The Government's plans for increasing the numbers of houses built across England include the creation of a number of designated Growth Areas, Growth Points and eco-towns. At the same time, nine housing market renewal areas (or 'Pathfinders') in northern and midland parts of England are addressing problems of low demand and abandonment.
Full details of these initiatives can be found at www.communities.gov.uk.
In the Growth Areas, planners require a clear-sighted general understanding of the historic environment before making development and design decisions. Characterisation is ideally suited to this and the Growth Areas are proving useful test beds for using HLC-type information to help difficult planning decisions.
The results will explain the importance and sensitivity of the landscape and its 'time-depth', show how the historic environment contributes to local distinctiveness, guide the location and design of new housing so it enhances historic character and allow communities to draw maximum benefit from their history. The three characterisation projects in Growth Areas are the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor, Milton Keynes and South Midlands, and the Thames Gateway.
London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor
English Heritage has produced a characterisation document of the landscape around the M11 corridor, or the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor.
Milton Keynes and South Midlands
English Heritage is working with the county councils of Bucks, Herts, Beds and Northants to produce characterisations of the landscape around Milton Keynes.
Thames Gateway
A key element of the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan which was announced in February 2003 is to provide 120,000 new homes in the Thames Gateway area by 2016. In order to inform this process English Heritage has undertaken a strategic characterisation study of the Thames Gateway's historic environment in partnership with Kent and Essex County Councils, and Chris Blandford Associates.
The aim of the characterisation project is to highlight positive opportunities for accommodating change that respect the historic environment. The work is focusing on developing a broad understanding of the historic landscapes, built heritage and buried archaeological sites. Ultimately, this will form a framework to aid English Heritage and its partners in responding to the plans and proposals for the Gateway.
