The Newport-Clacton Historic Seascape Characterisation (HSC) Project forms part of the second round of implementation of a national HSC methodology to the England's coastal and marine zones. The project is one of four undertaken concurrently, focusing on different large areas of England's coasts and seas. The project was commissioned by English Heritage and funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF).
HSC takes a holistic view of the landscape or seascape which, among many other benefits, facilitates comparison with other comprehensive environmental databases, gives it greater meaning and connectivity with the landscape and seascape perceptions of others, and allows it to provide context for the often 'point-based' datasets available for the marine zone. The resulting product is designed to enable more culturally-informed management of the marine environment and raise public awareness of the historic cultural dimension of the sea.. It is anticipated that the resulting product can be used as a spatial planning tool, allowing the historic cultural character of the present to be understood and accounted for in sustainable management of the marine and coastal zones. This is particularly pertinent given the ongoing implementation of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 which aims to establish a coherent policy of spatial planning in the marine zone.
