BIODIVERSITY and ENVIRONMENT of NEW ROAD, LITTLE LONDON and NEIGHBOURING COUNTRYSIDE by Dr Paul Sterry Contents: 1
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BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT OF NEW ROAD, LITTLE LONDON AND NEIGHBOURING COUNTRYSIDE by Dr Paul Sterry Contents: 1. Summary. 2. A brief history. 3. Notable habitats alongside New Road and in the neighbouring countryside. 4. Protected and notable species found on New Road and in the surrounding countryside. Appendix 1 - Historical land use in Little London and its influence on biodiversity. Appendix 2 - Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) recorded on New Road, Little London 2004-2019 (generalised OS Grid Reference SU6159). Appendix 3 - Ageing Hedgerows. About the author : Paul Sterry has BSc and PhD in Zoology and Ecology from Imperial College, London. After 5 years as a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex working on freshwater ecology he embarked on a freelance career as a wildlife author and photographer. Over the last 35 years he has written and illustrated more than 50 books, concentrating mainly on British Wildlife, with the emphasis on photographic field guides. Best-selling titles include Collins Complete British Trees, Collins Complete British Wildlife and Collins Life-size Birds. Above: Barn Owl flying over grassland in the neighbourhood of New Road. 1. Summary Located in the Parish of Pamber, Little London is a Biodiversity hotspot with New Road at its environmental heart. Despite the name New Road is one of the oldest highways in the village and this is reflected in the range of wildlife found along its length, and in the countryside bordering it. New Road has significance for wildlife far beyond is narrow, single-track status. Its ancient hedgerows and adjacent meadows are rich in wildlife but of equal importance is its role as a corridor of wildlife connectivity. Recognised by statutory bodies and planning authorities alike wildlife corridors are vitally important in an era where piecemeal habitat destruction results in local extinctions for some plants and animals, and biological isolation for many others. It is hardly surprising that New Road and its neighbouring countryside are so biologically rich because Pamber Parish is itself exceptional. In statutory terms it is the most important one for wildlife in the whole of the Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council area. Roughly 25% of the land has Site of Special Scientific Interest status because of its wildlife; and in terms of area, it accounts for roughly 37% of SSSI land for which Basingstoke & Deane BC is the Local Planning Authority. In addition, the Parish harbours seven ancient woodland SINCs plus UK BAP Priority Habitat Inventory sites. Unsurprisingly, it also hosts a generous suite of notable and protected species. The rich biodiversity found in Pamber Parish is a consequence of centuries of varied land management, largely dictated by changes in agricultural economics and, in historic terms, the limited physical resources available. Its designated land does not exist in isolation and there is good reason to suppose that, in the past, much of Parish had biodiversity comparable to that found in current SSSIs and SINCs. New Road and the neighbouring countryside is a good example of land that falls outside statutory designation but which still retains rich biodiversity. Fortunately its environmental credentials are evident for anyone with eyes to look and an appreciation of what they are seeing. 2. A brief history In the past, the countryside that borders New Road was more wooded than it is today. Historical records demonstrate a forest ancestry just as old as the Ancient semi-natural woodland of neighbouring Pamber Forest SSSI, with which its woodland cover was contiguous as recently as 200 years ago or so. Map 1. Above left: an 1824-1827 Enclosure Map (Courtesy/Copyright Hampshire Records Office) showing New Road and Little London, with woodland highlighted in green. Above right: the situation today with a rough illustration of what woodland remains (and its status) and what has been destroyed marked in red. Discrepancies between the maps can be attributed to, amongst other things, boundary changes and minor mapping errors made nearly 200 years ago. The 1824-1827 Enclosure Map shows forested land extending from the existing southern boundary of Pamber Forest SSSI south to New Road, Little London and east to the settlements along Silchester Road. Further woodland was present south of New Road as well. Since then, all of these enclosed areas have had their woodland destroyed, replaced either by agricultural land or grassland of varying quality in terms of biodiversity. Above: Framed by Silchester Road to the east and New Road to the north is an area of land, much of which is now known as Berry Court Farm. Prior to its purchase by the current owners it was known as Rackett’s Farm and the 1911 sale of this land (Lot 20) makes interesting reading, and demonstrates the farming use to which the land was put. Above: Good quality grassland (Map 2, location 5) photographed on 24 July 2019. Taken from the adjacent public footpath, the field hosted the best display of Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil in Little London. There is every reason to suppose immediately adjacent fields contain similar biodiversity which would become more obvious with reduced grazing pressure. These fields represent the last vestiges of Rackett’s Farm’s good quality grassland. Land to the south has been largely been industrialised or subjected to intensive farming. 