Assessment of the impact of the proposed development on nearby heritage assets and below-ground archaeological remains A search of the Historic Environment Record received 17/9/2023 showed that there are no Undesignated Heritage Assets as defined by the Planning Framework 2023 nearby. It is noted that the definition of Undesignated Heritage Assets has changed from when it was first introduced. The original definition allowed a Local Planning Authority to identify Undesignated Heritage Assets during the application process. The Historic Entities mentioned in the pre-application consultation response are described as though they were non-designated Heritage Assets in this report. It is noted that the Historic Environment Record evolved from the Sites and Monuments Records which were records of all archaeological finds, sites and monuments as well as archaeological investigations. As such they record things that no longer exist. It has to be recognised that many historic entities are not Undesignated Heritage Assets particularly Archaeological Remains and do not merit being on a Local List for Buildings but do have an archaeological interest. In this report these historic entities have been considered as though they are non designated heritage assets. The two below ground historic entities are not near the proposed building so will be preserved unaffected. Thus the impact on these historic entities is confined to the their settings (Setting of a heritage asset: The surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral.) The proposal does mean there is a small change to the settings with glimpses of the heritage entities still being possible. They should be seen in the context of the many changes to the canal side that have occurred in Birmingham. After the proposed building has been constructed the juxtaposition of a canal, with high hedges along the tow path, with an Inn and the intersection of a coaching route and a canal will still be obvious. The high density of trees means that there is a choice of better revealing the historic entities or hiding them. When considering things of minor importance such as these it has to be recalled that less than substantial harm to them is easily outweighed by the massive public benefit that results from a care home.
Lacey et al. (Sun,) studied this question.