Hockley Area Action Plan - Issues and Options

The present document (Issues and Options) makes no mention of cultural heritage/historic environment issues and impacts. The Rochford Historic Environment Characterisation (HEC) document commissioned by Rochford District Council provides an overall assessment of the District's historic environment including the study area, Hockley Town Centre, which is the focus of this consultation.

The HEC document was produced in order to provide planners with an overview of the historic environment for the LDF process and to be used at an early stage for identifying the possible choice of development sites, impact of potential development and the need for informed conservation, enhancement and mitigation. Within the Rochford HEC the relevant Historic Environment Character Zone (HECZ) is 30. The scoring table provided in the report and GIS project for each zone provides an assessment of seven specific criteria, diversity, survival, documentation, potential, group value association, sensitivity to change and amenity value.

The area outlined within the document is one which generally comprises a considerable concentration of pre and post war residential development, replacing dispersed pre-war plotland style settlements. Such extensive development may have impacted upon the survival or disturbed the archaeological resource, which within the modern settlement is limited to a series of Neolithic tools and two post-medieval brickwork sites. Additional Factors such as quarrying associated with brick-making and in particular the former Hockley Brickworks which comprises a significant area of the consultation site, will likely to have had a severe impact upon the archaeological deposits. Equally the low density of evidence may also reflect the lack of archaeological investigation rather than a complete absence of archaeological activity. The mid 19th century attempts to establish a spa at Hockley and the survival of the listed pump room also provide an interesting historic provenance to the area and built character to streetscape along Spa Road.

It is therefore important that the cultural heritage potential of the study area is taken into account at this early stage in order to ensure that opportunities for pro-active management and enhancement of the historic environment are considered at all stages of the development plan.

Thank you for consulting the historic Environment Management Team of Essex County Council on the Rochford Core Strategy Preferred Options.

The present document (Issues and Options) makes no mention of cultural heritage/historic environment issues and impacts. The Rochford Historic Environment Characterisation (HEC) document commissioned by Rochford District Council provides an overall assessment of the District's historic environment including the study area, Hockley Town Centre, which is the focus of this consultation.

The HEC document was produced in order to provide planners with an overview of the historic environment for the LDF process and to be used at an early stage for identifying the possible choice of development sites, impact of potential development and the need for informed conservation, enhancement and mitigation. Within the Rochford HEC the relevant Historic Environment Character Zone (HECZ) is 30. The scoring table provided in the report and GIS project for each zone provides an assessment of seven specific criteria, diversity, survival, documentation, potential, group value association, sensitivity to change and amenity value.

The area outlined within the document is one which generally comprises a considerable concentration of pre and post war residential development, replacing dispersed pre-war plotland style settlements. Such extensive development may have impacted upon the survival or disturbed the archaeological resource, which within the modern settlement is limited to a series of Neolithic tools and two post-medieval brickwork sites. Additional Factors such as quarrying associated with brick-making and in particular the former Hockley Brickworks which comprises a significant area of the consultation site, will likely to have had a severe impact upon the archaeological deposits. Equally the low density of evidence may also reflect the lack of archaeological investigation rather than a complete absence of archaeological activity. The mid 19th century attempts to establish a spa at Hockley and the survival of the listed pump room also provide an interesting historic provenance to the area and built character to streetscape along Spa Road.

It is therefore important that the cultural heritage potential of the study area is taken into account at this early stage in order to ensure that opportunities for pro-active management and enhancement of the historic environment are considered at all stages of the development plan.