The assessment is structured as follows:

Transcription

1 11 CULTURAL HERITAGE 11.1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW This assessment considers the effects on cultural heritage of the Proposed Development - CCGT Option and Proposed Development - OCGT Option. It is concerned wholly with effects on the setting of features of cultural heritage value. Impacts on buried archaeology were scoped out of the 2008 ES owing to the fact that the BP site was reclaimed in the 1960 s and subsequent use has been industrial. There are no designated or non-designated heritage assets within the red line boundary. Assessing effects on cultural heritage setting was not a requirement at the time of preparing the 2008 ES and so this chapter is structured differently from Chapters 4 to 10, 12 and 13 of the ES Addendum. The assessment considers the effects of the facilities once constructed and in operation on the cultural heritage resources of the area. The key elements of the development that are most likely to have an effect on settings of cultural heritage across a wide area are the turbine hall and the stack, which will be up to 90 m high for the Proposed Development - CCGT Option and up to 50 m (but most likely 35 m) for the Proposed Development - OCGT Option. The assessment of visual impacts on setting is addressed using the computer generated Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) to establish which sites are likely to have views of the stack or where the stack may affect appreciation of important views towards historic assets. Those historic assets that will be affected are then considered in two groups: those within 2.5 km of the stack, where effects are likely to be greatest, and between 3 and 10 km away. Beyond 10 km it is considered that any impacts will be minimal. The assessment is structured as follows: Methodology; Baseline Information; and Significant Effects of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Table 11.1 Glossary Abbreviation CA SM HER LVIA ZVI Definition Conservation Area Scheduled Monument Historic Environment Record Landscape and Visual Impact assessment Zone of Visual Influence 11-1

2 River Lock and attached bridges at Red Jacket Pill Church of St Clement Church of St Mary Rehoboth Chapel Sunday School Briton Ferry Ironworks Engine House Handball Court at Jersey Marine Former Steam Power House at Briton Ferry Docks War Memorial, including revetments and steps Briton Ferry Library including attached Library House Rehoboth Baptist Chapel Workshops, stores and office Briton at Briton Ferry Foundary Ferry Dock Entrance Dock walls and gate between inner dock and outer basin at Briton Ferry Docks Jersey Marine Tower North jetty of outer tidal basin at Briton Ferry Docks Hydro-accumulator tower at Briton Ferry Docks Milestone at the junction of Old Road and Thorney Road The Vicarage Church of St Catharine Old church of St Baglan Plas Baglan Footbridge and walls of Baglan brook around churchyard of St Catharine PROJECTION: British National Grid Contains OS data Crown Copyright and database right 2016 Proposed OCGT Site Boundary 2.5km buffer of OCGT Fenceline Grade 1 Listed Building Grade 2* Listed Building Grade 2 Listed Building Scheduled Ancient Monument Garden / Kitchen Garden SOURCE: See Map Frame; CADW; LLE Historic Landscape Park Boundary Essential Setting (Appended to Park Boundary) Conservation Zone of Visual Influence Not Visible Metres SCALE: See Scale Bar VERSION: A01 SIZE: A3 DRAWN: WB PROJECT: CHECKED: CLQ DATE: 05/08/2016 APPROVED: RE ± Figure 11.1 Designated Heritage Assets Within 2.5km of the Proposed Power Station SSE Visible Path: \\ukbrsdc02\data\bristol\projects\ SSE Abernedd Powerstation.RE\GIS\MAPS\Cultural Heritage\P _CulturalHeritageDetailed_A01.mxd

3 Briton Ferry: Jersey Park Gelli-Bwch Round Cairn St Margaret's Chapel Buarth y Gaer, Mynydd y Gaer Margam Mountain Merthyr Mawr, Kenfig & Margam Burrows Contains OS data Crown Copyright and database right 2016 PROJECTION: British National Grid Proposed OCGT Site Boundary 10km buffer of OCGT Fenceline Essential Setting (Appended to Park Boundary) Grade 2* Listed Building Historic Landscape Area Grade 1 Listed Building Scheduled Ancient Monument Garden / Kitchen Garden Park Boundary SOURCE: See Map Frame; CADW; LLE 0 Not Visible Visible Kilometres Conservation Area Zone of Visual Influence 0.5 SCALE: See Scale Bar VERSION: A01 SIZE: A3 DRAWN: WB PROJECT: CHECKED: CLQ DATE: 05/08/2016 APPROVED: RE ± Figure 11.2 Nationally Significant Designated Heritage Assets 2.5km-10km of the Proposed Power Station SSE Path: \\ukbrsdc02\data\bristol\projects\ SSE Abernedd Powerstation.RE\GIS\MAPS\Cultural Heritage\P _CulturalHeritage_A01.mxd

