Countryside Quality Counts: historic environment information

English Heirtage summaries. 2005/2006

EH Project Number:	4671MAIN
Funded Unit:	Forum Heritage Services

The Rural White Paper (Our Countryside - the future fair deal for rural England) committed Government to produce an indicator for change in countryside quality. To achieve this aim the Countryside Agency established the Countryside Quality Counts (CQC) project, supported by Defra,  English Heritage and English Nature, and dependant upon wider partnerships with ODPM, Forestry Commission, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and the Environment Agency. 

There are three key elements to the CQC approach:

A.      The establishment of baseline profiles about the state of the countryside

B.      Monitoring aspects of the countryside (e.g. national datasets for woodland, Land Use Change etc.) which illustrate the direction and rate of change in relation to the baseline profiles.

C.      Indicators - judgements about whether changes are consistent, inconsistent or neutral in relation to the baseline profiles.

The 1990-1998 CQC analysis was based on an assessment of change in the countryside relative to the descriptions written for the 159 Joint Character Areas (JCAs) in the mid-late 1990s. These descriptions were slimmed down for use in the CQC process, as very short introductory summary statements for each Character Area and profiles of the key characteristics in each JCA. These provided a framework for monitoring landscape change, by setting out the types of change that might threaten, strengthen or restore landscape character as defined in the descriptions.

These did not adequately reflect the fact that the landscape is largely a cultural product, and English Heritage, the Countryside Agency and its partners are now keen to ensure that the historical dimension is developed more fully as part of this revision process. 

A pilot project carried out across Hampshire in January 2004 demonstrated that it was possible to go beyond a single 'historical features' topic heading in the Character Area Profiles, and emphasise the key concept that the landscape is a wholly cultural artefact, a product of human intervention. The Hampshire pilot successfully developed a historic/archaeological dimension within the other key themes, leading to greater understanding of the processes which created our present landscape, as well as issues pertinent to present and future character.

The historic profiles that  result  represent a first-draft attempt, and now need the input and comment from colleagues in the historic environment community and all other interested parties. They were rapidly compiled by two members of Characterisation Team in the summer of 2005, the profiles for the South East being written by Bob Edwards of Forum Heritage Services.

The historic profiles can be viewed on CQC.org.uk

This page was published on 15/11/2005