Area 13 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Frome Valley Area 13 Frome Valley Contents Sketch map 178 Key characteristics 179 Location 180 Physical influences 180 Land cover 181 Settlement and infrastructure 185 The changing landscape 190 Landscape strategy 193 Photographs Landscape character area boundary www.southglos.gov.uk 177 Area 13 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Frome Valley Key å14 Photograph viewpoints \\\ Core strategy proposed new neighbourhood and Local Plan allocated land Scale: not to scale æ11 æ1 •2 å12 æ3 è14 â13 ç5 ä7 ã4 •6 æ10 æ9 å8 Figure 40 Frome Valley Sketch Map 178 www.southglos.gov.uk Area 13 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Frome Valley Area 13 Frome Valley The Frome Valley character area is a diverse, enclosed, intricate combination of agriculture and settlement, divided by major roads. N Key Characteristics ¡ Undulating landform, with shallow valleys of ¡ The Frome Valley includes a number of the River Frome and Bradley Brook / Folly areas of neutral and acidic grassland which Brook tributaries. The River Frome follows supports a diverse range of flora and a meandering incised course, through include areas of attractive and ecologically small gorges adjacent to Bury Hill and valuable species rich grassland. Arable Frenchay, some of which are designated as land provides ground nesting and winter Sites of Nature Conservation Importance stubble opportunities for farmland birds, due to the ecological value of their water some of which are Amber and Red listed. and bankside habitat. ¡ Boundaries formed by either hedges ¡ Some areas have a more remote/ tranquil that provide important habitat value and character, with others contained and connectivity, or post and wire fencing, with influenced by settlement boundaries and a Pennant stone walls near settlement. Tree dense network of roads. Other areas are cover is generally a common feature, but is subject to or proposed for significant new more variable along settlement boundaries. development. ¡ Woodland is associated with Stoke Park, ¡ Rural areas comprising a mix of medium Sims’ Hill, Bury Hill, and the Frome Valley sized pasture and arable fields, with some Scattered smaller areas are associated limited common land. Small fields are with the Bradley Brook and former small located nearer settlement with a more scale quarry sites. mixed land use, including some paddocks, plant nurseries, recreation grounds and ¡ Diverse settlement patterns relate to the storage compounds. One golf course lies historic layout and expansion of former in the south east. village centres. The separate settlements of Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath form a distinct horseshoe shape surrounding a rural landscape. Hamlets, farms and residential properties are scattered across the wider rural landscape. www.southglos.gov.uk 179 Area 13 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Frome Valley Key Characteristics ¡ Distinct historic features include Bury Hill ¡ The landscape is influenced locally by Fort (SAM), Stoke Park (listed parkland) and the concentration of road infrastructure, Whiteshill village green. The Conservation the M32/M4 corridors and railway Areas of Hambrook and Frenchay form embankments. A number of railway distinctive settlements with associated viaducts form prominent landmarks. Pylon landscape settings. towers and powerlines influence the south west. A railway cutting at Winterbourne includes a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The geology, in conjunction with the drainage Location pattern of the River Frome, Bradley Brook and The Frome Valley landscape character area is Folly Brook, has produced largely distinct, simple located centrally on the south western boundary valley landforms of gentle vale, broad but shallow of South Gloucestershire, taking in the eastern ‘V’-shaped valleys, with some smaller areas of fringes of Harry Stoke and Stoke Gifford, more complex and irregular, steep sided valleys Frenchay and the settlements of Winterbourne, and undulating landform. Topography generally Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath to the varies between 30 metres in the valleys to 60 - 70 north. metres a.o.d. on the ridges, reaching 75 metres a.o.d. at Sims’ Hill and 80 metres a.o.d. at the The boundary of the area is defined to the north southern end of the ridge at Winterbourne. west, north and north east by the settlement edge of Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell and The landform has been most significantly shaped Coalpit Heath. The eastern boundary encloses by the River Frome, which flows southwards follows the edge of the Kendleshire Golf