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Context and character

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Context and assessment
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Home Planning Planning policy Design Code New homes Context and character (New homes)

Character types

Local character is derived from the interaction of many factors — built form, landscape, public spaces, history, nature, and cultural associations, and less tangible aspects like a sense of community. Understanding the physical, cultural and spiritual factors that shape place identity is a critical first step in the design of developments that preserve and enhance local character and make a positive contribution to placemaking.

Code

Heritage, design and access statements must refer to the Lake District National Park Landscape Character Assessment and identify the Landscape Character Type, Landscape Character Sub Type and Area of Distinctive Character in which the scheme is located. Once relevant character types and areas are determined, a review of the elements of character type can be carried out. The design of new development must be inspired by and respect landscape character as this will inform the location, layout and design of new development.

Use the Landscape Character Assessment to understand and inform your development proposal by considering:

Landscape Character Type
  • Definitive attributes
  • Physical character
  • Ecological character
  • Cultural and historical character
  • Development, settlement and building character
  • Current and future landscape changes and opportunities, particularly in relation to development
  • Guidelines for managing landscape change; and
  • Landscape Character Sub Type (if applicable).
Area of Distinctive Character
  • Distinctive characteristics
  • Local distinctiveness and sense of place
  • Landscape sensitivities
  • Forces for change; and
  • Guidelines for managing landscape change.
map to show Lake District National Park Landscape Character Areas. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2023.
Lake District National Park Landscape Character Areas. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2023.

A – Estuary and Marsh
B – Coastal Margins
C – Coastal Limestone
D – Lowland
E – Coastal Sandstone
F – Rugged/Craggy Volcanic High Fell
G – Rugged Angular Slate High Fell
H – Upland Valley
I – Upland Limestone Farmland
J – High Fell Fringe
K – Low Fell
L – Low Fell Fringe
M – Lowland Valley

The illustration below demonstrates how landscape character types may affect your development proposal:

Illustrative map to show landscape characters in the Lake District National Park.

The illustrative map above demonstrates how different landscape character types in the Lake District National Park may affect your development proposal. This includes:

Landscape Character Type: Upland Valley

Sub-type: Valley with River Floodplain

Landscape Character Type: Upland Valley

Sub-type: Enclosed Valley Side

Landscape Character Type: Rugged / Craggy Volcanic, High Fell

Sub-type: Upland Tarns

Site context and assessments

Designations

Applicants need to understand the purpose of designations and refer to relevant national and local policies to ensure developments protect the integrity of these sites.

Code

The heritage, design and access statement must identity whether the proposal falls within, or within the setting of, any other landscape, ecological, cultural and historic sites or designations.

These designations can be seen on our website’s interactive policies map. Applicants can also access interactive mapping through Defra’s Magic website. It is good practice to include a Context Study and Site Assessment as part of the heritage, design and access statement. An example is provided in the site context illustration. The supporting information may help you prepare evidence to support the context study and site assessment.

A Context Study and site assessment should include (as appropriate to the site and development):

map to show site context on a lake district national park site

The example illustration above shows what may be included in a Context Study and site assessment. This includes:

Context Study:

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest
  • Open Access Land
  • Ancient Woodland
  • Public open space
  • Conservation Area
  • Building line
  • Public Right of Way
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Locally important view
  • Primary school
  • Church / landmark
  • Shop / local centre
  • Public house
  • Listed Building

Site assessment:

  • Site boundary
  • Tree Preservation Order
  • Existing tree
  • Existing pond
  • Existing hedgerow
  • Existing access
  • Sun path

Landscape Character:

