9D: , & HAMBLE COASTAL PLAIN

Market gardening with farm shops and pick your own are common across Hound Plain as well as growing demand for horsiculture.

Farmland edge often has development Wooded shore at Weston – popular Westwood Countrypark – a valuable visible through hedgerow. area to visit. countryside service site on the doorstep of Netley and Weston. © HCC Countryside services.

Wooded backdrop of Hamble valley Prior’s hill copse - where the coastal New estate at Hamble, frequent at Bursledon plain has an enclosed character. views of water & Fawley

Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

Hampshire County 2 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 Located between the and . The western boundary follows the Southampton city boundary. To the north the land rises and includes the north edge of Bursledon, with the boundary following a ridge of land at about 60m AOD.

1.2 Component County Landscape Types Coastal Plain Open, Coastal Plain Enclosed, Settlement

1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: BC. Eastleigh BC. Rural related : Urban and settlement related: Hound Plain Netley Coastland Hamble Victorian Parkland Bursledon Westfield Common Burseldon (part of)

The boundaries of the Borough assessment are comparable with this assessment in that it (Hound Plain LCA) shares the same northern boundary as this assessment using the A3024. The non urban character area boundaries in the east follow a similar boundary to the one identified at the county level for the Hamble Valley extent. The southern boundary in this assessment extends to the mean low water mark (spring tides).

1.4 Associations with NCA and Natural areas: NCA 126: South Coast Plain NA 75: South Coast Plain and Hampshire Lowlands

2.0 Key Characteristics • Gently undulating and flat landform with a gentle slope to the coastline ending in a low sea wall above the shingle beach. • A wooded coastal margin, small wooded stream valleys, a central area of farmland with open character and a suburban feel to much of the area. • Patchwork of ecological habitats and woodland. • Extremely fertile agricultural soils on the open coastal plain. • Areas of former sand and gravel and landfill restoration. • Market gardening, nurseries and horsiculture are frequent land uses. • A landscape which had a well developed medieval field pattern around the small hamlets and huge area of common in the north at the end of the 19th century– now largely overwritten by modern fields and development. • Frequent views over Southampton water. Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

• Busy road and minor lane network of slow moving traffic. • Adjacent coastal biodiversity sites designated for their bird habitats. • Important historic buildings set within designed grounds.

3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 A gently undulating, mixed open coastal plain landscape and enclosed shallow wooded stream valleys, which gently rises from shingle beach to about 60m AOD just north of Bursledon. In the northern parts of the character area it is fairly apparent where the land falls away into the Hamble valley. The western side has more raised gravels making the topography more undulating – this too falls away rapidly to Southampton water, and this slope to the estuary is included in this character area. Restored landfill areas such as part of Westwood park have raised level restorations creating artificial high points in the landscape. The bedrock geology incorporates the silty sandy clay geology of several different bands of the Bracklesham beds which are in turn overlain by the Pleistocene river terrace sand and gravels associated with the terraces of river. The range in geology is more limited than in the coastal plain landscapes to the east. The fossiliferous Barton clays outcrop on the coast, and the Pleistocene gravels are also fossil rich with molluscs and bivalves. Large trapezoid stones with holes and fissures can be found. These are called Sarsen erratics, of cemented quartz, with the holes formed from roots in the Pleistocene period This is their westernmost extent.

3.2 The sandy, gravelly Pleistocene river deposits give rise to a very fertile light sandy silty loam with a high water table, which is termed Aeolian silty drift. There are several former sand and gravel extraction areas on Hound plain and a significant sand and gravel resource. The balance between retaining excellent agricultural soil areas, extraction areas and green spaces as gaps and for local amenity is particularly controversial as there are so few rural areas in this landscape.

