The importance of the historic environment in Rochford District is clearly identified within the Core Strategy document, including reference to Priority 10 of the Local Area Agreement and the commissioning of a Historic Environment Characterisation Project as part of the evidence base. However, there is insufficient policy guidance in the document to demonstrate how the core strategy will promote consideration and enhancement of the historic environment or how the historic environment will be used to shape place. Whilst there is policy reference to historic buildings and conservation areas, there is no policy reference to Rochford's important historic landscape and archaeological deposits.

The Core Strategy should clearly identify how the valued historic environment of the District is to be protected. It is recommended that an additional section be added in Environmental Issues chapter of the Core Strategy, to read,

"Protection and Enhancement of the Historic Environment

We are committed to the protection, promotion and enhancement of the diverse historic landscape and extensive surviving archaeological deposits of the District. There is the potential to protect and enhance the historic environment assets and their surroundings both within development areas, and in the rural and coastal landscape.

The historic environment of Rochford District has developed through a history of human activity that spans over 450,000 years. Much of the resource lies hidden beneath the ground in the form of archaeological deposits. Other elements such as the historic landscape, the pattern of field, farms, woods and grazing marsh which characterise the District, are a highly visible record of millennia of agriculture, industry and commerce. Of particular significance are the coastal, island and estuarine areas where multi-period landscapes reflecting the exploitation of coastal and marshland resource survive. Rochford District contains five scheduled monuments; these range from a burial mound at Plumberrow to a Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun Battery dating to the Second World War The District also includes the important historic medieval market towns of Rochford and Rayleigh.

ENV ? Protection and Enhancement of the Historic Environment
We will work to preserve and enhance the Historic Environment resource through working with our partners and the planning process
We will ensure the appropriate recording of Historic Environment assets which cannot be physically preserved"