Land at Redlands, East of Basingstoke Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
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LAND AT REDLANDS, EAST OF BASINGSTOKE LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT APPENDIX 5 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT TABLES for COOPER ESTATES STRATEGIC LAND LIMITED. MAY 2016 INDIGO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Landscape Baseline - Physical influences Potential for Landscape Assessment – Moderate or Key constituent elements More Significant Assessment of sensitivity Effects Element Description, location and geographic extent. Condition / intactness of Value of element Susceptibility Sensitivity element within the within the Study Area Study Area Geology The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane lies across the boundary of two distinct geological Underlying geology appears Medium value No. - - formations, producing a comparatively varied geological structure that has a strong influence to be intact within the Undesignated Residential (In landscape character upon landform and landscape character. The southern part of the Borough is dominated by Study Area (there is no component which development on terms effects on the deep chalk bed of the North Downs. The northern part of the Borough (which includes evidence of significant nevertheless has value Site of the nature geology are considered the area around the Site) lies on the southwestern edge of the London Basin, where the chalk departure from the general locally in terms of its proposed is unlikely in terms of physical strata dip towards the north and are buried beneath the younger deposits of sands and clays topography of the area). influence on the to affect underlying effects on geological laid down during the Tertiary period during progressive periods of marine flooding. character of the geology. features in the landscape. landscape (such as Underlying geology of the area around the site is dominated by London Clay2 with the characteristic scarp bedrock geology being described as “London Clay Formation - Clay, Silt And Sand. slopes, ridges or low Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 34 to 56 million years ago in the Palaeogene lying river valleys). Period. Local environment previously dominated by deep seas.”3 Effects on less visually obvious aspects of There are no geological SSSI or obvious geological features within the Detailed Study Area. geology such as effects on groundwater reserves are the domain of other experts and fall outside the scope of Landscape Character Assessment.1) Soils Soils within the area generally follow underlying geology and consequently within the Soils on the Application Site Medium value No. - - Detailed Study Area they are clay based. are heavy, and prone to Grade 3 agricultural land. Soils will be (In landscape character waterlogging. Otherwise retained on Site and terms effects on soils Soilscape England lists the soils in the area as follows:4 soils appear to be in there will therefore are considered in reasonable condition. be no change (as a terms of effects on the SLOWLY PERMEABLE SEASONALLY WET SLIGHTLY ACID BUT BASE-RICH LOAMY AND result of soils) to characteristics of that CLAYEY SOILS characteristics of landscape. For Main Surface Texture Class = LOAMY the landscape such example, clay soils give Natural Drainage Type = IMPEDED DRAINAGE as drainage or rise to poorly draining Natural Fertility = MODERATE vegetation. landscapes where Characteristic Semi-natural Habitats = LOWLAND SEASONALLY WET PASTURES AND WOODLANDS water (ponds, lakes, Main Land Cover = GRASSLAND AND ARABLE SOME WOODLAND streams etc.) often becomes a Agricultural land on the Application Site is classified as Grade 3b – (Moderate). 5 characteristic feature, and vegetation is Agricultural land within the immediately surrounding landscape is also largely classified as characterised by clay Grade 3; however, an area of Grade 4 land – (Poor) wraps around the site to the southeast loving species such as and east along the course of the river Loddon; and some small areas of Grade 2 land (very English oak. good) lie to the southeast either side of the River. 1 Such effects won’t affect landscape character unless they impact so greatly as to affect other factors such as vegetation. 2 Source: Basingstoke and Dene Landscape Assessment - Main Report, page 5. 