3.3 The landscape has had large scale mid to late 20th century development (mainly residential), which pervades most of the land use characteristics. Amenity open spaces (both formal and informal) and fields subdivided by temporary fencing to serve a large demand for horsiculture is common, giving an urban fringe character to much of the landscape. There are extensive fields supporting a market gardening tradition which has been increasingly squeezed by suburban influences. These often have farm shops and ‘pick your own’. Field boundaries are mixed in character – but poplar shelter belts are a common feature and there is typically a weak hedgerow framework. The shallow stream corridors are well wooded, often with detached and piecemeal development, but offer a contrast to the surrounding intensive farming. The coastal margin is is dominated by Hamble and Netley but is surprisingly well wooded (e.g. West wood and Victoria country park).

3.4 There are several small streams which flow to Southampton Water and the Hamble. The Westwood rises on Netley common as wet heath flush at Dumbleton’s copse (just to the north west of the character area boundary) and winds down through Westwood in a wooded setting. Another heath flush spring rises at Old Netley, and flows through to Netley, again in a predominantly narrow wooded setting.

Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

3.5 The littoral processes are relatively weak on this stretch of coast. Further along the coast towards Hamble point there are low sea wall and gabion reinforcement walling. With a gently sloping shingle and mud beach, the above high water beach is fairly narrow, mostly less than 50m.

4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 There are great views over parts of the Hamble Valley and Southampton Water from the peripheral areas of this landscape. The chimney stacks of the Fawley complex are frequently in the field of view. Urban edges are prominent in this predominantly open landscape and linear development along the main roads increases the perception of being in the suburbs.

4.2. The Rights of Way network is predominantly comprised of footpaths. There are several linking Bursledon with the Hamble Valley. The Strawberry and are long distance routes. The network is fragmented but can be linked by using stretches of lanes and roads. Royal Victoria country park, Westwood and St Mary’s wood countryside service sites provide well wooded accessible landscape settings with coastal views. These sites are heavily used being in close proximity to settlement.

4.3 Generally, the overt human influence of traffic and modern development over much of the area engenders a sense low tranquillity. However the proximity of Southampton and other settlements in the character area to quiet wooded parts of the coastline provides a valuable sense of removal from the hustle and bustle so close by.

5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This landscape character area comprises a mix of habitats within developed areas. The developed areas tend to comprise medium density residential developments with patches of amenity grassland breaking up the urban land, and gardens providing habitat variation. The western edge of the character area comprises a matrix of broadleaved woodland, some of which is ancient and semi-natural, and unimproved grasslands. These gradate into agricultural land, including arable land and pasture. Here the landscape supports less woodland and is associated with a large area of agricultural buildings, marshy grassland and ponds. The eastern edge of the character area also varies; it is less developed and instead supports a matrix of habitats including broadleaved woodland, patches of parkland, a large area of semi-improved neutral grassland, occasional patches of tall herbs and a restored landfill site.

5.2 Lee-on-the-Solent to Itchen SSSI adjoins this landscape character area. It extends along the eastern shore of Southampton Water from Lee-on-the-Solent to the mid- Itchen estuary and includes the lower estuary of the River Hamble. It comprises extensive intertidal muds with a littoral fringe of vegetated shingle, saltmarsh, reedbed, marshy grasslands and deciduous woodland on alluvium, valley gravels (Hamble Common), and Bracklesham Beds (Hook Links). The SSSI supports an outstanding assemblage of nationally scarce coastal plants.

5.3 The Solent BOA exists on the south coast of this character area, part of Southampton Water and internationally important for over wintering bird species. It also supports an outstanding assemblage of nationally scarce coastal plants. There

Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

are a few SINCs in this landscape character area, mainly designated for their ancient and semi-natural woodland resources.

6.0 Historic Character 6.1 Archaeology 6.1.1 This area is typical of the coastal plain in Hampshire and has an imprecise evolution. There is evidence to suggest settlement and agriculture, and also evidence to suggest underutilisation and perhaps slower evolution than the Downs.

6.1.2 Mesolithic artefacts have been found in the area, and taken with wider distributions, it is clear that the coastal plain was being utilised, but in the early part of the period this would have been an inland rather than a coastal zone.

