Lake District Historic Environment Strategy Draft Outline

Lake District

Historic Environment

Strategy

JUNE 2007LAKE DISTRICT HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT STRATEGY 2007

Introduction

1.Definition of Historic Environment

2.Requirement for Lake District Historic Environment Strategy

3.Aim for the Historic Environment

Section A: Policy, Partnership and Resources

4.Policy Framework

5. Resourcing

Section B: Information, Research and Survey

6.Information on the historic environment

7. Survey and Research

Section C: Conservation

8.Principles of Conservation

9.Statutory Protection

10.Prioritising conservation resources

11.Development control and land management consultations

Section D: Interpretation and outreach

12.Interpretation and outreach

APPENDICES

1.National Park statutory purposes and relevant Lake District National Park Management plan policies

2.The Legal Framework

3.Joint Statement on the Historic Environment in the National Parks (NPAs and National Agencies)

4.The Conduct of Archaeological Work and Historic Building Recording in the Lake DistrictNational Park

5.The Lake District Historic Environment Advisory Group

INTRODUCTION

1. DEFINITION OF HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT

1.1The term ‘Historic Environment’ describes a wide range of features that combine to form three of the special qualities of the Lake District identified in the National Park Management Plan. It includes archaeological sites, historic buildings and settlements and historic elements of the landscape.

Archaeology

1.2The Lake District has a rich archaeological heritage that ranges in date from prehistory to the recent past. Significant remains include Neolithic stone circles and axe factories, Bronze Age settlements and burial cairns, Roman forts and roads, medieval abbeys and post medieval industrial sites. Many of these archaeological features are visible in the landscape but others are hidden under peat or pasture. Palaeoenvironmental deposits such as peat or lake sediments are also important for what they can tell us about past environments.

Historic Buildings and Settlements

1.3 Historic buildings in the Lake District are a crucial element of the landscape. The construction of farmhouses and barns reflects both the varied geology of the area and the functional requirements of farming practices that have developed here. Other important historic buildings include industrial structures and the villas and large houses of wealthy inhabitants from the 18th century and later.

1.4 The villages and the towns of the Lake District also have a rich historic character often rooted in medieval patterns of settlement. Industrial development and the rise of the tourist industry from the 19th century have also left their marks.

Landscape

1.5 The special character of the Lake District landscape is the result of thousands of years of human modification of fells, valleys and woodland. The last 1000 years have had the greatest influence, including development of the distinctive stonewalled field systems and the effects of industries such as mining and quarrying.

Designed landscape

1.6 Some parts of the Lake District landscape have been modified to form parks and gardens around villas and large houses. The first examples resulted from the development of the Picturesque movement and 18th century views on landscape. Later formal landscapes date from the Romantic period and the early 20th century.

2. Requirement for a Lake District Historic Environment Strategy

National Park Management Plan

2.1 The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) publishes a National Park Management Plan every five years. This is a strategic plan for managing the special qualities of the National Park and contains the policies that the LDNPA and its partners will follow in order to do this. It also contains an action plan for implementing those policies.

2.2 The current National Park Management Plan was published in 2004 and identifies 12 special qualities of the Lake District that require both protection and promotion of opportunities for enjoyment. These include:

• Rich Archaeology
• Distinctive Settlement Character
• Celebrated Social and Cultural Roots

2.3 The National Park Management Plan contains a commitment for the LDNPA to produce a strategy for implementing the National Park Management Plan policies on the Historic Environment (action under Policy HE2 – National Park Management Plan Action Plan 2004). The Historic Environment Strategy forms part of the National Park Management Plan. It will provide more detail for the planning and implementation of historic environment work in the Lake District by the LDNPA and its partners. It will also include an action plan for the five-year period of the National Park Management Plan.

2.4 Conservation and enhancement of the historic environment is also achieved through implementation of policies for development. In the past relevant policies have been included in the Lake District Local Plan and the Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan. This framework is currently being replaced by the Regional Spatial Strategy and the Local Development Framework.