  • Landscape Character Type: Upland Valley
    • Sub-type: Valley with River Floodplain
  • Landscape Character Type: Upland Valley
    • Sub-type: Enclosed Valley Side
  • Landscape Character Type: Rugged / Craggy Volcanic, High Fell
    • Sub-type: Upland Tarns
slate barn roof emerging from lush green vegetation in the valley bottom of surrounding fells
The meeting of two landscape character types, 'Upland Valley' and 'Rugged / Craggy Volcanic High Fell', at Hartsop, located within the Ullswater Valley. Hartsop is situated at the interface of three landscape character sub-types, 'Enclosed Valley Side', 'Valley with River Floodpain', and 'Valley with Lake'. Hartsop also falls within the 'Brother's Water and Hartsop' area of distinctive character.
row of semi detaches houses with mown grass and benches between the houses and low tide sea front
The coastal village of Ravenglass is located within the 'High Fell Fringe' landscape character type. The village overlooks the 'Estuary and Marsh' landscape character type, which also falls under the 'Intertidal Flats' landscape character sub-type. The village also falls within the 'Ravenglass and Bootle' area of distinctive character.
green fields intersected by dry stone wall, hedgerows and small patches of woodland. low fells in background
A mixture of drystone walls, copses and hedgerows bound pastoral fields to the south of Coniston.
square of single lane tarmac roads with large leafless tree in centre. slate villages houses to the left
Mature trees help to integrate the street with the surrounding landscape. Varied building lines, front gardens, boundary treatments, street form and green infrastructure help to create a more diverse and interesting streetscape.
single lane street going between white limewash village houses. clear blue sky day
A varied and irregular building line, Hawkshead.
weir running next to houses and small trees. clear slight sunset sky
Relationship of new and existing development with the River Kent in Staveley.
two lane road in front of green field and low fell, bound by a wooden fence, direction sign posts, bus stop and lamppost
Existing public transport connections along the B5289 in Borrowdale.
field intersected by dry stone wall and metal fence next to church and church and church yard. Behind a wooden fence are white houses in a village. snow capped fells in distance
The elevated position of St Michael and All Angels Church creates a distinctive local landmark in views across the nucleated village of Hawkshead.
grass field, dry stone wall, tall pine tree, patch of woodland and cluster of rural houses in front of a snow capped fell
Snow-topped fells create a distinctive backdrop to new development in Grasmere, helping to nestle new built form into the surrounding landscape.
dry stone wall with wild green grass fields behind extending into distance. clear blue sky
Out on the coastal plain, built form is located on flat and low-lying topography. Vast skies form a backdrop in views towards houses and contributes towards a great sense of openness.
three different rural houses nestled at bottom of rocky fell between a green grass field and drystone wall. bright sunny day
Surrounding fells create a backdrop in views towards houses. The sheer scale of this topography offers a contrast to the scale of built form and creates an abundance of vertical elements in views, creating a sense of enclosure when experienced from the valley floor.
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Townscape assessment

A townscape assessment can also help inform the site context. The numbers on the townscape assessment illustration correspond with the images below.

map to show an example townscape assessment, with numbers relating to the images below

large two storey slate house and white house at the top of a single track lane lined by dry stone walls. distant fells and and trees on a clear evening
1. The lane has soft verges and is well-enclosed by buildings and drystone walls. The siting of the buildings gives an informal character.
vehicle track surrounded by a two storey cream limewash house, a well kept slate farm house and a tidy low slate barn. snow capped fells in backdrop
2. The lane widens out and is enclosed by buildings set at different angles.
single lane entrance to a semi-detached stone house and white house. lane lined by drystone walls and a large tree, with a white car parked
3. A street tree provides a landmark, and the street space continues to be well enclosed, reducing traffic speeds.
narrow lane with dry stone walls either side, a light blue wooden fence, bushes and trees, lit by yellow sunlight
4. Boundaries and vegetation occupy the break in the building line.
a single vehicle lane with dry stone walls and shrubs to the left and semi-detached slate and white houses to the right
5. The different building angles, heights, materials, orientations and designs of buildings give an organic character.
single vehicle lane in village with white two storey houses either side of the lane. distant fells in backdrop lit by warm sunlight
6. The tight enclosure of the lane naturally slows traffic speeds and makes the view more interesting.
single lane track in village with a mossy dry stone wall and vegetation to left and fenced large white house to right. fells in distance
7. The character changes to a more regular line of detached houses but the street retains stone boundaries and a soft verge.
single lane track in village with a dry stone wall and large white house to the right and brown and green vegetation to the left. distant fells in backdrop
8. The linear character of the space continues, and informal parking space provide flexibility.
single lane in rural village with large detached white houses to the left behind dry stone walls and vegetation to the right. distant fells in backdrop
9. The house type changes to mainly semi-detached houses. The density has increased, but the lane still has a linear and informal character.
row of attached and semi-detached two storey slate houses down a lane in a village at the foot of a fell
10. The house type changes to mainly semi-detached houses. The density has increased, but the lane still has a linear and informal character.
single lane track lined with dry stone walls running through fields, with low fell in front
11. Passing the last house, the rural lane character immediately resumes.
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Historic assessment

Code

The applicant must consider how the proposal fits into the existing historic landscape setting. This will include not only consideration of visual intrusion and impacts but also any effects of contextual relationships, such as the link between a village and its medieval field system.