6.1.3 Although there is no immediate evidence of Neolithic activity, the long barrows on Portsdown Hill that overlook the area to the east might suggest that the plain was in some way settled or farmed. There is evidence of some Bronze Age settlement on the plain, but it is limited and there is no evidence of field systems. The burial mounds tend to be found on the higher ground behind the coastal plain. The number of Bronze Age hoards in this landscape may shed some light on its character, possibly less intensively settled and ‘liminal’, but equally it may reflect the mechanisms of cross channel trade.

6.1.4 There is evidence of Iron Age settlement on the coastal plain, but it is limited in scope and scale. There is a significant Iron Age site on Hamble Common, where the peninsula is cut off by an embankment. This may be some form of entrepot. There were significant ‘port’ and entrepot sites in the Roman period on the coast, in particular on Southampton Water and the Hamble – this character area falls in the immediate hinterland.

6.1.5 In the medieval period the presence of Netley Abbey and Hamble Priory suggest that this area was still poor or underused, and this made it suitable as gifts of land to established religious orders.

6.1.6 The Solent also has a rich archaeology of coast defence, from Portchester onwards. There are two medieval castles, Netley and St Andrews on Hamble Common, and there are more recent defences such as pill boxes and batteries. Netley , with its dominant open space and chapel, provides a direct link between this coast and the colonial and world wars.

6.2 Historic Landscape 6.2.1 The Cistercian abbey at Netley (from 1239) exerted a significant influence on the local landscape. The ditches or conduits which carried water to the Abbey are still evident in Westwood and are scheduled. The first edition map shows the wood divided into compartments for coppice and timber management but the regular character of the surrounding fields perhaps indicate that the landscape had been reorganised by this time.

6.2.2 This landscape was dominated by open common and heath in the west and north up until the 19th century, including Netley Heath, Bursledon Heath, Weston common and Butlocks Heath. Enclosures were concentrated in the south and east around Hampshire County 6 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

Hamble, Hound and Netley (old and new), and here there were frequent examples of irregular pattern enclosures, some with wavy boundaries and some with straight assarts, indicating the probable piecemeal nature of the enclosures. By the time of the first edition mapping most of the commons had been enclosed within this character area boundary. Much of the original fieldscape pattern appears to have been ‘overwritten’ during the 19th century to enlarged fields with predominantly straight boundaries – particularly between Netley and Hamble and in Hound plain. This process of field enlargement accelerated from the early 20th century. The area around Netley had numerous smallholdings during the 20th century, now lost to development and incorporation into larger scale fields.

6.2.3 This character area, especially on former common and at Westwood, has been subject to piecemeal sand and gravel extraction for foundry casting, ballast and hardcore, and clay extraction for brickmaking. From the mid 20th century there has been extensive commercial extraction.

6.3 Built Environment 6.3.1 The road network has straight alignment characteristics typical of an area associated with common (e.g. the B3025). Roads and lanes are typically more winding in the south eastern part of the character area where there has been a longer history of field systems. The railway from Southampton curves down and has stations at Netley, Hamble and Bursledon. The line was opened in the 1860s and had particular association with the Royal Victoria Hospital.

6.3.2 The settlement pattern by the mid 19th century was nucleated around the small hamlets of Bursledon, Hamble (at this point just outside the character area), Hound, Netley Green and Old Netley. From 1850 and with the development of the military hospital, a pattern of detached Victorian villas was established at Netley. At Bursledon –overlooking the Hamble valley - there are early to mid 20th century detached properties. With enclosure of the remaining common in the area at Butlocks heath and other smallholding development, linear detached houses along some of the principle routes became established. These have continued to be in- filled by development – increasing the sense of urban fringe.

6.3.3 There are few farmsteads in the character area and they tend to be 19th century origin smallholdings, with a significant concentration west of Old Netley in the north of the character area.