LDNPA Business Plan 2006 - 2009

2.5 The LDNPA’s Business Plan also identifies the requirement to produce a Lake District Historic Environment Strategy (c/f LDNPA Business Plan Priority Delivery Aim 7.3A)

Timespan for the Historic Environment Strategy

2.6 It is envisaged that the Lake District Historic Environment Strategy will run in parallel with the 5 year cycle of the National Park Management Plan. The Action Plan arising from the Strategy should link to the 3 year cycle of the Business Plan, with annual reviews. The current Strategy will therefore last for two years until the next review of the National Park Management Plan. The Business Plan will also be renewed after 2 years.

Lake DistrictNational Park Vision

2.7 In the winter of 2005-2006 the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) initiated a process that brought people and organisations together to agree a Vision for the Lake DistrictNational Park in 2030.

(see

The Vision for the Lake DistrictNational Park will underpin all the statutory plans and other plans that the LDNPA produces.

3. Aim for the Historic Environment

3.1 The historic environment is one of the key elements of the Lake District. The character of the landscape that we cherish has been shaped by human action over thousands of years. It is vital that we protect this special characteristic of the area for future generations. However the Lake District is not a museum and we must accept that change will occur. We must manage change in order to conserve the historic character of the area. The context for conservation of the landscape is provided in the Vision for the Lake District and policies and objectives are described in the Lake District National Park Management Plan (2004). This includes strategic policies for the historic environment. Policies dealing with development and the historic environment are included in the Regional Spatial Strategy and will be included in the Local Development Framework.

3.2 English Heritage and government vision and objectives for the historic environment are described in the two documents Power of Place (2000), the report which arose from the major review of policies relating to the historic environment led by English Heritage and The Historic Environment: A Force for Our Future (Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 2001).

Peat Hut on Boot Bank, Eskdale

SECTION A: POLICY, PARTNERSHIP AND RESOURCES

4. POLICY FRAMEWORK

4.1 The Lake District Historic Environment Strategy is designed to provide a strategic framework for all partner organisations’ historic environment work. It will have a key role in directing the historic environment work of the Lake District National Park Authority. The National Park Authority and partner organisations also have other policies and strategies that will have a bearing on the Historic Environment Strategy.

1

Lake District Historic Environment Strategy

5.RESOURCING

Partnership in Historic Environment work

5.1 The LDNPA has a key role in coordinating protection, management and interpretation of the Lake District’s historic environment. However, the Authority is unable to achieve its objectives for the historic environment without a close partnership working with other organisations. This is recognised formally through the establishment of the Lake District Historic Environment Advisory Group and development of the Lake District Historic Environment Strategy (see Appendix 5). In addition the National Park Authorities have signed a ‘Joint Statement On The Historic Environment In The National Parks Of England And Wales’ with English Heritage (see Appendix 3).

Sources of funding

5.2 The LDNPA and many of its partner organisations fund a range of historic environment work in the Lake District. Some funding is provided directly by partner organisations but external sources are increasingly important, particularly the Heritage Lottery Fund. Partnership approaches, particularly those involving the local community, can often improve the success of funding bids.

5.3 Some of the most significant funding in recent years has come through the agri-environment schemes. The Lake District Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme, funded by DEFRA, has provided substantial resources. Around 700 historic farm buildings have been repaired with ESA funding and with specialist advice from the LDNPA. It is anticipated that the new Environmental Stewardship scheme, which replaces the ESA from 2005, will continue to provide funding for the conservation of the historic environment. The LDNPA has committed substantial resources to providing information and advice for implementation of the Lake District ESA and anticipates similar involvement in the Environmental Stewardship scheme.

Funding for historic environment work

• Revenue funding for historic environment staff;
• Match funding for survey and conservation projects;
• Sustainable Development Fund;
• Important role of providing pump priming grants and support for external funding bids;
• Key partnership role with local communities and others;
• Funds for managing historic environment properties.

• Revenue funding for historic environment staff;
• Funding for management of historic environment properties;
• Funding for landscape and buildings recording.

• Revenue funding for historic environment staff;
• Grants for repairs to monuments, capacity building and project development.

