis, and sub-divided some areas to give greater regional detail. Each of the character areas was then described in detail in the report, including information such as physical and human influences on the landscape, the visual character of the landscape, landscape evolution and forces for change, landscape strategies and key recommendations, and advice on landscape guidelines. A4.4 The Greater Nottingham study