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5 11.2 METHODOLOGY Legal and Planning Framework The Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) (Department of Energy and Climate Change, 2011) is applicable to the proposed development at Abernedd. In discussing effects of energy development, EN-1 states (para.5.8.8) that environmental assessments should provide a description of the significance of the heritage assets affected by the proposed development and the contribution of their setting to that significance. It sets out (para ) a presumption in favour of the conservation of designated heritage assets adding that the more significant the designated heritage asset, the greater the presumption in favour of its conservation should be. It explains that significance can be harmed or lost through alteration or destruction of the heritage asset or development within its setting. Substantial harm to a Grade II listed building should be exceptional and to designated assets of the highest significance, including Scheduled Monuments; registered battlefields; grade I and II* listed buildings; grade I and II* registered parks and gardens; and World Heritage Sites, should be wholly exceptional. With specific reference to effects on setting, EN-1 goes on to state (in para ) that the IPC should treat favourably applications that preserve those elements of the setting that make a positive contribution to, or better reveal the significance of, the asset The greater the negative impact on the significance of the designated heritage asset, the greater the benefits that will be needed to justify approval. There is also national legislation and guidance relating to the protection and treatment of the historic environment within the development process. Key legislation is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the Town and Country Planning Act At present, these are supported by Welsh Office Circulars on the historic environment, chiefly 60/96: Planning and the Historic Environment: Archaeology and 61/96: Planning and the Historic Environment: Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas. The application of these laws and national policy covering the effects of development on the historic environment is, at present, outlined in Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 8: Chapter 6 - Conserving the Historic Environment (Welsh Government, 2016). The Historic Environment Bill (Wales) was introduced to the National Assembly for Wales on 1st May 2015 and was passed on 9th February The Bill introduces amendments to the operation of the two Acts relevant to heritage (listed above), and places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to compile lists of historic place names and a historic environment record to cover each local authority. The amendments to the Acts chiefly relate to powers of entry, stop notices and fines in the context of Scheduled Monuments and Listed Buildings. In support of the new bill, the Welsh Government are planning to issue a new PPW section, and a new Technical Advice Note on the Historic Environment (TAN 24), which will cancel the existing Welsh Office circulars, 11-5

6 60/96 and 61/96. These are available in draft form providing guidance for the way the Bill will be implemented. However, they are likely to be significantly revised before final publication and are therefore not discussed in detail here. Cadw will also bring out a series of new guidance documents, including one on assessing the impact of development on setting (not yet available). Neath and Port Talbot Council has recently published its Local Development Framework. Policy SP 21, Built Environment and Historic Heritage, sets out the Council s approach to the management of the historic environment Heritage Guidance Conservation Principles Cadw published Conservation Principles in March 2011 (Cadw, 2011) and the document is intended to set out a logical and transparent means of making decisions relating to the historic environment in Wales. It articulates that historic assets must be understood in terms of their heritage significance and that priority should be given to the sustaining of this significance and the avoidance of harm to that quality. In keeping with other heritage documents, such as English Heritage s Conservation Principles (English Heritage, 2008), the Cadw document sees heritage significance as composed of a combination of four categories of value; evidential, historical, aesthetic and communal. Setting Guidance In Wales there is no formally recognised guidance for the assessment and reporting of effects to historic assets associated with setting change. Pending the publication of Welsh settings guidance, the English guidance has been accepted as an appropriate methodology for the assessment of effects related to setting change in Wales. English guidance on this topic was issued in November 2011 (English Heritage, 2011) and revised last year (Historic England, 2015), although the most recent version is explicitly connected to the English planning system, notably the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which does not apply in the Welsh context. Notwithstanding this, both editions of the guidance recommend the same iterative approach to the assessment of development impacts on setting as described below. The English process has five stages: i. Identifying the historic assets affected and their settings; ii. Assessing whether, how and to what degree these settings make a contribution to the significance of the historic asset(s); iii. Assessing the effect of the proposed development on the significance of the asset(s); iv. Maximising enhancement and minimising harm; and v. Making and documenting the decision and monitoring outcomes. 11-6