The heritage, design and access statement should include a historic character assessment that clearly demonstrates how the proposal responds to the existing neighbourhood and wider natural and cultural landscape of the area. The degree of detail and complexity of this will be proportionate to the size of the development and sensitivity of the site.

At the end of the process the applicant will be able to demonstrate how their proposal actively responds to the distinctive character and identity of an area and has been influenced by local building materials, scale and form, vernacular traditions and settlement pattern.

If the site is in an area covered by a Neighbourhood Plan or Conservation Area Management Plan in place, the proposed development should respond to any relevant design considerations provided in these documents. See Understanding Place: Historic Area Assessments (2017) (PDF) for further guidance

The example Historic Character Assessment illustration shows what a typical assessment would include:

  • A discussion on location and landscape setting
  • Historic layout and street pattern – how the area has changed over time based on historic map analysis
  • Influence of local geology and topography e.g., agricultural practices, building material, settlement location
  • How the settlement relates to the surrounding countryside e.g., fields, back plots, access routes
  • Roads, railways and other communication routes
  • Built form and changes in architectural style over time
  • Existing and historic views and vistas, especially leading in or out of a settlement
  • Building materials and detailing
  • Open spaces, landscapes and trees
  • Public realm areas – including street furniture, lighting, boundary walls
  • Local landmarks
  • Intangible elements which contribute to the areas ‘sense of place’ like a noisy marketplace or serene churchyard

map to show an example historic assessment in the lake district national park

The example illustration above shows what may be included in a Historic Character Assessment. This includes:

  1. Extant Medieval field enclosure on the valley floor
  2. Open landscape with fewer divisionary boundaries on the fell sides

Historic Assessment:

  • Conservation Area
  • Building line
  • Public Right of Way
  • Church / landmark
  • Listed Building
  • Locally important view
  • Tree Preservation Order
  • Mature hedgerow
  • Dry stone wall

Heritage assets

Code

New development must consider potential impacts on heritage assets (both designated and non-designated). This should be conducted early in the development process to inform overall design and identify possible constraints.

The heritage, design and access statement must clearly demonstrate an understanding of the significance and setting of any heritage assets affected by the proposal. Potential impacts (both direct and indirect) on that significance must be reviewed.

The degree of detail and complexity of this assessment will depend on the size of the development and sensitivity of the site. However, it should be suitable to enable an informed planning decision and not be simply a list of sites and features.

The assessment must include:

  • Designated heritage assets: Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Registered Parks and Gardens, etc. (details can be found on the National Heritage List for England (opens new website), our Local Plan interactive map and the UNESCO World Heritage List (opens new website)).
  • Non-designated heritage assets – properties on the Local List, archaeological sites, boundaries, historic street furniture, milestones, etc. (details can be found on the Historic Environment Record (HER) (opens new website).
  • The potential for any heritage assets not yet recorded, included below ground archaeology
  • Discussion on how the development will affect the setting of a heritage asset must be included. This goes beyond a consideration of purely visual impacts to look at how change effects the way an asset is understood and experienced e.g., impact of increased traffic on the peace and quiet of a churchyard, or the design of a farm conversion on the agricultural identity of a farmstead or hamlet.

See our guidance on Heritage Assessment and Information Requirements (2018) (PDF) and Historic England’s Statements of Heritage Significance guidance (PDF) for further information.

More Design Code information for new homes

large modern white detached house with big glass windows surrounded by well kept grass garden with shrubs in flower beds

New homes

Two large semi-detached two storey slate lake district cottages with well kept gardens, a dry stone wall, gravel driveway and surrounding trees

Built form

two slate and white village houses with solar panels and wooden windows behind a dry stone wall and green field

Identity

aerial view of new affordable and sustainable flats in a village

Sustainable design

slate barn roof emerging from lush green vegetation in the valley bottom of surrounding fells

Nature

group of white and stone rural village buildings in front of a tall barren red and brown snow dusted fell on a sunny day

Movement

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