Liz Lake AssociAtes Chartered Landscape Architects Urban Designers Landscape Planners Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment PRIMROSE COTTAGE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH Sylvia Ashley July 2013 Western House t +44 (0)1279 647044 Chapel Hill e [email protected] Stansted Mountfitchet www.lizlake.com Essex CM24 8AG Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment PRIMROSE COTTAGE, SAWBRIDGEWORTH Sylvia Ashley July 2013 Prepared by: Mark Flatman Position: Senior Associate Qualifications: CMLI, Dip LA, BA (Hons) File name: 1510 LVA & GBA 14 01 07 Date issued: 7th January 2014 Checked by : LL Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL APPRASIAL 2 2.1 Local Designations 2 2.2 Landscape Character 5 2.3 National Landscape Character 5 2.4 District Level Landscape Character 6 2.5 Site Assessment 8 3 LOCAL VIEWS 13 3.1 Bridleway 18, adjacent to Rowney Wood and Rowney Farm 13 3.2 Rowney Gardens 13 3.3 Public Footpath 17 to the South of the Site 14 3.4 Long Distance Views 14 4 GREEN BELT ASSESSMENT 15 4.1 Introduction 15 4.2 National Planning Policy 15 4.3 Local Planning Policy 16 5 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 18 5.1 Assessment Methodology 18 5.2 Assessment of Green Belt Functions 18 6 CONCLUSION 25 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 6.1 Discussion of Findings 25 APPENDIX A FIGURES FIGURE 1 : Local Designations Google Base FIGURE 2 : Green Belt Boundary Wider Area FIGURE 3 : Green Belt Boundary 2009 Google Base FIGURE 4 : Green Belt Boundary 2012 Bing Base FIGURE 5 : East Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessment APPENDIX B Source Documents 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.1 This report addresses Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth (the Site). This report is broken down into two sections. Firstly it examines the Site for its landscape and visual resource, by means of a Landscape and Visual Appraisal and secondly the Site is assessed for its contribution to the Green Belt. The Green Belt Assessment was completed following the Liz Lake methodology. 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 2 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL APPRASIAL 2.1 Local Designations 2.1.1 There are no statutory designations located within close proximity of the Site. The closest designated site is Sawbridgeworth Marsh Nature Reserve; a SSSI located approximately 3km to the north east of the site. 2.1.2 To the south and east of the Site, there is an Area of Archaeological Significance (AAS), as designated in the East Herts Local Plan 2007. This area contains the southern settlement edge of Sawbridgeworth and abuts the Site on its southern boundary and extends across the area of land between Chaseways and Durham Close, continuing to the east across the Harlow Road towards the River Stort. 2.1.3 To the west of the Site is Rowney Wood, a local Wildlife Site, as designated in the East Herts Local Plan 2007. To the south of the Site is Pishiobury Park, which is located to the south of Sawbridgeworth, and has a signed entrance and car park off the Harlow Road (A1184) together with a pedestrian entrance from Newton Drive. The park contains many interesting historical features and was an "enclosed" park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. 2.1.4 Pishiobury Park is managed by East Herts Council to reflect its parkland character, for nature conservation and quiet informal recreation and is an important area for wildlife with much of the park grazed by cattle in summer. The many native grasses and wildflowers provide an important breeding and feeding area for butterflies. It is still a very special place and the Council works closely with Countryside Management Services to ensure that it is looked after in the best possible way. Pishiobury Park is an English Heritage Registered Park. 2.1.5 Public Footpath Sawbridgeworth 017 is located to the south of the Site, and Bridleway Sawbridgeworth 018 is located to the west of the Site. 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 3 2.1.6 Green Belt – the Site is within the Metropolitan Green Belt. http://online.eastherts.gov.uk/localplan/map_htm/inset_17/inset_17_183.htm ‘The Government attaches great importance to Green Belts. The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.’1 2.1.7 The purposes of including land in the Green Belt are set out in Clause 80 of the NPPF. They are: • to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas • to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another • to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment • to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns • to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. ‘Local planning authorities with Green Belts in their area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for Green Belt and settlement policy. Once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in exceptional circumstances, through the preparation or review of the Local Plan. At that time, authorities should consider the Green Belt boundaries having regard to their intended permanence in the long term, so that they should be capable of enduring beyond the plan period.’2 2.1.8 East Hertfordshire District Council (EHDC) are in the process of reviewing the District Plan (DP), as well as producing new policies for the control of development until 2031. 2.1.9 District Plan reviews must take into account the NPPF. The review of the DP gives the planning authority the opportunity to review Green Belt boundaries. 1 NPPF p19 2 NPPF p19 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth ‘Local planning authorities with Green Belts in their area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for Green Belt and settlement policy.’3 2.1.10 When defining boundaries, local planning authorities should: • ensure consistency with the Local Plan strategy for meeting identified requirements for sustainable development; • not include land which it is unnecessary to keep permanently open; • where necessary, identify in their plans areas of ‘safeguarded land’ between the urban area and the Green Belt, in order to meet longer-term development needs stretching well beyond the plan period; • make clear that the safeguarded land is not allocated for development at the present time. Planning permission for the permanent development of safeguarded land should only be granted following a Local Plan review which proposes the development; • satisfy themselves that Green Belt boundaries will not need to be altered at the end of the development plan period; and • define boundaries clearly, using physical features that are readily recognisable and likely to be permanent.4 2.1.11 The NPPF places a duty on the Planning Authority to review all their current Green Belt Boundaries, as it is required to demonstrate that the existing boundaries do not include land for which: • “It is unnecessary to keep permanently open • Green Belt boundaries will not need to be altered at the end of the development plan period 3 NPPF p19 4 NPPF p 20 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth 5 • is consistent with the Local Plan strategy for meeting identified requirements for sustainable development”5 2.1.12 It must therefore be necessary to assess all Green Belt boundaries to ensure they are compliant with the above points, as well as considering why normal planning and development planning policy would not be suitable for the land in question. 2.1.13 As part of the DP review, EHDC produced a ‘call for Sites’ to identify sites within the District that could potentially be made available for development, and that could be considered by EHDC for further review for inclusion within the DP going forward. The Site was identified in this process, but was removed at the first sieve. 2.2 Landscape Character 2.2.1 The landscape surrounding the Site is considered in the following documents: • Countryside Commission (Now Natural England): Countryside Character of England: Volume 6: East of England • East Herts District Supplementary Planning Document, Landscape Character Assessment, September 2007 2.3 National Landscape Character 2.3.1 The Site is within National Character Area (NCA) 86, South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland. The National Character Area Document makes no reference to Sawbridgeworth directly. 2.3.2 The key features of NCA 86 are: • Broadly flat, chalky, boulder clay plateau dissected by undulating river valley topography, particularly marked in upper valley reaches, which are much smaller in scale. 5 NPPF p20 Para 85 1510 LVA & GBA 14 02 14 Landscape and Visual Appraisal and Green Belt Assessment: Primrose Cottage, Sawbridgeworth • Predominantly arable with wooded appearance. Some pasture in valley floors. Irregular field pattern despite rationalization; remnant Ancient Countryside. • Scattered farmsteads, deep ditches and moats, parishes with scattered, small settlements around ‘tyes’ (commons) or strip greens, with isolated hamlets. Concentration of isolated moated sites. • Timber-framed and colour-washed houses, sometimes faced with Georgian red brick. Impressive churches. Large villages and frequent towns, most with medieval street plans and elaborate timber frame houses. Rich heritage of barns. Fewer settlements and more 20th century development towards coast, with several large estates.