7 The English guidance explicitly recognises that setting can be, but is not always, a factor in the heritage values that make up an asset s heritage significance and that change in setting does not automatically equate to an effect on that significance Impact Assessment Methodology This desk-based assessment has been prepared in accordance with the appropriate guidance and good practice advice including that presented by the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA): Standard and Guidance for historic environment desk-based assessment (IfA, 1994). Study area The study areas, as illustrated in Figure 11.1 and Figure 11.2 have been defined as two areas, as follows. The inner study area: comprises a 2.5 km buffer taken from the proposed position of the turbine hall and stack to assess the potential impacts on the setting of designated cultural heritage assets including: Conservation Areas, Scheduled Monuments, Grade I, II* and II Listed Buildings, Registered Parks and Gardens, Registered Historic Landscapes. The outer study area: comprising the area 2.5 km-10 km from the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option assess high value designated heritage assets: Conservation Areas, Scheduled Monuments, Grade I and II* Listed Buildings, Registered Parks and Gardens, Registered Historic Landscapes. A key tool in assessing the effects on setting is the computer-generated Zone of Visual Influence (ZVI), which models those areas in the surrounding landscape from where there will be direct lines of sight, however slight, to the proposed development. It is important to emphasise that the ZVI represents a worst-case scenario i.e. the visual model does not take account of intervening landscape elements such as vegetation and built form. The ZVI is illustrated in Figures 7.1 and 7.2 of the 2008 ES and are still valid for the assessment of the Proposed Development Options Sources of Information Baseline information was collected from the following sources: information on designated heritage assets held by Cadw; online historic mapping; relevant landscape and visual assessment data, including ZVIs and photomontages. In addition the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) Historic Environment Record (HER) was consulted for lists of known heritage assets 11-7

8 and previous archaeological interventions. For this a 2.5 km buffer from the red line planning boundary was used, which allowed the archaeological context for the site to be established Potential Impact Assessment The assessment involved the following steps: the identification of potentially affected archaeological assets/resources; an assessment of impacts on the archaeological resource based on the design; and consideration of the significance of the effects taking into account previous disturbance and the importance of the known and potential archaeological heritage. Impacts on Setting The setting of a cultural heritage asset should be thought of as the way in which the surroundings of a historic asset or place contribute to how it is experienced, understood and appreciated. This includes its local context, embracing present and past relationships to the adjacent landscape 1. The extent of a setting 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 2. The methodology for assessing physical impacts and impacts on the setting of cultural heritage assets is set out in Figure Based on the ZTV and subsequent site visits, the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option will be visible from a number of designated sites within the study area, and will therefore result in potential effects on setting. The baseline setting for each site is set out in Section 11.3 below. 1 ICOMOS (2011) Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments for Cultural World Heritage Properties. ICOMOS, Paris. 2 English Heritage (2011) The Setting Of Heritage Assets, English Heritage Guidance. English Heritage. London. 11-8

