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BFER Historic Landscape Characterisation

Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) mapping provides detailed spatial information about types of land use in today’s landscape, with reference, where possible, to their historical roots. This is done through the building of a digital map
that draws on data in modern and historic maps, aerial photographs and other historic environment information. The flexibility of the digital map enables it to be used in a variety of forms, colours and scales. This enables patterns to be observed and analysed, leading to an enhanced understanding of the origins and development of the landscape.

BFER Historic Landscape Characterisation

HLC mapping was developed under the aegis of English Heritage in the 1990s and 2000s. Work was on a county basis and at different times, with the result that there are significant differences in the technologies and methodologies between HLC datasets. This means there are significant differences in the way neighbouring counties have been characterised.

Up until now Brecks has been split between the Norfolk and Suffolk HLC datasets, which have important differences in their methodologies and the level of historical interpretation. The Suffolk approach has been deemed to be more useful to The Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers Landscape Partnership Scheme and therefore the purpose of the current project is to provide unified HLC mapping for the Brecks National Character Area (NCA) as a whole. In effect, this has meant remapping the Norfolk section of the Brecks NCA area to accord with the existing Suffolk HLC mapping. The original Suffolk HLC had 11,666 polygons and the current draft of the extended mapping has 12,539 polygons.

 

Click here to download the report

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