Blenheim to be given special protection (From Witney Gazette)

Blenheim to be given special protection

11:58am Friday 9th March 2007 in Witney

NEW laws will be introduced to prevent 'ugly development' near Oxfordshire's best known stately home.

This week, Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, unveiled plans to give extra protection to the area surrounding the world heritage site of Blenheim Palace and its park.

The law will ensure any planned high-rise buildings near Britain's most treasured sites must be decided at a public inquiry.

But the changes will go much further, by stamping out home improvements - such as stone cladding and satellite dishes - which do not currently need planning permission.

The country's 27 world heritage sites will be given 'buffer zones' to ensure the same protection as national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

The move follows concerns raised by United Nations inspectors that lax planning rules were putting the sites at risk of damaging development.

Blenheim Palace and park, in Woodstock, was awarded World Heritage status in 1987. The stately home is set in 2,100 acres of parkland, and surrounded by sweeping lawns and formal gardens.

The palace, which boasts hand-painted ceilings and porcelain collections, tapestries, and paintings in each room, is the home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

The Government's white paper makes it easier for schemes to be 'called in' to public inquiries, which will have stronger powers to block insensitive development.

A Department of Culture spokesman said: "At the moment, World Heritage sites have virtually no status in planning law, which has caused difficulties. One satellite dish might not make much difference, but 200 would have an awful effect, which is why we need more controls on development."

West Oxfordshire District Council disputed the need for the new laws, pointing out that the areas adjacent to the World Heritage site already enjoyed special protection.

A council spokesman said: "The setting of the Blenheim World Heritage site in West Oxfordshire is already well protected under the current planning arrangements in the district.

"To the west, the site boundary adjoins that of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where strict planning controls apply.

"The settlements which abut the site boundary, Woodstock and Bladon, and the villages overlooking the site, Wootton, Combe, and Hanborough, all have conservation areas, where additional planning controls are in place.

"The recently agreed Blenheim World Heritage site management plan has identified significant views, and these are protected under existing planning powers."

The 27 World Heritage sites in the UK include historic city centres, such as Edinburgh, Canterbury, and Bath, and rural sites, such as Stonehenge, the Giant's Causeway, and Hadrian's Wall.