9 Figure 11.3 Cultural Heritage Assessment Methodology Impact Assessment Methodology : Physical Impacts Receptor Importance and Types of Cultural Heritage Assets Negligible Sites of little or no importance, including: Sites of former archaeological features Unlisted buildings of minor historic or architectural interest Poorly preserved examples of particular types of feature Low Sites of local importance: Archaeological sites and areas of local importance/ in poor condition Unlisted or locally listed buildings and townscapes of some historic or architectural interest Medium Sites of Regional importance, including: Listed Buildings of less than the highest importance (Grade II in England Wales; Grades B-C in Scotland) Historic Parks and Gardens of national significance (e.g. Grade II in England & Wales) Archaeological sites and areas of distinctive regional importance Conservation areas High Sites of national and international importance, including: World Heritage Sites Scheduled Monuments Listed Buildings of the highest levels of importance (e.g. Grade I/II* in England Wales; Grade A in Scotland) Historic Parks, Gardens and Designed Landscapes of national significance (e.g. Grade I/II* in Eng-land & Wales ) Historic Battlefields Magnitude of Change Negligible No discernible change in the physical condition of the cultural heritage asset. Small Measurable but non-material changes to the cultural heritage asset. Small part of the site is lost or damaged, resulting in a loss of scientific or cultural value. Historic building suffers minor or reparable damage. Encroachment on area of low archaeological potential Medium Material but non-fundamental changes to the cultural heritage asset. A significant portion of the site is lost or damaged, resulting in a loss of scientific or cultural value. Historic building suffers significant, not fully reparable structural damage. encroachment on an area of high archaeological potential Large Fundamental changes to the cultural heritage asset. The entire site is damaged or lost, resulting in nearly complete or complete loss of scientific or cultural value. Historic building suffers major structural failure. An overall level of effect that is Negligible or Minor is assessed as Not Significant Overall Level of Effect Receptor Magnitude of Change Importance Negligible Small Medium Large Negligible Negligible Negligible Negligible Minor Low Negligible Negligible Minor Minor to Moderate Medium Negligible Minor Moderate Moderate to Major High Negligible Minor to Moderate Moderate to Major Major Impact Assessment Methodology : Effects on Setting Receptor Importance and Types of Cultural Heritage Assets High Sites of national and international importance, including: World Heritage Sites Scheduled Monuments Listed Buildings of the highest levels of importance (e.g. Grade I/II* in England Wales; Grade A in Scotland) Historic Parks, Gardens and Designed Landscapes of national significance (eg Grade I/II* in England & Wales,) and Historic Battlefields Medium Sites of Regional importance, including: Listed Buildings of less than the highest importance (Grade II in England & Wales; Grades B-C in Scotland) Historic Parks and Gardens of national significance (e.g. Grade II in England & Wales) Archaeological sites and areas of distinctive regional importance Conservation areas Low Sites of local importance: Archaeological sites and areas of local importance/ in poor condition Unlisted or locally listed buildings and townscapes od some historic or architectural interest Negligible Sites of little or no importance, including: Sites of former archaeological features Unlisted buildings of minor historic or architectural interest Poorly preserved examples of particular types of feature Contribution of Setting to Significance of Cultural Heritage Assets Very High A setting which makes a very strong positive contribution to the understanding and/or appreciation of the siting and/or historical/archaeological/architectural context of a heritage asset. Setting of international importance. Very high amenity value as a recreational/leisure or educational resource. High A setting which makes a strong positive contribution to the understanding and/or appreciation of the siting and/or historical/archaeological/architectural context of a heritage asset. Setting of national importance. High amenity value as a recreational/leisure or educational resource. Moderate A setting which makes some positive contribution to the understanding and/or appreciation of the siting and/or historical/archaeological/architectural context of a heritage asset. Setting of regional importance. Moderate amenity value as a recreational/leisure or educational resource. Low A setting which makes little positive contribution to the understanding and/or appreciation of the siting and/or historical/archaeological/architectural context of a heritage asset. Setting of local importance. Very limited amenity value as a recreational/leisure or educational resource. Negligible A setting which does not contribute positively to the understanding and/or appreciation of the siting and/or historical/archaeological/architectural context of a heritage asset. Overall role of setting for cultural heritage assets Importance of Receptor Contribution of Setting Very High High Moderate Low Negligible High High High High Medium Low Medium High High Medium Low Low Low Medium Medium Low Low Low Negligible None None None None None Magnitude of Change in Setting Very large Fundamental impacts obviously changing the surroundings of a receptor, such that its baseline setting is completely altered. Large Fundamental impacts obviously changing the surroundings of a receptor, such that its baseline setting is altered to a large extent. Medium Impacts discernibly changing the surroundings of a receptor, such that its baseline setting is partly altered Small Slight, but detectable impacts that do not alter the baseline setting of the receptor materially. Negligible A very slight and barely distinguishable change from baseline conditions. Overall effect on the role of setting for a cultural heritage asset Magnitude Overall Sensitivity High Medium Low Very Large Major Major Minor to Moderate Large Major Moderate to Major Minor Medium Moderate to Major Moderate Minor Small Minor Minor Minor Negligible Negligible Negligible Negligible An overall level of effect on setting of Negligible or Minor is assessed as a Not Significant effect.

