A Future for Rural Buildings – Farmstead Assessment Guidance

Jeremy LakeEnglish Heritage

Where were we?• Very poor evidence base• 1993 Policy statement• Presumption against residential conversion• Reflected in a significant number of local plans• No evaluation of the policy

Where we wanted to be• An updated policy framework which:• Is evidence-based • Is founded on an evaluation of previous policy • Recognises the reality of modern agriculture• Is more responsive to regional and local variation –

works with and from the landscape context

The forces for change

5% of farms already produce 80% of output, and further decline in number of businesses especially in upland areas

31% of listed farm buildings converted to other uses

80% of permissions granted for change to residential use

guidance reflects limited knowledge of the nature and character of historic farmsteads

uncertainty on the impact of proposals for reuse

imprecise targetting of resources

New policy promotes positive means of managing change which align an understanding of the characteristics of historic farmsteads

with their potential for and sensitivity to change

www.helm.org.uk/farmbuildings 

Extending the Evidence Base

Farmsteads Mapping, which rapidly identifies and describes the historic character of ALL farmsteads, and the extent to which they have changed since around 1900, in their landscape and settlement context.

Mapping Current Use and Context, which uses the results of Farmsteads Mapping to reveal the current social and economic role of farmsteads.

Photo Image Survey, which has used existing sources of photographic evidence to deepen understanding of the rates of dereliction and development amongst traditional farm buildings at the local authority and National Character Area level.

Change and Use in the West Midlands

• 88% of traditional farmsteads from around 1900 retaining some or all of their working buildings.

• A very low proportion (under 20%) of surviving traditional farmsteads are designated as national assets.

National Planning Policy Framework

• The NPPF identifies the need for local planning authorities to ‘provide up to date evidence about the historic environment in their area (paragraph 169) and prepare local planning guidance which uses historically-based landscape character assessment (paragraph 170). In supporting a prosperous rural economy ‘Planning policies should support economic growth in rural areas in order to create jobs and prosperity by taking a positive approach to sustainable new development’ (Paragraph 28). Means of promoting this through local and neighbourhood plans include the ‘conversion of existing buildings and well-designed new buildings’.

Tools: Demand for a product

• which is easy to use, amend and update;• is suited to a wide variety of applications;• helps identify key farmstead and building types in their

landscape context;• links local distinctiveness to the broader regional and

national picture• informs and guides decisions about the options for

sustainable reuse; • guides best practice, through flagging key design issues

and links to other more detailed guidance.

Planning Tools can be applied to different needs and circumstances

WHAT DO I HAVE?Farmstead Character Guidance, which allows users to understand the character and significance of farmsteads at a national and local level.

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS AND ISSUES?Assessment Frameworks, applicable to large areas, such as estates and local authorities, or to individual farmsteads for informing planning and land management decisions.

The key principles of the approach are based on understanding

• The character of farmsteads, which results from their historic development and function as whole sites, including any routeways and spaces within and around them, and how they are linked to the surrounding landscape and settlement.

• Their significance, a factor that can be of critical importance in determining planning applications.

• Their sensitivity to the different options for change, both now and in the future.

National and Area Guidance

CONSISTENT HEADINGS AND TERMS

Summary of Character, Significance and Issues

Historic Development

Landscape and Settlement

Farmstead and Building Types

Materials and Detail

pilot Defra website at: www.farmsteadstoolkit.co.uk

Local Guidance - Farmstead and Landscapes Statements

Assessment - Cavendish Estates Pilot Study for Land Management

Assessing Options and their Impact

• Collapse• Holding Repair• Convert• Restore

Area and Site Assessment

Site Assessment

Case study

Historic Farmsteads: New Uses

General Design Issues• Setting• Daylight• Subdivision• Retaining features• Incorporating

services and adding insulation

Prevailing weather

Potential for additional landscaping

Lost or derelict heritage assets

‘Pursuing sustainable development involves seeking positive improvements in the quality of the built, natural and historic environment... including….

replacing poor design with better design..’ (para 9)

Use an understanding of the plan form of the farmstead, and how it has changed, to inform the siting of new buildings that are sensitive to and enhance the historic

character of the site.

Hazelden

Hazelden