Wealden District Council
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Other Heritage Assets

Registered Parks and Gardens

The Historic England, Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (external link) was established in 1983. The main purpose of this Register is to celebrate designed landscapes of note, and encourage appropriate protection.

Registration is a ‘material consideration’ in the planning process, meaning that planning authorities must consider the impact of any proposed development on the landscape’s special character.

On the register of ‘Parks and Gardens of Historic Interest’ compiled by Historic England, there are 18 entries within Wealden District for which the Council is the Local Planning Authority. Registered sites are not open to the public unless advertised elsewhere as being so.

  • Bayham Abbey
  • Buckhurst Park
  • Buxted Park
  • Eridge Park
  • Frant Court
  • Glen Andred Garden
  • Groombridge Place
  • Hammerwood Park
  • Heathfield Park
  • Herstmonceux Castle and Place
  • Horsted Place
  • Kidbrooke Park
  • Penns on the Rocks
  • Rotherfield Hall
  • Sheffield Park
  • The Hoo
  • Wadhurst Castle
  • Wych Cross Place

The grading system is similar to that of the listed buildings: Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II, depending on their importance and completeness. A list description is provided for each Registered Park and Garden and can be viewed on the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens (external link).

  • There are no registered battlefields in Wealden.
  • There are no registered wreck sites in Wealden.

Local planning authorities may identify non-designated heritage assets. These are buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions but which are not formally designated heritage assets. In some areas, local authorities identify some non-designated heritage assets as ‘locally listed’.

When considering development proposals, local planning authorities should establish at an early stage in the process if any potential non-designated heritage asset meets the heritage asset definition in the National Planning Policy Framework (external link). ‘Heritage Asset – A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).’

The practice of compiling a list of ‘buildings or structures of local importance’ is a way of identifying non-designated heritage assets of significance to the local area.

At present, Wealden does not have a Local List. Consultation on whether Wealden should have a local list and potential objective criteria for Local Listing, to sit alongside new local plan policy, will be formulated as part of a consultation process with local communities, in line with Historic England Good Practice, and will take place as part of the new Local Plan.

The Local List is a non-statutory designation. Buildings on a list will not be subject to new or additional controls. The existing planning controls over changes of use, external alterations, extensions etc. will continue to apply and will remain unchanged.

Much can be done to help protect the character of locally important buildings by raising their profile without the need for extra controls.

The Local List initiative is aimed at:

  • ensuring that these buildings enjoy the recognition which they deserve
  • raising public awareness of the importance of these buildings to the local environment
  • encouraging owners to protect and maintain the character of such buildings
  • ensuring that planners, architects, builders and others concerned with development proposals are aware of the need to give special attention to such buildings