10 11.3 BASELINE ENVIRONMENT Heritage Assets within 2.5 km of the Proposed Development Options There are no Conservation Areas, Registered Parks and Gardens or Landscapes of Special/Outstanding Historic Interest within 2.5 km of the turbine hall and stack of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Scheduled Monuments Briton Ferry Dock Briton Ferry s dock, now disused, was designed by Brunel and built incorporating the world s first example of a floating dock, separating an inner harbour from the outer tidal basin. It is a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building. It comprises a substantial quay on the north side of the dock and a pier extending from the south side, between which the dock gate used to site (today blocked by an embankment). The key elements of the setting of the surviving dock structures are the outer tidal basin and the remnant of the inner harbour, as well as the adjacent (newly restored) accumulator tower which powered the hydraulic lock gate. Regarding its wider setting, Briton Ferry dock was formerly at the heart of an area of heavy industry, including Albion Steel Works to the south and Briton Ferry Iron Works to the north. These factories were closed down and the buildings demolished decades ago while the dock ceased to function in the 1950 s. They have been replaced by the M4 motorway to the north of the old docks and the Neath Port Talbot council buildings and Baglan Energy Park to the south. Much of its significance, at the heart of the old industrial zone, has now therefore gone. Craig Ty-isaf Iron Age Fort This is situated in woods above Baglan c.2.5km to the northeast of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. The presence of the forest cover means that its setting is very restricted in both inward and outward views. Plas Baglan Castle This early medieval moated castle site is situated at the junction of Cwm Baglan and a second smaller stream on slopes immediately southeast of modern Baglan. It is situated c.2.4 km east of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Historically it would have occupied a strategic and secure position overlooking the coast road between Neath and Margam. St Baglan Church, Baglan This ruined church which is both a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building is situated c.2 km east of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option at the core of the historic village of Baglan. The most important aspects of its setting are its 11-10

11 relationship with its surrounding graveyard and the historic elements of the village, especially the Church of St Catherine, which stands immediately to the south. Listed Buildings Baglan A group of listed buildings in Baglan mark the centre of the historic village, which in the nineteenth century was no more than a scatter of buildings c.2 km on the lower hill slopes overlooking the sea to the east of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. These include the Grade I listed ruined Church of St Baglan, nearby Grade I Church of St Catherine and the associated Grade II vicarage. The key elements of their setting are their relationships to each other, the associated graveyards (in the case of the churches) and, to a lesser extent, the largely twentieth century that has grown up around them. Briton Ferry There are a group of Grade II nineteenth century listed buildings within Briton Ferry which fall within the computer-generated ZVI. These include: Salem Baptist Chapel; Church of St Clement; War Memorial; Briton Ferry Library; Rehoboth Baptist Chapel and Sunday School; Briton Ferry Library; and Workshops at Briton Ferry Foundry. All of the above buildings lie within the boundaries of the modern settlement to the north of the M4 and A48 bridges across the River Neath. S ignificant aspects of their settings are primarily their relationships with the surrounding streets and buildings. Briton Ferry Ironworks Engine House This is one of the last surviving structures from the extensive ironworks that stood on both sides of Briton Ferry docks in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It has lost almost all significant elements of its historic setting with the loss of contemporary industrial structures and the construction of modern buildings and the adjacent M4 bridge of the River Neath. North Jetty of Briton Ferry Outer Tidal Basin This stone jetty separates Briton Ferry s historic outer dock from the River Neath to the west. Its most important relationships reside in its historic associations with the surviving dock structures to the north. Jersey Marine Tower 11-11