3. Notable habitats alongside New Road and in the neighbouring countryside In terms of significance to native wildlife species and biodiversity there are three important habitat types in the general vicinity of New Road: deciduous woodland, tree belts and hedgerows; grassland; and watercourses. Above: Map 2, a Defra magicmap of New Road, Little London and neighbouring countryside marked with areas of biodiversity interest, plus locations where biological pluses and minuses have occurred recently. 1 Natural England/BAP Priority Habitat Inventory Deciduous woodland. 2 Natural England/BAP Priority Habitat Inventory Floodplain Grazing Meadow. 3 Ancient Byway known locally as Gypsy Lane whose ancestry may date to the era of Roman occupation. 4 Garden adjacent to New Road and Gypsy Lane which has been the subject of a biodiversity study for 20 years. 5 Good quality grassland. 6 Ancient Hedgerow. 7 Ancient Tree Belt. 8 Good quality grassland, currently grazed. 9 Watercourse known as Little London Brook. 10 Good quality grassland, currently cut for hay. 11 Good quality grassland, currently grazed. 12 Kinghern Copse SINC Ancient Woodland. 13 Former arable land, now converted to organic hay production and seasonal grazing. 14 Woodland, felled in the last year. 15 Former good quality hay meadow, destroyed in recent years and now used for intensive arable farming. 3a. Deciduous Woodland and Hedgerows The previous importance to wildlife of New Road’s ‘lost’ woodland is hinted at by looking at its tree belts and hedgerows, in locations where these are the last remnants of earlier forest. For example, on the north and south sides of New Road and alongside the lane running south from SU 6190 5925 (known locally as Gypsy Lane) the woody plant species composition suggests that their heritage as boundary banks dates back at least 450 years and no fewer than 12 Wild Service-trees grace the banks of the latter site; map and documentary evidence lends weight to the contention about ancestry. Above: Hedgerow bordering New Road with flowering Hawthorn (left, Map 2 location 6) and veteran Wild Service-trees growing alongside Gypsy Lane (right, Map 2 location 3). The number of tree and shrub species present in a native hedgerow or tree belt increases with time, through natural colonisation. There are several tried and tested ecological methods for estimating hedgerow and tree belt age, determined by counting the number of woody species contained in a given length (see Appendix 3). Along the hedgerow length of New Road in Little London, at least 19 species of woody shrub and tree are present. Of particular interest is the native tree belt to the south of New Road (Map 2, location 7) whose long-term heritage is demonstrated not only by mapping evidence but also by the number of woody tree and shrub species it harbours. These include a minimum of 15 species visible from New Road: English Oak Quercus robur ; Ash Fraxinus excelsior ; Alder Alnus glutinosa ; English Elm Ulmus procera (aka minor var. vulgaris ); Holly Ilex aquifolium ; Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa ; Hawthorn Crategus monogyna ; Elder Sambucus nigra ; Rowan Sorbus aucuparia ; Hazel Corylus avellana ; Goat Willow Salix capraea ; Crack Willow Salix fragilis ; Grey Willow Salix cinerea ; Wild Cherry Prunus avium ; and Silver Birch Betula pendula . By any determining method you care to use, the tree belt in question has a heritage dating back at least 450 years old. Basingstoke and Deane BC are obliged to treat ancient woodlands, native tree belts and hedgerows with the statutory respect they deserve, and their commitment is enshrined in their Supplementary Policy Document (Landscape, Biodiversity and Trees SPD) . Page 55 of the document states: ‘Tree belts and woodlands - A minimum buffer of 20 metres should be provided between the edge of the woodland/tree belt and the development. Where a minimum buffer is proposed, information will be required to demonstrate that this will be adequate to prevent any adverse impact upon the woodland or tree belt feature. Where it is considered the woodland and/or tree belt form part of an important wildlife corridor, for example of particular importance to bats, or where the woodland is ancient in origin, then the council will expect buffers exceeding the 20 metres minimum as a precautionary principle and especially for major development. ’ This is in line with the National Planning Policy Framework NPPF, published in July 2018, which affords trees and ancient woodland the same protection as listed buildings. Paragraph 175c1 of the NPPF states that when local planning authorities are determining applications, they should consider whether: ‘...development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused.