BASE HEADER

Thank you for consulting English Heritage on the suggested additional six strategic sites.
Before any commitment to any strategic site is made there is an expectation that a thorough strategic environmental assessment/sustainability appraisal will have been undertaken and that evidence would have been gathered and applied to demonstrate the relative suitability, capacity, deliverability and consistency with matters such as regional (RSS QE 1, 5 and 6) and national planning policy has been determined. At present whether or not this has occurred is unclear. In this respect we refer you to our previous correspondence of 25 September 2009, our specific comments relating to the evidence base and also to the recently published PPS5 and its associated good practice guide.

Please note that English Heritage considers that this apparent shortcoming is fundamental to the soundness of the Core Strategy.

In addition to this generic maxim please find an initial observation on each site based, unfortunately, on a rather crude desk top consideration.

Site 6 - Land at Baginton
This substantial area of proposed development includes designated and undesignated historic assets of great significance. Before any principle is established a specific historic environment assessment must be undertaken to fully understand the landscapes special historic interest, the locations of particular historic significance and sensitivity and the areas subsequent capacity to accommodate change and where this might take place and what form it might take.

It is important to understand the value of the historic landscape as a whole, its setting and integrity and not just the individual cultural highlights.