Just out of interest,
I had an email today with a link to this
https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/training-skills/onlinetraining/
i've not been through them so can't really comment, but I thought the aerial photography interpretation might be interesting. And at least reading about what they consider to be the Heritage Values (for once, someone else's slightly inappropriate looking capital letters, not mine) might be enlightening.
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Rhiannon wrote:
Just out of interest,
I had an email today with a link to this
https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/training-skills/onlinetraining/
Normally I would think that looks interesting but having had recent contact with Historic England I don't rate them much. A local issue concerning the beleaguered town Wiltshire town of Swindon - ruined by too many housing developments and retail parks with its consequent dependence on cars. There is one little bit of it left in the Old Town, a place called The Lawns which is the site of the first human settlement in the area dating back into prehistory. Its the closet thing to a sacred space that Swindon has being on a hilltop with iron springs flowing into nearby lakes. The chancel of Swindon's first church, Holy Rood, still stands there - said to be built on an ancient burial ground. It is a peaceful tranquil place. Developers want to steal it from the people of Swindon for a 80 place car park to service a proposed new development in Old Town. I have written to English Heritage who passed me on to Historic England as they are responsible for the church. Here is the reply:I had an email today with a link to this
https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/training-skills/onlinetraining/
Historic England is a statutory advisor on planning and listed building applications and we are only able to comment on proposals that fall within our charter. This includes developments which affect grade I and II* listed buildings, scheduled ancient monuments, grade I and II* registered parks and gardens, conservation areas where the development site is over 1,000 sq.m, and significant structural alterations to grade II listed buildings.
I have examined the area around the old Holy Rood Church and there does not appear to be any assets which fall within our remit within 500m of the church (the parklands and the nearby listed buildings are all Grade II). Unfortunately as a result we are not able to comment on the proposals
In other words fuck off. But I'm not going to.
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/14379237.Could_part_of_Lawns__gardens_become_80_space_car_park_/