Codicote Neighbourhood Plan 2024 - 2031 Submission

9 Heritage Assets Policies Comment

9.1 Heritage Assets Objectives

9.1.1 The objectives relevant to this section are:

Objective 17 To protect the historic environment, including the conservation area, by avoiding, minimising and mitigating the impact of development.

Objective 18. To identify, reveal and enhance the significance of heritage assets and their settings.

9.1.2 All heritage assets designated or non-designated must be protected with harm to significance weighed against public benefit. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 gives designated parks and gardens the same protection in planning as listed buildings. Locally listed gardens are similarly protected as locally listed buildings.

9.2 Designated Heritage Assets

9.2.1 The NPPF paragraph 196 advises that plans should set a positive strategy for the conservation of the historic environment and take account of, among other things, the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets. Paragraph 198 also recognises that there are likely to be unidentified heritage assets which will be discovered in the future.

9.2.2 NHLP contains policies SP13: Historic Environment sets out the strategic position, District-wide, whilst HE1: Designated Heritage Assets require a Heritage Statement for any planning applications for Designated Heritage Assets and a criteria for judging planning applications.

9.2.3 There are two Grade II* listed buildings in the parish; the Parish Church of St Giles and The Bury, both on Bury Lane, and a small part of Knebworth Grade II* Historic Park and Garden. Within Codicote Conservation Area there are 29 Grade II listed buildings. A further 69 Grade II listed buildings lie outside the conservation area. A small part of Ayot House Grade II Historic Park and Garden also lies within the parish. The best reference information for designated heritage assets is the search page of Historic England's website.

9.2.4 Codicote Conservation Area covers the medieval centre of the village, extending northwards up the High Street, almost to Tower Road, and eastwards to include Heath Lane, but does not include The Chequers also on Heath Lane. In Codicote Conservation Area Character Statement (November 2019), the special character of the conservation area is defined by the predominant building materials. Most buildings are constructed of red brick or timber framed and clad in red brick, with and clay roof tiles. The conservation area is centred on the remains of the original village green in Heath Lane and the new village green at the junction of St Albans Road and High Street.

9.2.5 The Conservation Area Character Statement for Codicote identifies on-street and particularly pavement parking as a significant negative impact on the conservation area. Opportunities to address this issue will be sought by the Parish Council through the Project Plan (see Appendix E). Seven key views have been identified within the conservation area. Two of these views are incorporated into policy COD 17 Important Views.

9.2.6 Part of Old Knebworth Conservation Area also extends into Codicote Parish. Nup End, a tiny hamlet of less than a dozen houses separated from the settlement of Old Knebworth by a green wedge of fields and parkland, at the southern end of the conservation area which lies within Codicote parish. It contains 4 listed buildings clustered around a green. This part of the conservation area has a very rural character with hedgerows, overhanging trees and eccentric curves in the road.

9.2.7 Neighbourhood Plan Policy COD 21 mentions the specific documents that provide an assessment of the two conservation areas in the Neighbourhood Plan area, and which should be referred two when considering proposals that may affect assets within those conservation areas. It also goes beyond the scope of NHLP Policy HE1 in identifying the possibility of currently unidentified heritage assets or sites of historic or archaeological interest that may be discovered in the future.

9.3 Non-designated Heritage Assets

9.3.1 NHLP Policy HE3: Non-designated heritage assets and its supporting text is limited in its scope. There is no mention of Hertfordshire Gardens Trust and their work with illuminating the history of historic parks and gardens or the opportunity of identifying non-designated heritage assets in a Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with guidance from Historic England. In the interim before a review of NHLP includes this type of heritage asset and in recognition of their importance, Policy COD 21 highlights non-designated heritage assets identified by the community through the process of consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan. Node Park and its parkland has been suggested by Hertfordshire Gardens Trust (HGT) as a possible future Non-designated Heritage Asset. Further research will be carried out by HGT. Some original features in the gardens at Node Park remain well preserved.

9.3.2 In addition to Historic Parks and Gardens, non-designated heritage assets in Codicote include buildings, features, structures and enclosures. The list of assets in Policy COD21 are those specifically identified by the community. Reference should also be made to the Codicote Conservation Area Character Statement which mentions Non-designated Heritage Assets in paragraph 3.2. These are recommended for inclusion in a North Hertfordshire Register of Buildings of Local Interest as making a positive contribution to the character or appearance of Codicote Conservation Area. Apart from The Bell Hotel (which has now been converted to a private house), each of these buildings are private homes. This list is complementary to the Non-designated Heritage Assets identified in the Neighbourhood Plan.

9.3.3 Two orchards are also included in the list of Non-designated Heritage Assets; the community orchard on Bury Lane and the remains of a traditional Perry orchard on Rabley Heath Lane. Each of the identified Non-designated heritage assets is detailed in Appendix O– Non-designated Heritage Assets.

9.3.4 There is also a rich archaeological heritage in Codicote, with Hertfordshire Sites and Monuments Report for Codicote containing 90 records. There are no Scheduled Monuments in the Neighbourhood Plan area, but there are potential sites of archaeological interest. A desk based assessment should be carried out in any areas where there is potential archaeological interest including below ground remains.