Historic Landscape Characterisation

The Historic Landscape Characterisation programme is a powerful tool that provides a framework for broadening our understanding of the whole landscape and contributes to decisions affecting tomorrow's landscape. HLC projects produce interactive GIS-based descriptions of the historic dimension - the 'time-depth' - that characterises our rural landscape. HLC work is conducted in line with the European Landscape Convention (ELC), which came into force in 11 ratifying countries on 4 March 2004. It was signed by the UK in February 2006 and ratified on 21 November 2006. It came into force in the UK on 1 March 2007, and Defra has recently published 'A Framework for Implementation in England'. English Heritage published its ELC Action Plan in early 2009: European Landscape Convention - The English Heritage Action Plan for Implementation.