Presentation from Adam Mindykowski. RTPI West Midlands CPD event - 15/05/13

1. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Green Infrastructure:
Exploring Multi-functional
Opportunities for Heritage
Assets and Landscapes
Adam Mindykowski
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service

2. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
“Green infrastructure is the
physical environment within
and between our cities, towns
and villages. It is a network of
multi-functional open spaces,
including formal parks,
gardens, woodlands, green
corridors, waterways, street
trees and open countryside. It
comprises all environmental
resources, and thus a green
infrastructure approach also
contributes towards sustainable
resource management.”
www.greeninfrastructure.eu
"Green Infrastructure is the
network of green spaces and
natural elements that
intersperse and connect our
cities, towns and villages. It is
the open spaces, waterways,
gardens, woodlands, green
corridors, wildlife habitats,
street trees, natural heritage
and open countryside.”
The West Midlands Green
Infrastructure Prospectus (2003)
Does the historic environment have a place in Green
Infrastructure planning?
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3. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
3Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
ENVIRONMENT
Landscape
Character
Historic Landscape
Character
Urban
Character

4. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
www.greeninfrastructurenw.co.uk/
Green Infrastructure North West: benefits and value of GI
• As a setting for economic growth and investment, improving regional image
and a local sense of place
• Increased property and land values
• Attracts and retains people ensuring stable populations and labour supply
• A focus for social inclusion, education, training, health and well-being
• Landscape character and local distinctiveness, grounded in the principles of
Landscape Character Assessment
• A framework for natural systems and functions that are ecologically
fundamental to species and habitat viability, healthy soils, water and air
• Reverses habitat fragmentation and increases biodiversity to restore
functioning ecosystems and provide the fabric for sustainable living
• Safeguard and enhance natural and historic assets
• Contact between people and nature
• Cohesive partnership working across disciplines and sectors
• As a setting for economic growth and investment, improving regional image
and a local sense of place
• Increased property and land values
• Attracts and retains people ensuring stable populations and labour supply
• A focus for social inclusion, education, training, health and well-being
• Landscape character and local distinctiveness, grounded in the principles of
Landscape Character Assessment (should also include HLC)
• A framework for natural systems and functions that are ecologically
fundamental to species and habitat viability, healthy soils, water and air
• Reverses habitat fragmentation and increases biodiversity to restore
functioning ecosystems and provide the fabric for sustainable living
• Safeguard and enhance natural and historic assets
• Contact between people and nature
• Cohesive partnership working across disciplines and sectors
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5. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
In what ways can the Historic Environment contribute towards and benefit
from multi-functional objectives in Green Infrastructure planning?
Contributions
• Historic hedgerows: landscape;
habitat network
• Designed landscapes or parts of:
open space provision; locally
distinctive amenity; habitat
• Ancient Semi-Natural Woodlands:
amenity; habitat; flood attenuation
• Ponds and designed
watercourses: habitat networks;
sustainable drainage
• Holloways “green lanes”: green
access network; wildlife corridors
Benefits
• Buffers around assets: setting
• Protection of wet sites, rivers; canals;
ponds and wetlands:
palaeoenvironmental deposits; organic
structures and artefacts
• Protection of woodlands; hedgerows
(replanting): HLC; woodland
archaeology
• Protection of designed landscapes:
HLC; related assets
• Open space; amenity provision:
located to conserve below ground
archaeology or managed earthworks
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6. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Worcestershire GI: our vision
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Worcestershire's high quality natural and
historic environment will perform a multi-
functional role. It will enable sustainable
growth of the green economy, improve the
community's experience of natural and historic
places, deliver benefits to health and well-
being and under-pin the county's resilience to
climate change.
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service

7. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Worcestershire GI Partnership
Steering Group
Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (chair – David Dench)
Worcestershire County Council (secretariat)
Natural England
Partners
Bromsgrove District Council, English Heritage, Environment Agency, Forestry
Commission, Malvern Hills District Council, Natural Englan, NHS
Redditch Borough Council, Sustrans , Woodland Trust, Worcester City Council,
Worcestershire Biological Records Centre, Wychavon District Council
Wyre Forest District Council
Task and Finish Groups
Data and
Networks
Costing and
Delivery
Economy and
Society
Communications
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service 7

8. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
The approach
Hierarchy from sub-region,
district down to local level
8Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
Strategic Level - Sub regional
approach that identifies a series of
broad Environmental Character
Areas with defined objectives.
District Level - Further
analysis is still required
but it is envisaged that
this will identify a
network of corridors
and hubs at a district
level that link across
the sub region.
Site Based -
Concept plans
developed to
provide a set of
guiding principles
to inform detailed
master planning.
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service 8

9. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
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HEA
Historic Environment Assessment
HLC
Historic Landscape
Characterisation
HER
Historic
Environment
Record
HBW
Historic
Buildings of
Worcestershire
HFC
Historic Farmsteads
Characterisation
VHERA
Villages Historic
Environment
Resource
Assessment
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Fieldwork
Data and grey
literature
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Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
The Historic Environment evidence base in Worcestershire

10. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
The definition of Historic
Environment Character Zones
created from the combination of
key HE and landscape
GIS data in 2009-10 (pre-HLC)
• Historic Environment Record assets (non-
designated)
• Designated historic assets
• Landscape Character Assessment (LDU)
• Selected environmental themes (e.g.
ASNW)
• Historic Farmsteads Stage One data
10Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
Strategic GI: the Historic Environment Assessment

11. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
Strategic Environmental Character Areas
• combined environmental character:
underpins multi-functionality
• strategic GI corridors
• Headline opportunities and
constraints
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12. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Analysis of the Evidence Base
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Environment
al
Character
Areas
Socio-
economic
context
Health
Econom
y
Blue Infra
and Flooding
Climate
change
GI Assets
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service

13. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Assessing HE for district level GI
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
HEA sensitivity map:
Bromsgrove District Council and
Redditch Borough Council
HEA: assessing broad sensitivity
and informing policy
HLC: underpinning site
assessments
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14. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
A key objective for GI provision within site masterplanning should be the development of
opportunities to conserve HE features and landscapes; promote their contribution towards defining
local identity and setting and their contribution to multi-functional benefits.
GI and HE networks GI and HE open space/green
space
GI and HE water features
hedgerows orchards ponds
green lanes designed landscape water filled quarries and clay
pits
canals permanent pasture with
earthworks
canals; leats; natural
watercourses (often modified
or associated with assets)
disused railway lines land with significant below
ground archaeology
Wetlands: marsh, small bogs
linking views to and from
assets: intra- and extra-
site
ancient woodlands or
distinctive plantations
moated sites
access: historic routes;
links to assets and
landscapes beyond the
site
setting of assets including
historic structures; buildings
and farmsteads
Historic water management
features and landscapes
(SUDS?)
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
Local site-based GI: concept plans and statements
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15. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
HECZ148e Historic wooded
landscape setting
around parkland
Medium Development will potentially
impact on historic woodlands
and historic hedgerows that
act as linkages, and the setting
of Hewell Grange
Historic field pattern / ancient woodlands
Setting for historic parkland
Establishing broad objectives
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16. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Key HE Green Infrastructure opportunities for Brockhill, Worcestershire:
Allocation of open space / recreation where this might afford protection to high value /
sensitive below ground archaeology
Provision of interpretation to promote historic environment and land-use history
Conservation, restoration and replanting of historic hedgerows and relic parkland to
strengthen Historic Landscape Character, which will also provide habitat links through the
landscape / between ASN woodlands
Creation of access and enhancement of existing Public Rights of Way network to provide
links to historic environment sites and distinctive landscapes beyond the development
site boundaries
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17. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
No GI Feature Functions
1 Northern Boundary 1. Stream corridor and water
management
2. Biodiversity
3. Informal path network
4. Connectivity with the wider
countryside
2 Roman Road Corridor 1. Water management and SUDS
2. Historic environment
3. Biodiversity
4. Access
5. Informal recreation
3 Southern Boundary 1. Landscape links to the wider
countryside
2. Biodiversity
3. Informal path network
4 River Severn Corridor 1. Access
2. Landscape connectivity with the
river corridor
3. Biodiversity
5 Significant Gap 1. Retain and enhance biodiversity
2. Retain landscape features
3. Informal access and recreation
6 Central Corridor 1. Retain settings for historic buildings
2. Views through the site
3. Retain existing biodiversity
4. Natural environment connectivity
5. Access
7 Southern Stream Corridor 1. Stream corridor and water
management
2. Informal path network
3. Connectivity
4. Biodiversity
Historic Environment
Restore and utilise historic hedgerows to promote a sense of historic landscape character
and promote multi-functional benefits.
Protect the setting of, and visual links, between historic farmsteads.
Protect archaeology associated with the route of the Roman road. Promote the route of
the Roman road as an historic access to Worcester as part of the site sustainable
transport network.
Explore opportunities to locate open space where this can afford protection to earthworks
and significant below ground archaeology identified during survey and/or evaluation.
Protect well-preserved areas of medieval ridge and furrow, particularly in the eastern and
south-eastern part of the site.
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service
Detailed Green Infrastructure site
concept plans
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18. www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Identification of
opportunities
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Types of project
New development such as housing and economic development
Land management initiatives such as agri-environment and woodland grant schemes
Minerals extraction and restoration
Infrastructure developments such as renewable energy and water
Funding
and
viability
Priorities and delivery
Community Land Trusts
Delivering sustainable GI
Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service