Course, through Frampton Cotterell, Winterbourne the A4174 partly defining the northern edge of Down and Frenchay. Its upper reaches form an Bromley Heath, Mangotsfield, Downend and asymmetric and sometimes irregular, broad but the eastern upper edge of the Frome Valley. shallow ‘V’-shaped valley, the river flowing within a The southern boundary follows the South sinuous channel and meandering around a low hill Gloucestershire/Bristol City administrative at Cloisters, creating a scarp slope to the east of boundary around Frenchay, across the M32 the river. The valley slopes rise to a small, rounded corridor, taking in part of Stoke Park. The ridgeline to the east (beyond which lies a parallel western boundary follows the approximate crown dry valley) and to a broader, flatter and higher ridge of a broad ridgeline through Stoke Park, variously to the west, occupied by Winterbourne. including development and the urban edges of Harry Stoke and Stoke Gifford. (See Figures 46). Further south, the river is contained within a small narrow gorge and the steep sided slopes of Bury Hill. The river again passes through a small Physical Influences incised valley and gorge through Frenchay, before The underlying geology is diverse, varying from flowing south west, beyond this character area, a mix of alluvium and sandstone to the west, through Bristol and into the River Avon. A number leading into a mix of Coal Measures and shale to of tributaries join the River Frome from different the east. Soils are generally Brown Earth Loam. directions, the most notable being the Bradley Brook to the west and the Folly Brook to the east. 180 www.southglos.gov.uk Area 13 South Gloucestershire Landscape Character Assessment Draft Proposed for Adoption 12 November 2014 Frome Valley The Bradley Brook follows an irregular In this area, the River Frome is contained by meandering course southwards from the a narrow corridor of dense riparian shrub adjoining character area, before forming a small, vegetation and occasional trees, with linear incised valley in the area of Whiteshill, before woodland associated with the gorges near Bury joining the River Frome. Hill and Frenchay and elsewhere along steep river banks. The western area comprises part of a larger vale which runs north-south, contained by broad South of Winterbourne, the upper slopes of low lying ridges, occupied by Winterbourne and Bury Hill are heavily wooded, with a mix of Mangotsfield to the east and Harry Stoke and mature deciduous trees and Scots pine. This is Stoke Gifford to the west. The continuation of this combined with overgrown hedges and Pennant ridge along the south western boundary forms stone walls, often in a state of disrepair (Photo a scarp slope within Stoke Park and Sims’ Hill, 3). Bury Hill Fort (a SAM) is located on the broad continuing southwards beyond this character area. hill top, above steep slopes of the River Frome and comprises earth ramparts; the western boundary has been damaged by quarrying. On Land Cover the lower slopes towards the M4, the medium The land cover of this character area is a diverse sized, sometimes irregular shaped, pastoral fields mix of rural uses, contained and variously and areas of rough grassland include fenced field influenced by settlement areas, urban edge, boundaries, with some stone walls, hedges and roads and railway. fewer trees (Photo 7). To the east lie small fields and a tree lined stream course within a small, To the north, the land within the River Frome tight valley section of the Folly Brook. valley is contained on three sides by settlement. It consists of rolling pasture of small to medium Further east again, part of a wider pattern of sized and regular shaped fields, enclosed regular medium sized fields is evident, however common at Hicks Common and some horse much of this area has been replaced by the paddocks near the settlement edge. A small area Kendleshire Golf Course, which retains some of woodland (Rockwell Wood) covers the steep lengths of the former agricultural hedgerows scarp slope above the River Frome, opposite and tree structure amongst extensive ground Cloisters. Fields are divided by a mix of clipped, remodelling and earthworks to form fairways and intermittent and overgrown hedges (Photo 1). greens (Photo 13). A more recent 9 - hole course extension to the north west comprises ground There are frequent mature deciduous trees within modelling and open grassland, with developing hedgerows and along settlement boundaries. native tree and shrub planting, creating a new Post and wire and timber fencing is also present, landscape. particularly on the upper slopes close to the settlement edge. Pennant sandstone walls are The dense settlement