Historic environment assessments
A series of historic environment assessments (HEAs) have been produced by the County Council's Historic Environment Team for seven out of Staffordshire's eight Districts and Boroughs, plus the Cannock Chase National Landscape (formerly AONB)
Historic Environment Assessments give a summary of the area's history and highlight sensitive features. Each area is split into Historic Environment Character Zones (HECZs). The assessment also looks at how medium to large housing developments could affect the historic environment in each zone.
The method used for Historic Environment Assessments (HEAs) comes from work in southern England, where large housing developments were planned. These projects aimed to combine Historic Landscape Character (HLC) data with detailed site information from the Historic Environment Record (HER).
HEAs for Lichfield District, Stafford Borough, and Cannock Chase District were completed between February and October 2009. Appendix 1 in the final reports explains the scoring method used for each Historic Environment Character Zone (HECZ), based on a model from Essex County Council. The assessments for Lichfield and Stafford also include wider Historic Environment Character Areas (HECAs), which look at the overall landscape and its features across each district.
The scoring method was later updated to match the approach used for Staffordshire’s main towns in the Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) project. This updated method was then used for the remaining four Districts and Boroughs. Their Historic Environment Assessments (HEAs) were completed between August 2010 and August 2013.
A summary of this method is included in the final reports for South Staffordshire, Stafford Borough, and Staffordshire Moorlands District.
Lichfield District HEA
- Lichfield District HEA Final Report and Appendix 1
- Lichfield District HEA Appendix 2 - HECA Overviews
- Lichfield District HEA Appendix 3 – Lichfield HECZs
- Lichfield District HEA Appendix 4 – Burntwood HECZs
- Lichfield District HEA Appendix 5 – Tamworth Hinterland HECZs
The Lichfield District HEA covers the areas outlying some of the main towns within the District. The Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) has looked and the main urban cores of Alrewas and Lichfield in more detail. For summaries of the character and sensitivity of these areas please refer to the relevant EUS Reports.
Stafford Borough HEA
- Stafford Borough HEA - Eccleshall Environs Final Report
- Stafford Borough HEA - Gnosall Environs Final Report
- Stafford Borough HEA - Stafford Environs Final Report
- Stafford Borough HEA - Stone Environs Final Report
- Stafford Borough HEA - The Haywoods Environs Final Report
The Stafford Borough HEA covers the areas outlying some of the main towns within the District. The Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) has looked and the main urban cores of Eccleshall, Stafford (PDF, 22 MB) and Stone in more detail. For summaries of the character and sensitivity of these areas please refer to the relevant EUS Reports.
Cannock Chase District HEA
- Cannock Chase HEA - Final Report and Appendix 1
- Cannock Chase HEA - Appendix 2 - Cannock Area HECZs
- Cannock Chase HEA - Appendix 3 - Rugeley Area HECZs
- Cannock Chase HEA - Addendum 2017
The Cannock Chase District HEA covers the areas outlying the main towns of Rugeley and Cannock. The Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) has looked and the main urban cores of Cannock (PDF, 18.8 MB), Rugeley (PDF, 28 MB) in more detail. For summaries of the character and sensitivity of these areas please refer to the relevant EUS Reports
Staffordshire Moorlands HEA (August 2010)
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Final Report
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 1 – Alton HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 2 – Biddulph and Biddulph Moor HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 3 – Blythe Bridge, Forsbrook, Brown Edge and Endon HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 4 – Cheadle HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 5 – Cheddleton, Wetley and Werrington HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 6 – Ipstones and Kingsley HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 7 – Leek and Ladderedge HECZs
- Staffordshire Moorlands HEA - Appendix 8 – Upper Tean and Waterhouses HECZs
The Staffordshire Moorlands HEA covers the areas outlying the main towns of within the District. The Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) has looked and the main urban cores of Alton, Cheadle and Leek in more detail. For summaries of the character and sensitivity of these areas please refer to the relevant EUS Reports.
South Staffordshire HEA
- South Staffordshire HEA - Final Report
- South Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 1 – Brewood and Codsall
- South Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 2 – Coven, Essington and Featherstone
- South Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 3 – Great Wyrley and Huntington
- South Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 4 – Kinver and Pattingham
- South Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 5 – Penkridge and Perton
- South Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 6 – Swindon, Wombourne and Wheaton Aston
The South Staffordshire HEA covers the areas outlying the main towns of within the District. The Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) has looked and the main urban cores of Brewood, Kinver and Penkridge in more detail. For summaries of the character and sensitivity of these areas please refer to the relevant EUS Reports.
Tamworth Borough HEA
The HEA for Tamworth Borough was undertaken in parallel with an Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) for the town, with the results being included in a combined report.
East Staffordshire Borough HEA
- East Staffordshire HEA – Final Report
- East Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 1 – Barton, Burton and Rolleston
- East Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 2 – Rocester and Tutbury
- East Staffordshire HEA – Appendix 3 – Uttoxeter
The East Staffordshire Borough HEA covers the areas outlying the main towns within the Borough. The Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey (EUS) has looked at the main urban cores of Abbots Bromley, Burton, Rocester and Uttoxeter in more detail. For summaries of the character and sensitivity of these areas please refer to the relevant EUS Reports.
Cannock Chase AONB HEA
The Cannock Chase AONB Historic Environment Assessment (HEA) was carried out to find and understand heritage sites in the area and how they shape its historic character. It also highlights ways to protect and improve these sites and points out key issues that need more research. The HEA looks at how to improve the visitor experience through education and interpretation. The findings will help create a Historic Environment Management Plan (HEMP) for the AONB.