3 Source: British geological Survey Geology of Britain viewer - http://mapapps.bgs.ac.uk/geologyofbritain/home.html 4 Source: Magic.defra.gov.uk 5 Source: Natural England London and South East Region 1:250 000 Series Agricultural Land Classification map and Basingstoke and Deane Screening Opinion received on the 29th April 2015. Element Description, location and geographic extent. Condition / intactness of Value of element Potential for Assessment of sensitivity element within the within the Study Area Moderate or Study Area More Significant Susceptibility Sensitivity Effects Vegetation Vegetation within the Study Area consists primarily of moderate to large fields; with a strong The condition of Medium value Yes. High susceptibility High Sensitivity pattern of native hedges; and low woodland cover. vegetation on site is varied Hedgerows and trees are Residential Vegetation is (In landscape character (refer to tree survey for undesignated but development of the particularly susceptible terms effects on Fields are primarily arable although some pasture is found on the lower lying ground along the detail). nevertheless have value nature proposed to change of the nature vegetation are River Loddon. locally. has the potential for proposed. considered both in There are no Tree moderate or more It has limited ability to terms of the effects on A few areas of ancient woodland (as classified by Natural England) exist, the closest of these Preservation Orders, but a significant adverse accommodate the the physical resource being at Guinea Copse within the urban area of Chineham (some 500m southwest of the site’s number of trees onsite and effects on nature of the proposed (the amount and type southwestern corner); at Long Copse, Page’s Copse, Forked Copse and Round Copse along the boundary are vegetation on and development without of vegetation added or (between 900 metres and 2km to the east of the Application Site’s eastern boundary); and at Category A or B and immediately around undue consequences lost as a consequence Buckfield Copse (approximately 1km to the northeast). Refer to drawing 518-A05 in Appendix should be retained. the Application Site. for the maintenance of of the proposals); and 3. the baseline situation. the effects on the wider landscape Other significant areas / lines of deciduous trees can be seen on the aerial photo on drawing character). 518-A01 in Appendix 3. These include (amongst others): Woodland along Whitmarsh Lane to the south and southeast of the site. Woodland to the west of the A33, north of the Taylors Farm roundabout. Woodland within the urban area to the west of the A33, south of the Taylors Farm roundabout (e.g. Petty’s Copse). Hedgerows are also characteristic of this landscape, forming boundaries between fields and along roads (refer to the aerial photo). These are generally well developed and divide the landscape; however, many are maintained at a relatively low height (often around c.2m) and do not truncate views across it. In the southern part of the Study Area hedgerows become less frequent as field size increases. The Application Site itself consists of parts of two arable fields (the “northern field” and the “southern field”), divided by the remnants of a hedgerow. Details of the vegetation on site can be found on the Tree Constraints Plan prepared by Barrell Tree Consultancy (a copy of which forms part of this planning application).6 There are no TPO trees on the Application Site. Trees Within the site: Within the site there are 11 mature trees found within the western part of the southern field. These appear to be the remnants of parkland associated with Sherfield Hall. The trees include: Two ‘Category C’ Hornbeam trees (c.10 and 14m in height) located towards the southwest corner of the site. Of these the eastern tree is leaning and somewhat one-sided. A large, mature ‘Category A’ Plane tree (c.16m height) located 10m from the western boundary about 130m from the southwestern corner of the site; and a very large ‘Category B’ Lime tree (c.25m height) some 30m close to the northeast. Two substantial, mature ‘Category A’ Oak trees (c.16 and 19m height) some 50m northwest of the northwestern corner of the ‘Redlands’ garden. Two mature ‘Category B’ Lime trees (c.18 and 21m height) both with decline in the crown; and a mature ‘Category A’ Horse chestnut (c.22m height) close to the northern boundary of the southern field (about 40m south- southwest of the western end of the woodland block on the northern boundary of this field). Two mature, ‘Category C’ Lime trees (c.15 and 17m height) with declining crowns, some 50m south-east of the above group. Trees along the site boundaries: Along the site boundaries vegetation is characterised as follows: The northern boundary. This boundary lies in two parts: The boundary of the ‘northern field’: o This boundary crosses the existing open field. There is no existing vegetation along the boundary line. The boundary of the ‘southern field’. This boundary is characterised by: o A collapsing post and wire fence between the northern and southern fields on site; with occasional bramble; one ‘Category A’ Sycamore towards the west (c.15m height); a small ‘Category C’ Oak (c.4m) in the centre; and a medium sized ‘Category C’ Sycamore (C. 9m) at the eastern end. 6 Barrell reference 15087-BT3 o A woodland belt along approximately two thirds of the boundary (the central and eastern end), consisting of one ‘Category A’ Horse Chestnut (c.16m height); two ‘Category A’ Lime (c. 23m in height); five ‘Category A’ Oak trees (between c.18 and 25m in height); two ‘Category B’ Oak (c.13 and 18m in height); two ‘Category A’ Ash (c. 16 and 25m in height); two ‘Category B’ Ash (c. 18 and 19m in height); nine ‘Category C’ Sycamore (between 10 and 19m in height); three ‘Category U’ Sycamore (between c.