LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK STEERING GROUP

November 2014

Site Allocations and Development Management Plan (SADMP)

Evidence Base Report: LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT OF THE BOROUGH’S SPECIAL LANDSCAPE FEATURES

Introduction

A report to the Council’s Strategic Planning, Transport and Economic Development Review Panel of 16th November 2006 identified the need to carry out an assessment of the Borough’s ‘Special Landscape Feature’ (SLF) designation in line with the production of a Borough wide Landscape Character Assessment. The accepted recommendation of the report was that the then Local Plan policy EN11 (Special Landscape Features) should be removed and the SLF features incorporated into the wider Landscape Character Assessment as descriptive text.

However, since that time it has become apparent through discussions with colleagues, developers and Planning Inspectors decisions that there is still an important place for the policy within the Local Plan as an extra layer of landscape protection. The following assessment has been carried out to assess whether the existing SLFs were still relevant as distinct features and where they were, whether modification of their boundaries was necessary. Only where the designation is found to be necessary in protecting the feature and its wider setting from inappropriate development will it be maintained as a SLF.

The following report outlines the approach taken; summarises individual SLF profiles and proposes deletions and boundary changes. The report was carried out by the Council’s Landscape Lead, a fully qualified landscape architect and Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute.

Approach

To carry out the assessment of the existing Special Landscape Features the following were used as reference documents: ‘Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment’, Third Edition 2013, with particular reference to ‘Assessing the significance of visual effects’ page 113.

Reference was also made to the Borough Council’s Landscape Character Assessment 2011 and Landscape Character Assessment of ’s Rural-Urban Fringe – Landscape Sensitivity and Capacity Study 2005 in producing this landscape assessment.

Full details can be found on the Council’s web site. Landscape Character Assessment 2011’

‘Landscape Character Assessment of Taunton’s Rural-Urban Fringe – Landscape Sensitivity and Capacity Study 2005’

Relevant Planning Policies

The relevant Core Strategy policies are: CP8 – environment; DM1 – general requirements, DM2 – development in the countryside; and DM4 – design.

Special Landscape Feature individual landscape assessments

The following features have been assessed:

 Bishops Hull River Cliff  Bradford On Tone River Cliff  , Burrowbridge  Cleeve and Foxdown, Wellington  Cotlake Hill,  Creechbarrow Hill, Taunton  Knowle Hill, Norton Manor Camp  Linden Hill, Wellington  Ridge  Norton Hillfort,  Rag Hill, Staplegrove  Stonegallows Ridge, Taunton  Thorn Clump, Henlade  Ridge

‘Burrow Mump’ and ‘Thorn Clump’ although special landscape features are unlikely to have any significant development pressures and were therefore not assessed in detail and it is proposed that they are deleted as SLFs. ‘Linden Hill’ to the south of Wellington and Rockwell Green was considered to have limited special landscape value and some of the area previously designated is already partially protected by inclusion within the Wellington and Rockwell Green ‘Green Wedge’. It is therefore proposed for it to be deleted as a SLF. The remaining 11 SLFs are profiled below.

Bishops Hull River Cliff

Summary

The wooded slopes of the southern bank of the river rise around 30m to provide an important northern boundary to the village which is largely hidden behind the treescape.

Location

This designation forms the northern section of the existing Stonegallows Ridge, identified in the Local Plan. The river cliff lies to the north of the village of Bishops Hull and runs in a west to east direction following the course of the . It includes several historic buildings including Netherclay House and the Old Mill.

Landscape Character

The area lies within the ‘Vale of Farmed and Settled Low Vale’ on the edge of ‘The Tone River Floodplain’.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton on the northern edge of the village of Bishops Hull. It is seen when approaching the area from the north along Netherclay Lane, from the east along Silk Mills Road and from the west from public footpaths along the course of the River Tone.

Parsonage Court forms a fairly obtrusive feature when viewed from the north west, the impact of which could be alleviated through planting to the west of Bishops Court. This area has been proposed as a small amendment to the settlement boundary, which could, with appropriate planting and design, in principle accommodate a small scale development without harming the character of the SLF.

