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Research at Newcastle on the historic landscapes of Britain and Europe has included significant contributions to the development of a technique called Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC). Work on the methodology and research applications of HLC has impacted on policy and practice in the fields of sustainable landscape management, planning, and heritage conservation in the UK and abroad.
John Blair's research on the history and archaeology of early medieval England has had a major impact on central and local planning policy. It has made several significant contributions to current practice as regards historic landscapes and building preservation (especially churches), and it is at the heart of the on-going debate about future policy reform. His publications are read and used by planning officers, policy makers, and by the general public — who have also come to know of his work through Channel Four's Time Team. Blair's research demonstrates the influence that academic history and archaeology of the highest scholarly standards can have on planners, policy makers, commercial archaeologists, and conservationists. Its public benefits include improved understanding, cultural enrichment, and conservation policies which are more sensitive to the heritage embedded in landscapes.