WHAT IS A HERITAGE ASSET?

  PROTECTING HERITAGE ASSETS IS A PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL FUNCTION INVOLVING CONSERVATIONISTS AND ENFORCEMENT AGAINST OFFENDERS

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HARRIET SAYS - Pardon me for asking, but our herd were wondering why the most important evidence of the transition to the modern age of electricity, seems to have been deliberately avoided by conservationists working at, or for, Wealden District Council. It must have slipped their minds. Silly sausages. Note: that is porcine, not bovine thinking. Civil servants have a tendency to bovine practices, in being absent minded when it suits them. And a duty to the wallet, not the historic built environment. Especially when caught with their hand in the till, doing favours for chums. With no need to be in offices, as Covid 19 has shown us, why not replace the civil servants with computer programs. Similarly, there are no doctors (GPs) at local practices. They take their laptops with them to the south of France, or the Bahamas, and the taxpayer pays them while they soak up the sun. Absent, without leave: AWOL. All the while the Accident & Emergency departments in hospitals try to take up the slack. You will be advised to dial 111. Why not seek a rebate on your National Health Insurance contributions instead - and get a real doctor to attend for cash.

According to Wealden District Council their geographical area has a rich heritage which is an important asset to be safeguarded and enhanced and is evident in its historic towns and villages; and within the historic rural landscape which stretches from the Kent border in the north, to Pevensey Bay in the south.

The Government’s objective is that the historic environment should be conserved and enjoyed for the quality of life it brings to this and future generations.

The Government has defined the historic environment as:

‘All aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time, including surviving physical remains of past human activity, whether visible, buried or submerged, and landscaped and planted or managed flora.'

A snapshot of the heritage that can be found within Wealden includes:

- Evidence for human settlement and activity from Prehistoric through to Post Medieval Periods.

- Over 2000 Listed Buildings

- 20 Historic Parks and Gardens

- 104 Scheduled Monuments

- 33 designated Conservation Areas (not including the South Downs National Park Authority area)

- Non-designated and locally designated heritage assets

- Areas of archaeological potential and interest, many identified as Archaeological Notification Areas (ANAs)

- Industrial, economic and agricultural uses and impacts

- Trading

- Transport

- Military History

- Influence of famous people and notable local figures throughout history

- High Weald designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to the north

- Low Weald non-designated landscape area to the southeast

- Pevensey Levels Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) to the south

- Large number of historic settlements.

For more details information on the rich heritage in Wealden, a brief timeline of historic settlement and activity in Wealden has been compiled.

WHAT IS A HERITAGE ASSET?

A Heritage Asset is a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest.

These Heritage pages provide information on Heritage Assets in the Wealden District, which include:

- listed buildings

- conservation areas

- scheduled monuments and areas of archaeological potential and interest (not Herstmonceux Museum)

- unlisted buildings of historic interest (referred to as non-designated assets)

- historic parks and gardens

When an application affects a heritage asset, a heritage statement will be required.

Advice on works to listed buildings is also available and includes information within the Council’s heritage webpages and advice from Historic England.

Please note: Wealden District Council does not provide advice on Listed Buildings located within the South Downs National Park. Please refer to the South Downs National Park website for further advice and information.

Wealden District Council has two conservation officers. Their role is to provide advice to planning officers as an internal consultee on matters relating to the Historic Environment, on a without prejudice basis, on proposals relating to listed buildings and works to buildings and structures in conservation areas.

The conservation officers are also responsible for preparing the Conservation Area Character Appraisal documents and management plan for the 33 Conservation Areas in the District.

You can use Wealden's online mapping system to find out if you are in a Conservation Area. 

WHEN IS A HERITAGE STATEMENT REQUIRED?

THE ONLY ONE LEFT - This unassuming building is believed to be the earliest surviving example of electricity generating and load leveling on the planet. In the world of industrial archaeology, this is a gem. All the more intriguing for being nestled out of the way in the country. Notably not understood for it's importance by local politicians and even some immediate neighbors. Some of which had in the past wanted to purchase it, simply to knock it down. Sadly, with the local authority aiding and abetting such ambition. We hope those days are gone for good. But the fact remains, that the building still has no reasonable or beneficial use. Despite a Court Order from 2003/4, where Wealden DC agreed to rectify that malady. Progress was made up to 2008, then all cooperation ceased. It has been 14 years, and once again we are waiting for answers to correspondence, as to what the council intend doing to remedy their maladministration.

REFERENCE

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/heritage/heritage-statements/
https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/heritage/

2022 - Herstmonceux in Sussex is not what it used to be. Villagers are being forced to rent in towns, rather than being able to live where they were brought up - at reasonable prices. In modern England, councils are operating against the interests of young families. Rents for new builds in Herstmonceux are exorbitant. The rich get richer and the poor, poorer.

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