The Historic Built Environment in Cheshire
The historic built environment of Cheshire is incredibly rich and diverse providing a distinctive character and form to the County. Cheshire has over 5500 listed buildings, 200 conservation areas and 24 registered parks and gardens.
The county boasts the medieval walls of Chester, the Tudor splendour of Little Moreton Hall, great country houses such as Tatton Park, the industrial heritage of the Lion Salt Works in Northwich, the railway heritage of Crewe and a 20th century icon, the telescope at Jodrell Bank.
The historic built environment also shapes the everyday places in which we live, work and interact. The local distinctiveness of your area is characterised by the historic built environment and is what makes it special.
Cheshire's built heritage is, however, a finite resource and once lost is irreplaceable. Our heritage is continually under threat from the pressures of development. The role of Cheshire County Council's Environmental Planning Service is to improve the quality of the environment in which we live. This can be achieved by managing the conservation of this heritage; protecting the best of Cheshire's historic built environment whilst encouraging high quality design in new development.
Protection of the historic environment is afforded under The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Town and Country Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Planning policy guidance for the protection of built heritage is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment.
Buildings Conservation and the Planning Process
Historic Environment Data
The County maintains the Historic Environment Record available for both public and professional use containing information on historic sites across Cheshire. This can be used to inform developments affecting the historic environment.
District Level
Normally, all works or development affecting the historic environment requiring consent through the planning process will be determined by the District Council. Each district employs a dedicated buildings conservation officer who will provide advice on the historic environment in their area. You are advised to contact your district conservation officer as early as possible during the preparation of a scheme as this will help to expedite the planning process.
County Level
The County Council acts as a statutory consultee to the district councils on strategic planning applications. The authority also retains a portfolio of county owned or managed properties including schools, libraries and county farms. Planning applications for these properties will be determined by the County's Environmental Planning Service. The County's Historic Environment Planning Officer (Buildings) will provide advice on works affecting the historic environment. You are advised to contact the County Council as early as possible during the preparation of a scheme as this will help to reduce problems at a later stage during the planning process.
Historic Conservation Officer (Buildings) 01244 973160
Building Recording
The County Council provides building recording advice for both county and district applications. A programme of building recording can inform development proposals, speed up the planning process and further our understanding of the historic environment. The County Council can assist in identifying the need for building recording as the result of works affecting historic buildings and can give advice on the preparation of suitable briefs for building recording. Council officers can monitor building recording and can undertake assessment and approval of completed reports.
It is national and local practice that the costs of building recording work made necessary by development should, in most circumstances, be borne by the developer. Consequently, all development-led building recording in the county is carried out by professional specialist contractors.
The County Council maintains a list of archaeological contractors and consultants, which is distributed with all briefs for building recording work prepared by the County's historic environment staff. The list is not an approved list and does not mean that only organisations included can carry out work in the county. It does, however, mean that all organisations included have signed up to the County Council's Guidance and General Conditions for Archaeological Contractors and Consultants in Cheshire (2004 edn.)
For further information on building recording please see the Specifying Building Recording document under Guidance Notes.
The County Council's Historic Environment Staff can:
- Advise on planning and the historic built environment.
- Advise on works affecting County owned properties that are of historic interest or in conservation areas.
- Provide advice in respect of the historic built environment in response to statutory consultations.
- Provide information on the historic built environment of Cheshire through the Historic Environment Record.
- Identify the need for building recording as a result of development proposals.
- Provide written specifications for building recording.
- Provide a list of building recording contractors and consultants
- Monitor building recording and assess completed reports.
If you require further information, please contact Marie Farrow, Historic Conservation Officer (Buildings) on 01244 973160.
|