2 APPRECIATING THE CONTEXT 15 16 APPRECIATING THE CONTEXT Site Location Character Area 46: The Fens. This is described as typically low-lying, level terrain with isolated islands of higher ground, most notably the Isle of Ely. The site is located at National Grid Reference TL 55055 82509 to the north of Ely. The ‘Cambridgeshire Landscape Guidelines’ provides further detail of landscape character The site is currently in agricultural use and covers within the county. The entire site falls within Area some 200ha. It is bounded to the north-east by the 8: Fenland, which describes the open nature of railway; to the south by the existing built-up area of the landscape and the many ‘islands’ which rise Ely; to the west by the A10; and to the north-west above the fens. The study highlights the importance by the small hamlet of Chettisham. of tree cover, retained hedgerows and grassland around these areas of higher ground. The location and extent of the site is shown on the aerial plan overleaf. There are no landscape designations relevant to the site. It adjoins an area of Ministry of Defence land to the east of the Princess of Wales Hospital. Whilst it is understood that this land will be retained by Landscape Features the MOD for the foreseeable future, there may be potential for it to become surplus to requirements at To the east, the site is predominantly arable some stage in the future. Possible future linkages farmland, with few trees and hedgerows, with this area should therefore be considered in situated across gently undulating topography. plan development. Other landscape features include a number of watercourses, most notably the watercourse on the eastern boundary and Highflyer Farm Track which Site Appraisal connects King’s Avenue to Highflyer Farm. A detailed appraisal has been undertaken as part To the west, the site has few structural landscape of the masterplanning studies and environmental elements, with only a small number of hedgerows studies that have been prepared for the site. and drainage ditches crossing the site. There is more mature vegetation along the site boundary, The key features of the site are described below, with a line of mature Poplar located along the and are summarised on the diagram at the end of eastern boundary and structural landscape belts this section on pages 25 - 25. along much of the A10 and Cam Drive. The overall masterplan site is divided into two distinct parcels of land with the Lynn Road corridor Topography running north- south between the two areas. Owing to the sometimes different characteristics of the two Ely Island itself ranges from 5m AOD to 26m AOD parcels, where appropriate, the site is described in and is approximately 2.5km across and 5.5km terms of the ‘east’ - to the east of Lynn Road, and long. The gradient of the island slopes are most the ‘west’ - to the west of Lynn Road. pronounced to the east and west sides of the island where the land quickly drops into the flat fen and where built form has traditionally located on the Landscape and Visual steeper slopes. Landscape Character The site itself slopes gently from about 20m AOD near Lynn Road to about 5m AOD in the east and At the national scale, significant work was about 5m AOD in the north-west. undertaken in the mid to late 1990s by the Countryside Agency and English Nature (now Natural England) to map and describe the broad variations in character that can be identified across England. The entire site falls within National 17 d x LEGEND m . e r u g i Application Site F _ F D E N 1. Littleport _ h p 2. Little Downham a r 3. Chettisham g o t 4. Princess of Wales Hospital o h 5. Phase 1 of North Ely P _ l 6. Proposed leisure village site a i r e 7. Primary shopping area A _ 8. Ely Cathedral 7 3 9. Ely Country Park 0 3 \ 10. Station gateway area s t c 11. Lancaster Way Business Park e j o r 12. Queen Adelaide P \ s i g 8 \ y l E h t r o N _ 7 3 0 3 \ S B O J \ : X PROJECT TITLE NORTH ELY DRAWING TITLE Figure 04: Aerial Photograph ISSUED BY Oxford T: 01865 887 050 DATE 03 Feb 2012 DRAWN DL SCALE @A3 1:30,000 CHECKED PLi STATUS Draft APPROVED RT DWG. NO. 3037_004_A No dimensions are to be scaled from this drawing. All dimensions are to be checked on site. Area measurements for indicative purposes only. © LDA Design Consulting LLP. Quality Assured to BS EN ISO 9001 : 2000 0 1km h t Sources: Ordnance Survey, Bing Maps r o N This drawing may contain: Ordnance Survey material by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright 2011.All rights reserved. Reference number 0100031673. OS Open data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 | Aerial Photography © Bing Maps 18 d x LEGEND m . e r u g APPRECIATING THE CONTEXT i Application Site F d _ x LEGEND F m D . e E r N u 1. Littleport _ g Joint Strategic Masterplan Boundary i h Application Site F p 2. Little Downham _ a r F 3. Chettisham g D o t E 4. Princess of Wales Hospital o N h 1. Littleport _ 5. Phase 1 of North Ely P h _ p l 2. Little Downham a 6. Proposed leisure village site a i r r 3. Chettisham g e 7. Primary shopping area o t A 4. Princess of Wales Hospital o _ 8. Ely Cathedral h 7 5. Phase 1 of North Ely P 3 9. Ely Country Park _ 0 l 3 6. Proposed leisure village site a \ i 10. Station gateway area r s t e 7. Primary shopping area c 11. Lancaster Way Business Park A e j _ 8. Ely Cathedral o 7 r 12. Queen Adelaide 3 P 9. Ely Country Park \ 0 s 3 i \ g 10. Station gateway area s t 8 \ c 11. Lancaster Way Business Park y e l j o E r 12. Queen Adelaide h P t \ r s o i g N 8 _ \ 7 y l 3 E 0 3 h \ t r S o B N O _ J 7 \ : 3 X 0 3 \ S B O J \ : X PROJECT TITLE NORTH ELY PROJECT TITLE NORTH ELY DRAWING TITLE Figure 04: Aerial Photograph DRAWING TITLE Figure 04: AISeSrUiaEl DP BhYotogOraxpfohrd T: 01865 887 050 DATE 03 Feb 2012 DRAWN DL SCALE @A3 1:30,000 CHECKED PLi ISSTUATEUDS BY ODxrfaofrtd TA: P0P1R86O5V 8E8D7 050RT DATE 03 Feb 2012 DRAWN DL SDCAWLGE .@ NAO3 . 13:3003,070_0004_A CHECKED PLi STATUS Draft APPROVED RT No dimensions are to be scaled from this drawing. DAWll dGim. eNnsOion. s a3re0 to3 7be_ c0h0ec4ke_dA on site. Area measurements for indicative purposes only. No dimensions are to be scaled from this drawing. © LDA Design Consulting LLP. Quality Assured to BS EN ISO 9001 : 2000 0 1km All dimensions are to be checked on site. h t ASroeuar cmese: aOsrudrneamnceen Stsu rfvoery ,i nBdinigc aMtiavpes purposes only. r o N © LDA Design Consulting LLP. Quality Assured to BS EN ISO 9001 : 2000 This drawing ma0y contain: Ordnance Survey m1aktemrial by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright 2011.All rights reserved. Reference number 0100031673. OS Oh pen data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 | Aerial Photography © Bing Maps t Sources: Ordnance Survey, Bing Maps r o N 19 This drawing may contain: Ordnance Survey material by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright 2011.All rights reserved. Reference number 0100031673. OS Open data © Crown copyright and database right 2011 | Aerial Photography © Bing Maps Views ■ Parish Church of St Mary, Ely (Listed Building, Grade I) The location of the site, to the north of Ely, means views towards the site are predominantly from the ■ Church of St Michael, Chettisham (Listed north-east and north-west, from farmsteads, roads Building Grade II) and footpaths within the surrounding fenland. From the south, views of the site are largely Archaeology prevented by the existing built form of the City. There are views of the site from the residential To the east of the site, archaeological investigation areas along Cam Drive, Lynn Road and King’s has revealed the remains of two potentially Avenue, where a number of dwellings either front or significant features. The first is an Iron Age pit close back on to the site. There is also public access to to Lynn Road which probably relates to an Iron Age the two towers of Ely Cathedral. Their height above settlement in this area. The second is the remnant the surrounding landscape permits long range of a Roman period enclosure west of Highflyer views and inter-visibility between the Cathedral and Farm. The trial trench ditch section revealed the site. Roman ceramics and preliminary interpretation suggests an inhabited enclosure on the shallow Views out from the site, towards the Cathedral and valley side. This is likely to be of local or regional distant views out across the flat fen are notable. value. Agriculture and Land Use To the west of the site a geophysical survey identified potential features of archaeological The site is generally classified as Grade 2 on interest along the western site boundary. These the provisional Agricultural Land Classification features appeared to be a prehistoric settlement (ALC) maps published by the former Ministry of located centrally along the western site boundary.