Special Qualities

The wooded slopes of the southern bank of the river rise * to provide an important northern boundary to the village which is largely hidden behind the treescape.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The wooded slopes of mature trees need careful management to maintain their character in the longer term.

Proposed boundary changes

Minor change proposed, to exclude land west of Bishops Court.

Bradford on Tone River Cliff

Summary

The wooded slopes of the southern bank of the river rise steeply to provide an important northern boundary to the village which other than the church tower are largely hidden behind the treescape.

Location

The river cliff lies to the north of the village of Bradford on Tone and runs in a south- west to north-east direction following the course of the River Tone.

Landscape Character

The area lies within the ‘Vale of Taunton Deane Farmed and Settled Low Vale’ on the edge of ‘The Tone River Floodplain’.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton on the northern edge of the village of Bradford on Tone. It is seen when approaching the area from the north and west or when following the public footpath along the northern bank of the River Tone.

Special Qualities

The wooded slopes of the southern bank of the river rise steeply to provide an important northern boundary to the village which other than the church tower are largely hidden behind the treescape.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The wooded slopes of mature trees need careful management to maintain their character in the longer term.

Proposed boundary changes

No changes are proposed.

The Cleeve and Foxdown

Summary

The higher ground of the area provides a significant visual break between Wellington to the east and Rockwell Green to the west. The undulating topography and semi parkland character of the landscape adds additional interest.

Location

The area lies between the western edge of Wellington and near the eastern edge of Rockwell Green and is defined in the north by the old A38.

Landscape Character

The SLF lies within an area of ‘Blackdown Fringes Farmed and Settled High Vale’ on the western edge of Wellington. The area has a parkland character but with some strong rural features. It includes the 19th century Wellington cemetery.

Setting of the SLF

The setting of the area has an urban fringe character but the SLF itself has a strong rural/parkland character. There is no direct access to the area by public right of way but there are clear views into the area from the surrounding lanes and residential properties.

Special Qualities

The higher ground of the area provides a significant visual break between Wellington to the east and Rockwell Green to the west. The undulating topography and semi parkland character of the landscape adds additional interest.

Recommendations for Enhancement

Careful management of existing hedgerows and parkland trees would provide additional softening and a more intimate landscape.

Proposed boundary changes

Reduce the extension to the north to limit the SLF to the old A38 as the landscape to the north is different in character. A small extension to the south is proposed to align it with the existing field boundary.

Cotlake Hill

Summary

Cotlake Hill is a distinct landscape feature as seen from Taunton to the south and east and the village of Trull to the west. The hilltop itself provides impressive 360 degree views and is a well visited site by local walkers. The SLF lies within the Vivary Green Wedge which provides clear separation between the two built up areas of Killams to the east and Trull village to the west.

Location

The hill rises to the east of Taunton to a height of over 70 metres. The land lies between the village of Trull to the west and Killams to the east.

Landscape Character

The area lies within the ‘Farmed and Settled Low Vale of Taunton Deane’ but the SLF itself is largely an outlier of the ‘Blackdown Fringes Farmed and Settled High Vale’ which emanates from the south of the motorway. It is made up of mainly arable with a small woodland clump at its highest point. There are several public footpaths that cross the area running north to south.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton but is largely enclosed by the urban areas of Taunton and the village of Trull with the M5 motorway to the south.

Special Qualities

Cotlake Hill is a distinct landscape feature as seen from Taunton to the south and east and the village of Trull to the west. From those areas it provides substantial screening of the M5 motorway to the south. The hilltop itself provides impressive 360 degree views and is a well visited site by local walkers. The SLF lies within the Vivary Green Wedge which provides clear separation between the two built up areas of Killams to the east and Trull village to the west.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The woodland copse planting is relatively immature and in need of careful management.

