Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath

1A: PAMBER AND TADLEY PLANTATIONS AND HEATH

Silchester Roman settlement – on the eastern edge of the character areas overlooking the lowlands to the east.

Small pasture fields near Tadley Hill ©Pamber Forest © Colin Bates - Soke Pig farm near Tadley Soke Pig Pam Brophy- Geograph Geograph Farm © Graham Horn - Geograph

St Peters Church nr Tadley © Pam Pamber Heath piecemeal linear Stream at Haughurst Hill, wooded Brophy - Geograph housing development along main steep sided stream valley west roads © Colin Bates - Geograph Tadley. © Geograph

Hampshire County 1 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . Hampshire County 2 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . 1.0 Location and Boundaries 1.1 This Character Area is characterised by assart woodland and enclosures along with remnant heath and a significant concentration of Roman archaeology. The northern boundary of this character area is defined by the County boundary although the character of this landscape extends beyond to the north. To the south the landscape is defined by the gradual transition into the more open, mixed farmland landscape of character area 2A.

1.2 Component County Landscape Types Lowland Mosaic Heath Associated, