Buckinghamshire's historic landscape characterisation project

The landscape of Buckinghamshire today is the result of both natural and man-made actions which have taken place over many years.  Activities such as settlement, farming and recreation have all left behind physical traces that help to give individual parts of the county their own special character. To have a better understanding of the historic dimension of today’s landscape, we have completed an Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) Project. This two-year desk-based project was funded by English Heritage in partnership with Milton Keynes Council and used information from aerial photographs, historic and modern maps to create a countywide character map of the historic landscape of Buckinghamshire’s countryside.

The Historic Landscape Characterisation project has assessed the various components of the landscape such as fields, woodland and settlement, and mapped the results into a Geographical Information System (GIS).  This is a flexible, digital mapping system that enables other aspects of the landscape to be recorded and updated when necessary. 

The results of the Buckinghamshire HLC project are now available in a published report which can be downloaded or purchased. For more information please see the Historic Landscape Characterisation Report page.

A subsequent Historic Landscape Characterisation project has studied the landscape of the Colne Valley Regional Park in the south-east corner of Buckinghamshire and which also extends into Greater London, Hertfordshire and Surrey.  The project was funded through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund and was carried out in partnership with Groundwork Trust.  There is a link at the bottom of this page to the completed report available on the Archaeology Data Service's website. 

How is Historic Landscape Characterisation data being used?

Historic Landscape Characterisation is a relatively new tool but the applications of the data are potentially numerous.  Some of its more immediate uses include:

• Planning proposals: Historic Landscape Characterisation can play an influential role in shaping or influencing decisions on specific planning proposals, especially difficult decisions concerning the location of new settlements and housing developments.  Historic Landscape Characterisation can help this process by providing information on the historic character of areas being considered for development and indicating its rarity and quality.
• A tool for strategic planning: Historic Landscape Characterisation is being used to guide planning policies in regional planning (Milton Keynes), local development frameworks (Aylesbury Vale District Council) and can contribute towards: minerals and waste plans, or to complement such plans in supporting Supplementary Planning Guidance. 
• Conservation: Particularly in relation to the Chilterns AONB, the County Council’s "Bernwood Project" in northwest Buckinghamshire and the targeting of Defra's agri-environment schemes.
• Research: Historic Landscape Characterisation is helping stimulate research into the county’s historic landscapes (for example in relation to the Bernwood Project) and to develop an agenda for future research and investigation.
• Community Involvement: Historic Landscape Characterisation is being used by local communities as a tool for providing an awareness of Buckinghamshire’s historic environment.  Opportunities will be sought to engage local communities through this project and the interpretation strands of conservation projects.