Proposed boundary changes

It is proposed to reduce the area previously designated so that the new boundaries largely follow existing field boundaries and do not extend as far north as Cutliffe Farm which contains a number of modern farm buildings of limited visual interest. The excluded areas will still be afforded protection from inappropriate development through their designation within the Vivary Green Wedge.

Creechbarrow Hill

Summary

Creechbarrow Hill is a distinct landscape feature as seen from Taunton to the south and west. The hilltop itself provides impressive views to the north across the River Tone and Quantock Hills AONB beyond. The SLF lies within the urban area of Taunton. It is proposed to extend the green wedge designation in the SADMP to include Creechbarrow Hill. It is also currently designated a County archaeology site.

Location

The hill rises to the east of Taunton to a height of over 30 metres. The land lies between Toneway to the north and the Hydrographic Offices to the south.

Landscape Character

The area lies to the south of ‘The Tone River Floodplain’.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton but is largely enclosed by the urban areas of Taunton and the Toneway to the north.

Special Qualities

Creechbarrow Hill is a distinct landscape feature as seen from Taunton to the south and west. The hilltop itself provides impressive views to the north across the River Tone and Quantock Hills AONB beyond. The SLF lies within the urban area of Taunton. It is proposed to extend the green wedge designation in the SADMP to include Creechbarrow Hill. It is also currently designated a County archaeology site.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The woodland copse planting is relatively immature and in need of careful management.

Proposed boundary changes

It is proposed to extend the boundary of the SLF to the east and west to include the areas of existing open space and reduce the extension to the south, which has limited landscape value.

Knowle Hill

Summary

The wooded slopes of the hill provide a setting for Norton Manor Camp and Norton Manor, a listed building in an otherwise largely agricultural landscape.

Location

Knowle Hill lies to the north east of Taunton on the road to . It lies directly to the west of Norton Manor Camp which houses 40 Commando.

Landscape Character

The area lies within the ‘Vale of Taunton Deane Farmed and Settled Low Vale’ on the edge of ‘The Tone River Floodplain’. The hill is largely wooded with pastural fields on its western edge.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton on the road to Bishops Lydeard. The West Railway runs along its most westerly flank. It is seen when approaching the area from the north and south along the A358 and from from public footpaths to the south east and south west.

Special Qualities

The wooded slopes of the hill provide a setting for Norton Manor Camp and Norton Manor, a listed building in an otherwise largely agricultural landscape.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The wooded slopes of mature trees need careful management to maintain their character in the longer term.

Proposed boundary changes

Minor changes are proposed in its north eastern corner to exclude built development.

North Curry Ridge

Summary

The north-west facing scarp slope elevates North Curry Church and Manor House above the lower lying clay and peat moors and provides a setting for the ‘cathedral of the moor’. The area is visible from the north from public footpaths and Moor Lane. The SLF contains churchyard and parkland trees, pasture and a small block of mixed woodland planting as well as the grazed scarp slope.

Location

The ridge runs south-west to north-east along an area just to the north of North Curry’s church.

Landscape Character

The ridge of higher ground rising from the ‘Curry and West Sedge Moors Clay and Peat Moors’ is approximately 20m higher than the surrounding landscape and is part of the ‘North Curry Sandstone Ridge’. It is made up of mainly pasture with some woodland, and parkland. It contains several important landmark buildings including the church and manor house. There are a number of older farm buildings just to the east of the main North Curry approach road and one modern bungalow.

Setting of the SLF

The ‘Curry and West Sedge Moors Clay and Peat Moors’ are the dominant landscape character of the area with the North Curry Sandstone Ridge defining its south eastern boundary.

Special Qualities

The ridge provides the setting for the ‘cathedral of the moor’. It is principally seen from Moor Lane running north to south across the levels from the A361.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The tree and woodland planting of the Manor House is generally over mature and in need of management and there is also scope for new tree planting within the parkland pastures.

Proposed boundary changes

Remove two small areas in the north western part of the SLF that are more domestic in character and not well connected to the church.

Norton Hillfort

Summary

The SLF provides a setting for the archaeologically important hillfort and is a distinct landscape feature as seen from Taunton to the east, Norton Fitzwarren to the south and glimpses from the A358 travelling north and south. The hilltop itself provides impressive views to the north and across the River Tone floodplain to the south. The hillfort is a designated archaeological feature.

Location

The hillfort rises to a height of 50 metres dominating the village of Norton Fitzwarren.

Landscape Character

The area lies within the ‘Vale of Taunton Deane Farmed and Settled Low Vale’ and to the north of ‘The Tone River Floodplain’.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton but is largely enclosed to the south by the village of Norton Fitzwarren

Special Qualities

The SLF provides a setting for the archaeologically important hillfort and is a distinct landscape feature as seen from Taunton to the east, Norton Fitzwarren to the south and glimpses from the A358 travelling north and south. The hilltop itself provides impressive views to the north and across the River Tone floodplain to the south. The hillfort is a designated archaeological feature.

Recommendations for Enhancement

The woodland copse planting is mature and in need of careful management. The public footpath needs regular maintenance to maintain access around the hillfort.

Proposed boundary changes

No changes are proposed.

Rag Hill

Summary

The gently sloping escarpment significantly ‘hides’ the built up areas of Staplegrove village as seen from the Vale of Taunton and the higher ground of the Quantock Hills to the north. Although the area is generally degraded by three major power lines the underlying landscape is still an important feature within the local landscape.

Location

The gently sloping escarpment runs north-east to south-west just to the north of Staplegrove village. It rises approximately 40m above the lower lying area of the north and can be seen from the country lanes, hamlets and Norton Hillfort to the north and east.

Landscape Character

The area lies within the ‘Vale of Taunton Deane Farmed and Settled Low Vale’. It comprises mainly middle sized pastoral fields but with some arable fields contained within hedges and hedgebanks. There are three major power lines that run to the north and south of the SLF. They degrade the amenity of the area, however, the underlying landscape is still an important feature within the local area.

Setting of the SLF

The SLF lies within the wider vale of Taunton Deane defined to the south by the village of Staplegrove.

Special Qualities

The escarpment significantly ‘hides’ the built up areas of Staplegrove village as seen from the Vale of Taunton Deane and the higher ground of the Quantock Hills to the north.

Recommendations for Enhancement

Good hedgerow management and encouragement of hedgerow trees would help maintain a more enclosed and intimate landscape.

Proposed boundary changes

It is proposed to move the southern boundary further north to align it with the existing boundary hedgerows; reduce the western boundary so that only the scarp is retained; and realign the northern boundary of the SLF to better fit with existing boundary hedgerows.

Stonegallows Ridge

Summary

The SLF clearly defines the western boundary of Taunton and its suburbs from both the east and west with a ridge of higher ground running north to south. The ridge is composed of farmed land although there are small pockets of woodland and parkland.

Location

The ridge runs along the western edges of Trull and Taunton from the M5 motorway in the south to the southern limits of Bishops Hull in the north.

Landscape Character

The area generally lies within the ‘Vale of Taunton Deane Farmed and Settled Low Vale’ although the SLF is primarily made up of the ‘Blackdown Fringes of the Farmed and Settled High Vale’. The landscape comprised mainly mixed farmland of middle and large sized fields bounded by hedgerows on banks. There are small blocks of woodland and farmsteads along the ridge principally to the south of the A38. To the north of the A38 Rumwell Manor House is prominent in the landscape. North of Stonegallows the ridge snakes back on itself before continuing north again towards Bishops Hull village.

Setting of the SLF

The scarp is most prominent from the west where it rises 40-45 metres from the lower lying area between Wellington and Taunton. It is also visible from the north from Norton Fitzwarren and the mainline railway track.

Special Qualities

The escarpment of the SLF ‘hides’ the built environment of Taunton from the west and provides a sense of enclosure when seen from the east. It provides a noise barrier to the M5 motorway to much of the western part of Taunton and Trull and wider access to the open countryside of the vale.

Recommendations for Enhancement

Good hedgerow management and encouragement of hedgerow trees would help maintain a more enclosed and intimate landscape.

Proposed boundary changes

The area of the original SLF which included the area of land to the north of the village has now been significantly separated through the residential development of land to the west of the Bishops Hull Road and it is proposed that they are now treated as two separate designations. The Local Plan Inspector, in his analysis of the Borough Wide Local Plan of 2004, considered that the stream/brook running north to south along the lowest part of the Bishops Hull Road valley should no longer be considered part of the SLF. The special qualities of the SLF of the Stonegallows Ridge relate more to the sense of enclosure provided by the more westerly edges of the escarpment. It is therefore proposed to remove any of the land to the east of the brook.

It is proposed that the recently permitted area of housing to the western edge of Stonegallows is also removed as this does not contribute to the special landscape character of the area.

West Buckland Ridge

Summary

The ridge provides the setting for the church and screens the village which is largely set back behind the church and existing mature trees. It is principally seen from the M5 motorway driving east towards Taunton and from the access road from the M5 junction to the west.

Location

The ridge runs north to south along an area including and to the west of West Buckland church and to the north of the M5 motorway.

Landscape Character

The SLF lies within an area of ‘Blackdown Fringes Farmed and Settled High Vale’ on the western edge of West Buckland village. The area is close to the M5 motorway which is a dominant and incongruent feature within the local landscape.

Setting of the SLF

The feature is clearly seen from the M5 motorway especially when travelling east towards Taunton. The motorway although a dominant feature in the local landscape is lower than the ridge and within a cutting that provides some screening of it from within the village itself.

Special Qualities

The ridge provides the setting for the church and screens the village which is largely set back behind the church and existing mature trees. It is principally seen from the M5 motorway driving east towards Taunton and the access road from the M5 junction to the west.

Recommendations for Enhancement

Careful management of existing hedgerows and management of hedgerow trees would provide additional softening and a more intimate landscape.

Proposed boundary changes

Extend the area further south towards the motorway to include more of the ridge and remove one area of land to the west which is not clearly defined by hedgerows.

Summary of Proposed boundary changes

 Bishops Hull River Cliff (this was originally part of the Stonegallows Ridge SLF – see below) o Minor change proposed to exclude small area west of Bishops Court.  Bradford on Tone River Cliff o No changes proposed.  Cotlake Hill, Trull o It is proposed to reduce the area so that the new boundaries largely follow existing field boundaries; and o Reduce the area to the north around Cutliffe Farm which contains a number of modern farm buildings of limited visual or special landscape interest.  Creechbarrow Hill, Taunton o Extend boundary to east and west. o Reduce extent of boundary to south.  The Cleeve and Foxdown, Wellington o Reduce the area to the north to limit the SLF to the old A38 as the landscape to the north is different in character; and o Include a small extension to the south to align it with the existing field boundary.  Knowle Hill, Norton Manor Camp o Minor changes are proposed to its north eastern corner to exclude built development.  North Curry Ridge o Minor changes to exclude domestic land to north west of church.  Norton Hillfort, Norton Fitzwarren o No changes proposed.  Rag Hill, Staplegrove o To move the southern boundary further north to align it with the existing boundary hedgerows; o Reduce the western boundary so that only the scarp is retained; and o Realign the northern boundary to better fit with existing boundary hedgerows.  Stonegallows Ridge, Taunton o Area of land to the north of the village separate into separate SLF – see Bishops Hull River Cliff above; o Area to the west of Bishops Hull Road removed to a line running north to south approximately 240m from the road (to follow field boundary). o Minor change to exclude land west of Stonegallows.  West Buckland Ridge o Extend area south to motorway o Remove area of land to west to align with hedgerow. Recommendation

The SLF features technical assessment has been carried out in line with current best practice and the changes summarised above are proposed to take immediate effect.