12 This castellated octagonal brick tower, a Grade II Listed building, stands to the south of the modern settlement of Victoria Marine and commands panoramic views across Baglan Bay. It was built in the 1880 s as the focus of a Victorian seaside resort on the west side of the River Neath, focussed on the coastal sandy beaches to the east of Swansea. It was originally planned to contain a camera obscura. Its setting therefore very much includes the wider views across Baglan Bay, as well its relationship to the surrounding structures of Jersey Marine (although these have been substantially redeveloped in recent years). Even at the time of its construction this would have included the extensive ironworks situated around Briton Ferry docks. Sunray This large, modernist villa, a Grade II listed building, overlooks Port Talbot from above the A48 at the base of Mynydd Dinas. It stands almost exactly 2.5 km to the east of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Its original setting, overlooking Baglan Moors and Burrows, has been transformed by post-war development of the coastal strip, with the construction of Baglan Industrial Park and the settlement of Baglan Moor, part of the larger Port Talbot conurbation. It retains important relationships with the old coast road and some of the older houses that overlook it to the east and west Heritage Assets more than 2.5 km from the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option Conservation Areas There are a number of Conservation Areas between 2.5 km and 10 km of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option, mostly grouped within the major settlements of Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot (see discussion in impact assessment below). Registered Historic Landscapes There are two Registered Historic Landscapes within 10km of the proposed power station: Margam Mountain (5 km-12 km away) and the Merthyr Mawr, Kenfig and Margam Burrows (8.7 km-14 km away). The Margam Mountain historic landscape also contains a Conservation Area, and numerous scheduled monuments and listed buildings and two registered Parks and Gardens. The main focus of the landscape is Margam Castle and adjacent ruins of Margam Abbey, where there is a Conservation Area and a group of high value listed buildings. This Merthyr Mawr, Kenfig and Margam Burrows landscape area lies to the southeast largely on the same coastal strip of marine alluvium as Baglan Burrows upon which the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option would be developed

13 Registered Parks and Gardens Jersey Park, which overlooks Briton Ferry from the lower western slopes of Mynydd-y-Gaer, lies just over 2.5km from the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. This early twentieth century park lies on northwest facing slopes. Scheduled Monuments There are a small group of monuments beyond 2.5 km from the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option that fall within the ZVI and are close enough to merit consideration in this assessment. Buarth y Gaer This Iron Age hillfort, a scheduled monument, is situated in a dominant location on the summit of Mynydd-y-Gaer at a distance of about 3.3 km to the east of the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. There are clear views from the southwestern side of the fortifications over the coastal plain including the existing GE power station. The most significant elements of its setting lie in its strategic position within the landscape and its relationship with contemporary monuments in the vicinity, notably a group of fortified enclosures on the north side of the mountain. Gelli-Bwlch Round Cairn Gelli Bwlch Cairn, a scheduled monument, is situated in open ground on the edge of high ground looking southeastwards across the mouth of the Neath Valley. The significant elements of its setting are its relationship with contemporary features discernible in the landscape, such as other hilltop barrows in the area, and its relationship with the surrounding landscape, particularly the adjacent lowland. St Margaret s Chapel The ruins of this medieval chapel, a scheduled monument, lie on high ground on the south side of Coedffranc. The site is overgrown and can only be understood from close range. Its immediate setting relates primarily to the presence of a nearby holy well. Its wider setting, with views looking south onto the coastal plain east of Swansea, has been substantially compromised by the construction of industrial works on the north side of the coast road, the A483. Listed Buildings There are sizable groups of listed buildings between 2.5 km and 10 km from the Proposed Development CCGT Option and the Proposed Development OCGT Option. These tend to lie within substantial settlements, such as Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot, where their settings are largely focussed on their more immediate urban surroundings. This, combined with increasing distance from the development, means that no listed buildings outside the 11-13

14 2.5 km inner study area are considered sufficiently sensitive to impacts from the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option to require assessment ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS Introduction The following assessment of effects on cultural heritage applies to both the Proposed Development - CCGT Option and the Proposed Development - OCGT Option Heritage Assets within 2.5 km of the Proposed Development Options Scheduled Monuments Briton Ferry Dock Based on the methodology set out in Figure 11.3 the contribution of setting to the significance of Briton Dock is considered to be high, while the impact, given the intervening structures of the Energy Park and Council buildings, will be low. This would result in an overall minor effect Craig Ty-isaf Iron Age Fort Owing to masking of views towards the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option, there would therefore be negligible effects on its setting. Plas Baglan Castle Plas Baglan Castle is surrounded by trees meaning that there would be few if any outward views towards the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. There would be negligible effects on its setting. St Baglan Church, Baglan The ruins of St Baglan s Church today lies within the modern settlement of Baglan and is surrounded by woodland. It is not visible from adjacent roads and so there will not be any effect on its setting from the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Listed Buildings Baglan The listed buildings in Baglan village are all surrounded by trees and late twentieth century housing that obscure views of the shoreline. There will therefore be negligible effects on their setting. Briton Ferry There will only be fleeting glimpses of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option from within Briton 11-14

