Sandwell Housing Market Renewal Area - Urban Living
Region: West Midlands
Local Authority: Sandwell
Owner Type: Many
Funding Body: ODPM; English Heritage; Sandwell MBC
Year of Intervention: 2004
Summary: An Urban Historic Characterisation study was undertaken of the Sandwell HMRA Pathfinder Area to assess and understand the historic environment that has formed and characterised the present urban development that has evolved within the HMRA. The Study will form a base from which urban regeneration and renewal can derive, incorporating features and buildings that form an aesthetic and/or historic union with future development.
Housing Market Renewal (HMRA) is a new Government initiative that aims to turn around areas of low housing demand. The changes to be brought about under this initiative are to be on a scale sufficient to make a long term and sustainable impact with lessons that can be applied elsewhere. The Birmingham Sandwell Housing Market Renewal Area Pathfinder is one of nine of these Housing Market Renewal Areas nationwide. The Historic Characterisation Survey of the HMRA will contribute to the overall historic environment management by:
- Providing better overall information on the historic environment by advancing the existing Sandwell Sites and Monuments Record towards an accessible Historic Environment Record.
- Enabling greater confidence in historic environment planning advice through the identification of a context for the existing site based 'point' data.
- Offering the basis for a strategic management framework compared to 'ad hoc' research in response to individual development threats.
- Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to enable integration with other local authority GIS based environmental and land management data systems and strategies.
- Informing and supporting international, national and local authority designations e.g. World Heritage Site, listed buildings, areas of special landscape value.
- Providing historical characterisation mapping in support of related development projects.
- Contributing towards the forthcoming 'Broad Brush' Characterisation Survey of the Black Country.
- Providing the opportunity to link management of the historic environment to regeneration schemes, through improved information and consultation.
- Producing a digitally generated resource that can be adapted to wider public access.
- Involving local people in the survey. Providing a response that will facilitate a deeper understanding within the local community of its built historic environment.
Keywords: Assessment and Characterisation, Management Plans, Regeneration