No 11 1 Ayrshire landscape assessment Land Use Consultant s 1998 Land Use Consultants, Gleniffer House, 21 Woodside Terrace , Glasgow G3 7X H Nominated Officer: Maggie Botham, Advisory Service s Report date : 1998 Report to : Scottish Natural Heritage, East Ayrshire Council, North Ayrshire Council, South Ayrshire Council, Ayrshire Joint Structure Planning Unit, Enterprise Ayrshire Contract No: SW/21/96 Maps in this report are reproduced from the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permissio n of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright . SNH Licence number GDO3006G/1998 . This report should be cited as follows : Land Use Consultants 1998. Ayrshire landscape assessment . Scottish Natural Heritage Review No 111 . Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Natural Heritage Publications Section Advisory Services Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PHI 3EW 2 Anderson Place, Edinburgh EH6 5N P UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDO M ISSN 1350-3111 AYRSHIR E LANDSCAPE ASSESSMEN T LAND USE CONSULTANTS ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING, DESIGN AN D MANAGEMENT March 1998 Preface This report forms part of the National Programme of Landscape Character Assessment, which is being carried out by Scottish Natural Heritage, in partnership with local authorities and other agencies . The National Programme aims to improve our knowledge and understanding of the contribution that landscape makes to the natural heritage of Scotland. This study was jointly commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage, the Ayrshire Join t Structure Plan Committee (East, North and South Ayrshire Councils) and Enterprise Ayrshire and provides a detailed assessment of the landscape of Ayrshire . It considers the likel y pressures and opportunities for change in the landscape, assesses the sensitivity of the landscape to change and includes guidelines indicating how landscape character may be conserved, enhanced or restructured as appropriate . The report will be of interest to all those concerned with land management and landscap e change. More specifically, it is intended to provide the landscape context for SNH staff responding to planning and land use related casework and for East, North and South Ayrshir e Councils in the production of local and structure plans . The views contained within this report represent those of the consultant - Land Us e Consultants - and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the sponsors . CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i INTRODUCTION i BACKGROUND i AIMS AND OBJECTIVES i METHOD AND APPROACH ii Regional Character Areas u i Landscape Character Types u i MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES v RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY vii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 ROLE OF THIS REPORT 1 STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT 1 2. EVOLUTION OF THE LANDSCAPE 3 PHYSICAL INFLUENCES 3 Introduction 3 HUMAN INFLUENCES 1 2 Mesolithic Period (7,000-4,000BC) 1 2 Neolithic Period (4,000-2,500BC) 1 2 Bronze Age (2,500-700BC) 1 3 Iron Age (700BC-500AD) 1 3 Roman Occupation (c.83AD-215AD) 1 4 Dark Ages (c.200AD-1,000AD) 1 4 Medieval Period (1,000AD-1,600AD) 1 4 18th and 19th Centuries 1 5 20th Century Developments 1 7 3. KEY FEATURES OF THE AYRSHIRE LANDSCAPE 1 9 INTRODUCTION 1 9 Topographic Features 1 9 Natural Heritage Features 20 Trees, Woodlands and Hedgerows 26 Archaeological Features 2 9 Built and Industrial Heritage Features 30 4. FORCES FOR CHANGE 37 AGRICULTURAL CHANGE 37 Background 37 Changes in lowland farming 38 Changes in upland farming 38 Changes in the landscape : regional trends 39 General planning and management guidelines 40 FORESTRY AND WOODLANDS 42 Background 42 Changes in forest landscapes 42 Changes in policy woodlands 46 Changes in semi-natural and ancient woodlands 46 Forestry Commission Environmental Guidelines 47 General planning and management guidelines 48 DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES 49 Urban Expansion 49 Building in the Countryside 52 Tourism and Recreation 57 Road Developments 59 Energy Related Development 61 Wind Farms 67 CLIMATE CHANGE 71 5. LANDSCAPE CHARACTER TYPES 73 INTRODUCTION 73 SUMMARY METHODOLOGY 73 ASSESSMENT HIERARCHY 73 Regional Character Areas 74 LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION 79 A : RAISED BEACH COAST 81 Forces for change 83 Management and Planning Guidelines 84 B LOWLAND COAST 89 Forces for change 90 Management and Planning Guidelines 9 1 C: COASTAL FRINGE WITH AGRICULTURE 93 Forces for change 94 Management and Planning Guidelines 9 5 D: COASTAL HEADLANDS 99 South Ayrshire Headlands 99 Cock of Arran 100 Forces for change 100 Management and Planning Guidelines 101 E: COASTAL VALLEY WITH POLICIES 105 Forces for change 106 Management and Planning Guidelines 106 F: COASTAL LOWLAND MOOR 109 Forces for change 11 0 Management and Planning Guidelines 11 0 G: AYRSHIRE LOWLANDS 11 3 Forces for change 11 4 Management and Planning Guidelines 11 5 H: BROAD VALLEY LOWLAND 121 Forces for change 122 Management and Planning Guidelines 123 I: LOWLAND RIVER VALLEYS 127 Forces for change 128 Management and Planning Guidelines 128 J: UPLAND RIVER VALLEYS 131 Forces for change 133 Management and Planning Guidelines 134 K: LOWER DALE 139 Forces for change 140 Management and Planning Guidelines 140 L: MIDDLE DALE 143 Forces for change 144 Management and Planning Guidelines 145 M: INTIMATE PASTORAL VALLEYS 151 Forces for change 152 Management and Planning Guidelines 153 N: UPLAND GLEN 157 Forces for change 158 Management and Planning Guidelines 158 0: UPLAND BASIN 163 Forces for change 164 Management and Planning Guidelines 165 P: LOWLAND HILLS 169 Forces for change 170 Management and Planning Guidelines 170 Q: FOOTHILLS 173 Q(b) Foothills with Forest 175 Forces for change 176 Management and Planning Guidelines 177 R: PLATEAU MOORLANDS 181 R(b) Plateau Moorland with Forest 182 Forces for change 183 Management and Planning Guidelines 184 S: RUGGED MOORLAND HILLS AND VALLEYS 187 North Ayrshire Hills 187 S(b): Rugged Moorland Hills and Valleys with Forest 188 South Arran Hills 188 Forces for change 189 Management and Planning Guidelines 191 T: SOUTHERN UPLANDS 195 T(b) : Southern Uplands with Forest 196 Forces for change 197 Management and Planning Guidelines 197 U: RUGGED GRANITIC UPLAND 201 Loch Doon Mountains 20 1 North Arran Mountains 202 U(b): Rugged Granite Uplands with Forest 203 Forces for change 204 Management and Planning Guidelines 204 V: ROCKY VOLCANIC ISLANDS 207 Forces for change 208 Management and Planning Guidelines 208 BIBLIOGRAPHY 209 APPENDIX 1 : EXPLANATION OF SUBJECTIVE TERMINOLOG Y AND SCALE OF ASSESSMENT 21 1 Subjective Assessment of Character 21 1 Scale of Assessment 21 3 APPENDIX 2: MANAGEMENT MATRIX 21 5 FIGURES Figure 1 Geology 5 Figure 2 Topography 9 Figure 3 Landcover 2 1 Figure 4 Features of the Landscape 23 Figure 5 Statutory 'Protected' Areas 27 Figure 6 Features of the Landscape 3 1 Figure 7 Forces for Change 43 Figure 8 Forces for Change 53 Figure 9 Ayrshire Regional Character Areas 75 Figure 10 Landscape Character Types (A-H) 103 Figure 11 Landscape Character Types (I-P) 149 Figure 12 Landscape Character Types (Q-V) 193 Figure 13 AYRSHIRE LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS 219 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTIO N 1. This section of the report provides an Executive Summary of the Ayrshire Landscap e Assessment. The summary describes the background to landscape assessment, set s out the aims and objectives of this particular study, describes the method and approac h and outlines the key study findings . Central to these findings are definitions of Regiona l Character Areas and Landscape Character Types, the analysis of forces for change an d presentation of recommended planning and management guidelines . The section describes how the findings of the Ayrshire Landscape Assessment could be carrie d forward in the form of more detailed research . BACKGROUN D 2. There is increasing concern by all government agencies to ensure that the concepts o f sustainability and the effects of development upon the environment are reflected withi n the planning process . In particular, there has been a broadening of concern from simpl y protecting nationally or regionally important landscapes, to embrace the character of th e wider landscape . There is now an emphasis on increasing the understanding of locally , as well as regionally or nationally important landscapes, and ensuring that the plannin g process assists in their conservation and enhancement . This is not an attempt to preven t development, but rather to ensure that the scale, rate and nature of change are i n keeping with the character and capacity of the environment . 3. Recent National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG), issued by the Scottish Office, ha s emphasised that development proposals should be assessed more rigorously in terms o f their potential effects on the environment . Many development plans are now the produc t of a process of strategic environmental assessment, with characterisation of th e environment providing a basis for the formulation of land use policies . In Ayrshire, the three councils forming the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan Committee joined with Scottis h Natural Heritage and Enterprise Ayrshire to commission a systematic assessment o f landscape character, informing the preparation of the Structure Plan and Local Plans , and providing a baseline to facilitate informed decision making within the Structure Pla n Area. The study also forms part of Scottish Natural Heritage's ongoing programme o f landscape character assessment throughout Scotland, aiming to improve understandin g and knowledge of the contribution that landscape makes to the natural heritage o f Scotland. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 5. The aim