6.3.4 Most of the housing stock is predominantly mid to late 20th century with Victorian red brick and some older dwellings in the village cores. Netley Abbey and the former Royal Victoria Hospital are significant landmarks from Southampton Water. The grounds of Royal Victoria Park were probably laid out by local landscape designer and nurseryman William Bridgewater Page (EH Grade II). Netley Abbey was a significant picturesque feature in the 18th and 19th century, painted by William Gilpin, and part of the grounds of survive as a public recreation ground.

Hampshire County 7 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

EVALUATION

7.0 Forces for Change 1. New development – possibly small scale urban infill and extensions. 2. Mineral Extraction. 3. Pressure from urban fringe use related activities. 4. Recreation pressures. 5. Climate change and coastal processes in particular sea level rise and increase in frequency of storms.

KEY QUALITIES AND EFFECTS OF FORCES 7.1 Attractive residential areas which are associated with waterside historic cores, including remains of medieval abbey and landscape at Netley and detached Victorian villas at Bursledon. Gap designation provides the perception that waterside settlements are still separate entities. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: 1.3.4.5 Threats: Predicted sea level rise, shore edge erosion and tidal flooding could affect Netley abbey and Royal Victoria Country park. Loss of remaining urban fringe open space to development, perception of settlement coalescence and loss of quality of the adjoining landscape.

Opportunities: A more co-ordinated approach to stewardship with of the Strategic and Local Gaps and exploring opportunities for accessible green space provision could be promoted as part of improvements to the variety and quality of accessible green space and green infrastructure. Including space for the settings to important built heritage could be included in coastline defence strategies.

7.2 Supporting waterside landscape to the Solent and Southampton Water SPA providing high water refuge and roosts, and stream valleys flanked by semi natural ancient woodland of County importance. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: All Threats: Coastal squeeze on the SPA due to cliff erosion along Netley, Weston and Hamble shore, and the presence of development, recreational space, restored landfill sites and historic landscape and features behind the current high water line. Increasing pressure on this coastal landscape for recreation space is likely to continue and therefore potentially disturb the adjoining SPA. Recreational pressure and damage to woodland located in close proximity to development.

Opportunities: Compensatory habitats in other locations along the Solent Southampton Water shore may have to be found. Striking the right balance between recreational pressures and wildlife objectives in the SMP management units in the face of sea level rise and increased storm frequency will be critical. Stress importance of woodland habitat along streams, and encourage opportunities for community woodland management initiatives.

Hampshire County 8 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain

7.3 Extremely fertile and nationally important agricultural soils in the central raised part of the character area which have traditionally supported a thriving market gardening economy. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: All Threats: Market gardening use being squeezed out by other uses such as horse paddock grazing and amenity recreation space. Mineral extraction areas tend to be on the fringes of the most valuable farmland and can permanently affect quality of soils on restoration.

Opportunities: Encourage initiatives which support Hampshire Fayre and local produce from this area. Investigate ways of rekindling local interest in soft fruit growing. Crop choice adaptation to climate change – perhaps longer growing season for soft fruits.

7.4 Attractive waterside views over Southampton Water and parts of the Hamble valley with Royal Victoria Country Park being a particular focus for access. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: 1.2.5 Threats: Unsympathetically designed sea defence work/adaptation and increasing height of structures where there is a public access may limit views from landward side across the Water. Some restoration sites have resulted in unnatural raised landform which can provide extensive viewpoints, but are discordant with the natural topography and affect formerly open views from the natural surrounding levels.

Opportunities: Balancing tourism needs and conversion for development demands with retaining and improving the setting to these historic features could be addressed through sympathetic design briefs. Input into design of sea defences could ensure views from the landward side are retained over the Water. Retaining and improving harbour and coastal views could be emphasised as a key factor in design briefs for development, public realm and open space strategies and local level assessments/parish planning. Restoration levels could be a more central issue in mineral and waste planning for this landscape.

Hampshire County 9 Status: FINAL M 2010 Integrated Character Assessment Netley, Bursledon and Hamble Coastal Plain