WILTSHIRE COUNCIL TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 SECTION 78 APPEAL BY ROBERT HITCHINS LTD. LAND NORTH AND EAST OF BARROW FARM, CHIPPENHAM, SN15 5LX Planning Inspectorate Reference: APP/Y3940/W/15/3139183 Wiltshire Council Reference: 14/10433/OUT Date of inquiry: 11th October 2016 PROOF OF EVIDENCE by Andrea Kenworthy BSc (Hons) Dip LA CMLI 1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 My name is Andrea Kenworthy. I am a Landscape and Design Officer at Wiltshire Council and have over 20 year’s professional experience as a Landscape Architect. I have a BSc (Hons) degree in Geography, a Diploma in Landscape Design and I am a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute. 1.2 The evidence which I have prepared and provided within this Statement represents my professional opinion and I believe the facts stated are true and accurate and have been prepared in accordance with the guidance of my professional institution. 2. THE APPEAL 2.1 This Statement relates to an outline planning application, planning reference 14/10433/OUT for the development of up to 500 residential dwellings, a new roundabout access from the B4069 Maud Heath's Causeway/ Swindon Road, ancillary access for emergency vehicles, a primary school, a local centre, employment area, play areas and open space on land to the north and east of Barrow Farm, Chippenham, Wiltshire. The development includes an extension to Bird’s Marsh wood of 7ha on land which is offsite but within the ownership of the appellant. 2.2 The southern edge of the Appeal Site lies adjacent to the Land North of Chippenham which has been approved for mixed use development including up to 750 dwellings (Planning application N/12/00560/OUT) subject to conditions and S.106 agreements, which extends east from the A350 across fields to the south of Bird’s Marsh wood adjacent to Hill Corner Road and to Maud Heath’s Causeway. 2.3 This planning application was presented to Wiltshire Council Strategic Planning Committee on 10th February 2016. At that meeting the Committee resolved that, had it been in a position to determine the application, it would have refused planning permission. Reason 5 relates to Landscape and Heritage: The proposal would have an unacceptable impact upon the tranquil nature of this part of the countryside, the setting of listed buildings at Maud Heath’s Causeway as well as its relationship to the nearby villages of Langley Burrell and Kington Langley. The proposal is therefore contrary to the provisions of policies CP10, CP51, CP52 and CP58 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy 2015, the NPPF as well as section 16(2) and 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Area) Act 1990. 2.4 This Proof of Evidence will address the landscape and visual impacts and any resulting harm that may arise from the proposed development. Evidence relating to Heritage is given by Caroline Ridgwell and the overall planning balance is considered in Evidence given by Simon Smith. 3. THE APPEAL SITE AND SURROUNDINGS 2 3.1 The Appeal Site comprises five medium sized arable fields of 24.2 Ha to the southeast of Bird’s Marsh wood. The fields are Grade 2 agricultural land, and are therefore the Best and Most Versatile agricultural land. Cereal crops were harvested this season. 3.2 Bird’s Marsh wood, a large Ancient Woodland of about 24 Ha, a County Wildlife Site and Priority Habitat (Broadleaved Oak, mixed and Yew woodland) is sited on slightly higher ground at about 87m AOD closest to the Appeal Site and is a prominent and distinctive feature within the wider landscape. It has Village Green status and is well used for recreation linking to numerous public rights of way across the countryside and the Appeal Site. 3.3 From the high point at Bird’s Marsh wood the Appeal Site gently slopes from the west to the east to 72m AOD on the B4069 along the section of Maud Heath’s Causeway. 3.4 The northern and central fields of the Appeal Site are bounded by mature species rich hedgerows with deep ditches and a significant number of ancient/ veteran and notable Oaks and mature trees including Willow and Poplar to these field boundaries. Dog Kennel Plantation, a linear block of mixed woodland adjoins the northern Appeal Site boundary and is covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). The southern part of the Appeal Site comprises larger fields divided by a ditch with scrubby vegetation and remnant Oaks marking former field boundaries. 3.5 Within the fields surrounding Barrow Farm 73 individual mature trees have TPOs. 30 of these are within the Appeal Site. The TPOs were confirmed by Wiltshire Council on 26th February 2015. (Refer to Appendix A) The species rich hedgerows comprise Field Maple, Hazel, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Dog Rose, Holly, Elm, Ash, Elder and Bramble. 