Re: Rochford Town Centre Area Action Plan: Issues and Options

Thank you for consulting the Historic Environment Branch regarding the Rochford Town Centre Action Plan. Whilst this document mentions the historic environment, this principally relates to the built environment with no reference to the significance, potential survival or impacts the proposals would have upon any surviving below ground archaeological deposits. It is essential that this document includes reference to these important deposits as they form an essential part of the history of Rochford town and help provide a sense of place to the settlement.

To ensure that the historic environment is appropriately considered within this document the following changes are recommended (in bold):

1.7 Thirdly, Rochford Town Centre is a designated Conservation Area (Policy BC1 of the Rochford District Replacement Local Plan) and has a strong historic character and a number of cultural and heritage assets that are important to preserve or manage. Thus any development that takes place will need to be extremely carefully managed.

1.9 The focus for the AAP is the defined town centre boundary as illustrated on the current Local Plan Proposals Map. The historic heart of Rochford Town Centre is the Market Square.........

1.10 The town centre includes a high number listed buildings, sites of significant archaeological potential and it has a high intrinsic value.

1.14 Alongside the regional and local planning policy documents, there are a number of other documents (Rochford Futures Study; Annual Monitoring Report; Urban Capacity Study; Employment Land Study; Conservation Area Appraisal; Retail and Leisure Study, Rochford Historic Town Assessment) and Rochford Historic Environment Characterisation Project, that explore the issues that Rochford is facing. These documents have fed into this Area Action Plan and are also summarised in Appendix A.
(Additions for Appendix A Rochford Historic Town Assessment: Comprises an archaeological and historical assessment of Rochford, It forms part of the Essex Historic Towns Survey which is an extensive urban survey as defined by English Heritage).

2.7 Table 2: Character

Rochford's Town Centre is defined by its historic character. The built form is of a fine grain and relatively small, intimate and human scale. It has a very high intrinsic quality. The Market Square is at the historic heart of the town and surrounded, in the main, by attractive buildings looking onto it. The town has developed about a medieval cruciform pattern of streets, which come together at Horners Corner to the east of the Market Square.


2.15 For the purposes of this study a thorough understanding of the historic environment character is essential to understand the area's special qualities and the reasons why it has been designated as a Conservation Area. A full understanding will ensure that any solution is derived from these special qualities thereby enhancing its local distinctiveness. All of Rochford Town Centre is a Conservation Area, designated in 1969 and later extended. In 2007 Rochford District Council produced a Conservation Area Appraisal, which sets out and explains the special characteristics of the area. It is accompanied by a Management Plan that sets out measures to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area. The key elements of these documents will need to be reflected in any solutions brought forward.

2.16 Generally the special character of Rochford Town Centre is comprised of the interrelationship of the following elements:

• A well preserved historic medieval market town centred on a cross roads and market place
• A collection of historic buildings of high architectural quality many of which are listed
• A characteristic medieval and post medieval street plan comprising axial roads, infilled market, Back Lane and irregular frontages all of which illustrate the settlements medieval origins and high potential for surviving archaeological deposits.

Figure 3: Heritage and Conservation
This should include the extent of the historic core as identified in the Rochford HEC and Historic Environment Record

2.42 Table3 - Summary of Issues for Consideration in Rochford Town Centre

Conservation and Heritage

• Rochford Town Centre is a Conservation Area with a picturesque historic core and a collection of buildings of high historic and architectural quality, some are listed

• Rochford has a fine grain of development with intimate spaces of human scale, good enclosure which should be respected in any new development

• Any developments in the town centre will need to respond to this context having regard to the detailed analysis carried out in the Conservation Area Appraisal

• Any developments within the town centre and its immediate hinterland will need to fully consider the cultural assets and the high potential for the survival of significant archaeological deposits and the requirements for appropriate preservation or mitigation.

The following provide additional information for the issues which should be added to the appropriate sections where that option will involve the redevelopment of that area.

Option A Issues

Any development option for Site A will need to consider the potential for extensive urban archaeological deposits surviving within the area of the Market Place, and the impacts the development will have upon this resource.

Option B Issues

The full or part pedestrianisation of the Market Square, Site B, will need to consider the potential for extensive urban archaeological deposits surviving within the area and the impacts development will have upon this resource.

Option C Issues

Any development option for Site C will need to consider the potential for peripheral urban and industrial archaeological deposits surviving on the fringe of post-medieval Rochford and the potential impacts the development will have upon this resource.

Option D Issues

Any development option for Site D will need to consider the potential for urban archaeological deposits surviving within Historic core of Rochford and the impacts the development will have upon this resource.

Option E Issues

Any development option for Site E will need to consider the potential for peripheral urban and industrial archaeological deposits surviving on the fringe of post-medieval Rochford and the potential impacts the development will have upon this resource.

Option F Issues

Any development option for Site F will need to consider the potential for archaeological deposits surviving on the fringe of post-medieval Rochford and the potential impacts development will have upon this resource.

Option G & H Issues

Any development option for Sites G & H will need to consider the potential for peripheral urban archaeological deposits surviving outside the present built area of Rochford and the potential impacts development will have upon this resource.

Options J Issues

Any development option for Site J will need to consider the potential for peripheral archaeological deposits surviving outside the Historic core of Rochford and the potential impacts development will have upon this resource.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.