• Funding through the ESA and Environmental Stewardship for protection and repair of historic environment features;

• Financial assistance to landowners for assessment and management of historic environment features in woodland;
• Funds for survey and conservation of historic environment features on Forestry Commission land.

• Funding for survey and conservation for historic environment features on United Utilities property.

• Grants for protection and conservation of historic environment features.

• Funds for large infrastructure projects such as LowtherCastle and Gardens.

• CWAAS provides small grants for research and publication;
• Other local groups provide funds for survey and conservation projects with which they are involved.

PRIORITY DELIVERY AIMS

• The LDNPA will work with partners to review the policy framework for the historic environment in strategic documents;
• The LDNPA and partners will agree priorities for partnership funding and external funding bids to be incorporated in partners’ business plans;
• Integration of economic regeneration and historic environment outputs in projects;
• Targeting and funding of historic environment priorities through Environmental Stewardship;
• Maintain level of HLF funding for Historic Environment;
• Develop the role of the Historic Environment Advisory Group and its link to the Lake DistrictNational Park Partnership;

KEY ACTIONS

SECTION B: INFORMATION, RESEARCH AND SURVEY

6. INFORMATION ON THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT

6.1 We must base management of the historic environment in the Lake District on an adequate level of knowledge and understanding. The key to this is the provision of specialist advice to developers and land managers by LDNPA historic environment staff, using information maintained in the Lake District Historic Environment Record (LDHER). Advice is also provided for National Trust properties by its own staff and English Heritage deals with sites with statutory designations.

The Lake District Historic Environment Record (LDHER)

6.2 The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) maintains the LDHER. This is the primary record for the historic environment in the Lake District(formally adopted by Policy and Overview Committee, August 2004). The LDHER comprises a computerised database and digital maps. It includes records for archaeological sites and finds, historic buildings and historic landscape features derived from a variety of sources. Information contained in the LDHER is a material consideration in the planning process and other statutory procedures (Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995; Hedgerow Regulations 1997). An HER Data Audit was carried out in 2005 with English Heritage funding and the results have been used to implement an improvement programme.

6.3 Accurate and up-to-date information on the condition of archaeological sites and historic buildings is crucial for their protection and conservation and for prioritising resources. This can be obtained through targeted condition surveys carried out by the LDNPA and partners. The LDNPA has made a start with the implementation in 2006 of the Lake District Monuments at Risk survey (LD MARS). This has initially targeted Scheduled Ancient Monuments. It will contribute to the State of the Park Report that is being prepared by the LDNPA and also to English Heritage’s Scheduled Monuments At Risk Report.

Other Historic Environment Records

6.4 Information on the historic environment in the Lake District is also held by other organisations. The National Trust maintains a Sites and Monuments Record for its properties in the Lake District, which is presently the definitive record for National Trust properties. Cumbria County Council maintains a Historic Environment Record for Cumbria outside the boundary of the Lake DistrictNational Park and English Heritage maintains the National Monuments Record. These records contain some information that is additional to that held in the LDHER.

Records of statutory designations

6.5 The LDHER also contains information on sites that are subject to national designations including ScheduledAncientMonuments, ListedBuildings, Conservation Areas and Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. English Heritage holds the definitive record for these. The LDHER contains the definitive record of Conservation Areas in the National Park.

Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC)

6.6 The LDNPA has implemented the Cumbria and Lake District Historic Landscape Characterisation Project in conjunction with Cumbria County Council and with financial assistance from English Heritage. This forms part of a national programme to identify and characterise the historic character of the Cumbrian landscape and to produce data that can be used for a variety of purposes, including managing landscape change and education. The results of this project will be incorporated in the LDHER.

PRIORITY DELIVERY AIMS

• Improve the structure of the Lake District Historic Environment Record to achieve nationally agreed standards (MIDAS 1998 – ;
• Enhance the information content of the LDHER through programmes of research and survey;

• Extend the LD MARS survey to sites and features without statutory protection;
• Develop a Buildings at Risk Register;
• A system of data exchange between historic environment records for the Lake District;

• Improved public access to the LDHER (see ‘Access to Archaeology’ project - Priority Delivery Aim 8.1A).

KEY ACTIONS