3.6 There are 5no. Public Rights of Way (PROWs) crossing the site. These are LBUR28, LBUR36, LBUR35, LBUR50 and LBUB32. These all appear on first edition OS maps dated 1872 – 1894 and are well-used by locals linking Bird’s Marsh wood with Langley Burrell, Kington Langley and Chippenham. 3.7 The Appeal Site forms an integral part of the wider rural landscape to the north of Chippenham that connects with the rolling pastoral countryside of Kington Langley, a small linear historic settlement sited on higher ground approx. 1.2km from the Appeal Site. 3.8 Directly to the northeast of the site, adjoining the B4069, is Langley House (Grade II* Listed Building c. 1780) within its parkland (post medieval park and garden, non- designated heritage asset) and St. Peter’s Church (Grade I Listed Building, dating from Saxon times with 14th century tower). 3.9 The B4069 forms the eastern boundary of the Appeal Site together with the garden boundaries of five stone cottages. These include The Pound and Pound House (Grade II Listed Building) and The Old School House (Grade II Listed Building) set within mature gardens. The B4069 follows a section of the Maud Heath’s Causeway (a 15th century routeway) which passes through the small historic village of Langley Burrell and Conservation Area approx. 250m directly to the east of the Appeal Site. 3.10 To the southeast of the Appeal Site is Kilvert’s Parsonage (Grade II* Listed Building) set within wooded grounds. 3 3.11 The southern fields of the Appeal Site are bounded by well-maintained roadside hedges to the B4069. 3.12 South of the Appeal Site the arable fields extend to housing along Hill Corner Road, which has an open aspect towards the Appeal Site. Parsonage Way Industrial Estate to the south east of the B4069 is enclosed by a mature belt of tree and woodland planting and is well screened from Maud Heath’s Causeway and the wider countryside even in winter. 3.13 Directly to the west adjoining the Appeal Site is Barrow Farmhouse (16th Century Grade II Listed Building) and Barrow Cottage (Grade II Listed Building) at the end of Greenway Lane which have glimpsed and direct views across the arable fields of the Appeal Site to the wider countryside beyond. 3.14 Historic evidence from Wiltshire Council’s Historic Landscape Characterisation project database show that fields to the west of the B4069 relate to the enclosure and conversion of former common and marshland as evidenced by the field forms and place names. In terms of the wider landscape in this area, the fields seem to be a mix of modern and historical and have derived from piecemeal enclosure. This process typically has early post medieval origins and relates to the consolidation of earlier strip fields (which have Saxon or medieval origin). Traces of ridge and furrow survive in the wider area. The area around Langley Park was part of an extensive parkland during the post medieval period, extending to Langley Burrell in the southeast. While some of this parkland survives immediately adjacent to the Manor House, much has since been converted into fields but there still remain some legible elements of this former parkland visible through veteran trees and the field boundary shape and composition. Another separate piece of parkland survives to the south of Langley Burrell in the area around Kilvert’s Parsonage, and this seems to have a similar origin and evolution to the parkland around Langley House to the north. 3.15 The first, second and third edition OS maps show very little change in the field boundaries. (Refer to Appendix A) 3.16 The distribution of heritage assets within the area of Langley Burrell is shown on Figure 5 of the report ‘Langley Burrell Heritage and Character Assessment’ (AECOM Feb 2016.) 4. LANDSCAPE POLICY CONTEXT AND LANDSCAPE EVIDENCE BASE National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 4.1 The importance of understanding landscape character and its role in sustainable development is fundamental to achieving developments that are appropriate to their site context. 4.2 ‘Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) is the process of identifying and describing variation in the character of the landscape. It seeks to identify and explain the unique combination of elements and features (characteristics) that make landscapes distinctive.’ (An Approach to Landscape Character Assessment, October 2014). Natural England defines key characteristics as those combinations of elements which help to give an area its distinctive sense of place that would result in significant consequences for the current character if they were changed or lost. 4 4.3 Paragraph 7 of the NPPF is clear that sustainable development includes an ‘Environmental’ role as well as ‘Social’ and ‘Economic’ roles by ‘contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment.’ (my emphasis) 4.4 Paragraph 17 of the NPPF lists the 12 Core Planning Principles (CPP) which should underpin both plan making and decision taking.