15 Ferry town owing to the masking effect of surrounding buildings. The effect of the construction of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option at the mouth of the estuary to the south will therefore be negligible on all of the listed buildings within the town. Briton Ferry Ironworks Engine House The construction of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option in addition to the existing GE power station c.1.5 km to the south will have little if any effect on the setting of this early twentieth century industrial building. North Jetty of Briton Ferry Outer Tidal Basin While the construction of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option to the south of the existing Baglan Bay Power Station will be clearly visible from this point, it will have little effect on its significance and will therefore have a negligible effect on its setting. Jersey Marine Tower As a grade II listed building with an important landscape presence the setting of the Jersey Marine Tower is clearly of high sensitivity. The addition of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option beside the existing Baglan Bay Power Station c.2.3 km to the southeast will clearly be visible from the tower. Given that the existing landscape has been industrialised from the time of the tower s construction and that there are still extensive industrial facilities within its setting, it is considered that the magnitude of change would be small. The overall effect on its setting would therefore be minor. Sunray As an asset of moderate value whose setting has been significantly degraded the sensitivity of the setting of this 1930 s villa is considered to be medium. The effect of the construction of an Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option beside the existing Baglan Bay Power Station 2.5km to the west is considered a small impact that would have an overall minor effect of the setting of Sunray Heritage Assets more than 2.5 km from the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option Conservation Areas There will no significant effects on Conservation Areas in the wider area around the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. The nearest is Llandarcy Conservation Area, c.3.2 km northwest of the proposed power station, which falls outside the ZVI of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Beyond in terms of distance are a series of Conservation Areas in Swansea and Neath, that in practice will be largely masked from distant 11-15

16 views of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option by intervening buildings. There will be views across to the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option from Mumbles Conservation Area, but, as indicated in Figure 7.10 of the 2008 ES (a photomontage of the view from Mumbles beach). Registered Historic Landscapes Margam Mountain The group of heritage assets around Margam Castle lies in a valley which cuts eastward into the coastal mountain range and therefore falls outside of the ZVI of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Indeed most of the Margam Mountain Landscape falls outside of the ZVI. It is only from the southwestern fringe of the area, comprising the lower slopes of Mynydd Margam and Mynydd Brombil, that there will be views towards the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option at a distance of 5 km or more. Given that the whole intervening coastal strip has been developed over the past century, the distance from the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option, and the fact that it has been industrialised for much of the past 50 years, it is considered that were be no more than a negligible effect on the setting of the landscape. Merthyr Mawr, Kenfig and Margam Burrows This landscape area lies largely on the coastal strip of marine alluvium as Margam Burrows upon which the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option would be developed. The combination of this and the distance to the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option means that views towards it are likely to be limited and therefore that there will be no significant effect on its setting. Registered Parks and Gardens Any views towards the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option from Jersey Park at Briton Ferry will be largely if not entirely screened by trees and buildings. There will therefore be no effect on its setting. Scheduled Monuments Buarth y Gaer The sensitivity of the setting of Buarth y Gaer hillfort is high. The effect of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option on its setting, given the existing Baglan Bay Power Station and history of industrial activity in the area, would be small. The overall effect on its significance would therefore be minor

17 Gelli-Bwlch Round Cairn The sensitivity of the setting of Gelli-Bwlch round cairn is considered to be moderate given the amount of develop that has taken place in the Neath Estuary over the past 150 years. The Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option will stand c.2.7 km from the cairn. It will not affect its relationship with other contemporary features. Its impact on the cairns setting, given the existing Baglan Bay Power Station, would therefore be small. The overall effect on the cairn s significance would be minor. St Margaret s Chapel The site of St Margaret s chapel is situated c.3.3 km from Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option. Its setting is considered to be of medium sensitivity given its condition and relative inaccessibility. The impact of the Proposed Development CCGT Option or the Proposed Development OCGT Option beside the existing Baglan Bay Power Station would be small. The overall effect on the chapel s significance would therefore be minor

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