Heritage Assessment Rail Central August 2018 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. The Heritage Assets and Study Areas 3 3. History and Development of the Proposed Order Limits 16 4. Significance of Heritage Assets 22 5. Development Proposals and Heritage Impact Assessment 126 6. Conclusions 167 Appendix 1: Heritage Legislation, Planning Policy and Guidance Appendix 2: Heritage Asset Plan (Main SRFI Site) Appendix 3: Heritage Asset Plan (Highways) Appendix 4: LIDAR Plan Appendix 5: Noise and Vibration Letter Our reference ASHA3004 August 2018 1. Introduction 1.1 This Heritage Assessment has been prepared by Turley Heritage on behalf of Ashfield Land Management Limited to accompany an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) as well as the associated highways works and other facilities (the ‘Proposed Development’) at land south of Milton Malsor in Northamptonshire (the ‘proposed Order Limits’). 1.2 For the purposes of this report, the term ‘Built Heritage’ refers to all above ground heritage assets. 1.3 The Proposed Development can be described in two parts relevant to the assessment of Built Heritage and 2 separate study areas have been defined: • The ‘Main SRFI Site’ on which the SRFI will be delivered (including A43 access and all rail infrastructure); and • Junction 15a of the M1 and ‘minor’ highway works 1.4 The proposal is considered to comprise a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the terms of subsections 26(3) to (7) of the Planning Act 2008. 1.5 The purpose of this report is to assess the effect of the Proposed Development upon the significance of identified designated and non-designated heritage assets. It is a technical appendix (Appendix 11.1) to Chapter 11 – Built Heritage (also prepared by Turley Heritage) of the Environmental Statement (ES) submitted in connection with the Proposed Development. 1.6 Regulation 3 of the Infrastructure Planning (Decisions) Regulations 2010 (the “Decisions Regulations”) sets out that it is necessary for the Secretary of State to “have regard to the desirability of preserving the listed building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses”(3(1)). The regulation also identifies that when deciding an application relating to a conservation area, the Secretary of State “must have regard to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area” (3(2)). It further states that when deciding an application for development consent which affects or is likely to affect a scheduled monument or its setting, the Secretary of State “must have regard to the desirability of preserving the scheduled monument or its setting”(3(3)). 1.7 The sections of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 that might ordinarily be applicable in relation to development within the setting of listed buildings or development in a conservation area are not directly applicable to the determination of this application as they specifically refer to planning permission, not a DCO. The language set out within the Decisions Regulations differs from the duties of the 1990 Act. The Decisions Regulations intends that a particular approach be taken in the case of NSIPs and requires that ‘regard’ is had to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character and appearance of a conservation area and the special interest and setting of a listed building, whereas the 1990 Act requires a decision 1 maker to have “special regard”. The Decisions Regulations have been taken into account in the preparation of this Chapter. 1.8 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2018 provides the Government’s national planning policy on the conservation of the historic environment. In respect of information requirements for proposals that could affect the significance of heritage assets it sets out that: “In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance.”1 1.9 The National Policy Statement for National Networks (NN NPS) 2014 also sets out the same information requirements (as above) at paragraph 5.127. It also states at paragraph 5.126 that: “Where the development is subject to EIA the applicant should undertake an assessment of any likely significant heritage impacts of the proposed project as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment and describe these in the environmental statement” 2. 1.10 Section 2 of the statement explains how the Study Areas have been defined, together with identifying the relevant heritage assets that have the potential to be affected by the Proposed Development. This is followed by Section 3 which provides an overview of the historic development of the proposed Order Limits and the immediate surrounding area. 1.11 Section 4 provides assessments of significance of the identified heritage assets, including the contribution made by their setting; proportionate to both the importance of the asset and the likely impacts. They are undertaken on the basis of published information, archival research and on-site visual survey. 1.12 Section 5 provides an assessment of the impact of the Proposed Development on the significance of the identified heritage assets, in light of the Infrastructure Planning (Decisions) Regulations 2010, national policy set out in the NN NPS (2014) and the NPPF (2018), and local planning policy for the historic environment (set out in detail at Appendix 1). 1 DCLG (2018) National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – Paragraph 189 2 Department for Transport (2014) National Policy Statement for National Networks, Chapter 5, Paragraph 126 2 2. The Heritage Assets and Study Areas Introduction 2.1 The NN NPS (2014) provides a definition of heritage assets: “Those elements of the historic environment that hold value to this and future generations because of their historic, archaeological, architectural or artistic interest…Heritage assets may be buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes. The sum of the heritage interests that a heritage asset holds is referred to as its significance.”3 2.2 The NPPF (2018) defines a heritage asset as: “A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest.”4 Study Areas 2.3 In defining the appropriate heritage Study Areas, best practice guidance, professional experience and judgement, and an assessment of the potential effects of the Proposed Development on Built Heritage has been applied. It has also been informed by the extent of consultation undertaken and received to date. Consideration has been given to the various aspects of the Proposed Development, including the Main SRFI Site and the J15a Works and ‘other’ highways works. 2.4 A 5000 metre (m) radius from the red line boundary of the Main SRFI Site was established to understand the extent of assets within the wider vicinity of the proposed Order Limits. This was undertaken following the consultation response by Historic England (10/01/16). As illustrated on the 5km Radius Plan (Figure 11.1 of the Environmental Statement), there are broadly the following assets within a 5km radius: • 438 listed buildings • 11 scheduled monuments • 3 registered parks and gardens • 1 battlefield; and • 9 conservation areas 2.5 The nature and extent of the Proposed Development as a whole and the proposed inter-visibility as informed by the Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) defined as part of Chapter 15 of the Environmental Statement) has assisted in informing the extent of the Study Areas. Due to the location of the Junction 15a and minor highways works, 3 Department for Transport (2014) National Policy Statement for National Networks, Chapter 5, Paragraph 122 4 DCLG (2018) National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – Annex 2 - Glossary 3 together with the nature of the works proposed, a smaller separate study area has also been defined. Both of the Study Areas have been defined by taking into consideration the following factors: • The nature and extent of the Proposed Development (the Main SRFI Site and the offsite highway works at J15a of the M1 and the ‘other’ highways works); • The location and or proximity of built heritage assets and also within or to the proposed Order Limits; • The degree of inter-visibility between the designated built heritage assets and the proposed Order Limits taking into account, for instance, changes in topography as well as interposing townscape and landscape features (informed by the ZTV defined as part of Chapter 15 of the Environmental Statement); and • The relative sensitivity of the significance of the heritage assets and their setting, to future change. 2.6 Definition of the Study Area has also been informed by additional site visits to determine the proximity, relationship, visual and experiential connection and disposition of the heritage assets within and also relative to the proposed Order Limits. Main SRFI Site Study Area 2.7 Taking into consideration the aforementioned factors (identified within the bullet points above), the heritage Study Area for the Main SRFI site encompasses all built heritage assets within the proposed Order Limits for the Main SRFI Site and also those within a 2km radius of its red line boundary. 2.8 A series of site visits were undertaken during 2016 (including both summer and winter seasons) during which the extent of this Study Area was re-evaluated, including an assessment of other areas outside the proposed 2km. This included the villages of Kislingbury, Bugbrooke, Roade, Quinton, Stoke Bruerne, Tiffield and Wootton. 2.9 On-site visual investigation together with consideration of the above factors has affirmed that the proposed 2km heritage Study Areas for the Main SRFI site is appropriate.