Sustainable development of dispersed settlement in Europe: lessons for the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
High Weald AONB and English Heritage jointly commissioned Stephen Owen and Ingrid Sarlov-Herlin to explore the sustainability of dispersed settlement in predominantly historic landscapes in different parts of Europe and to note examples of good practice for consideration in the High Weald AONB.
The project involved identifying areas of dispersed settlement for which spatial planning / rural development policies have been adopted in other countries and secondly indicating the kinds of criteria that might be used for assessing the sustainability of dispersed settlement in policies for the High Weald AONB. The project took place during autumn 2007.
Amongst the key points revealed by the study, the following were relevant to current debates on sustainable development in rural areas.
- Some of the highest densities of historic farmsteads and pre-17th century buildings are concentrated within landscapes defined by dispersed settlement.
- Dispersal is a ‘normal’ feature of some valued historic settlement patterns and landscapes. Those landscapes have already proven their sustainability over centuries.
- An understanding of character and the processes which have shaped the settled landscape to date should form an important component of an approach to achieving sustainable rural settlements.
- Good design and sustainable solutions for rural settlements should recognise and grow out of the inherited patterns in the wider landscape, and in the wide range of farmstead and building types, materials and detail.
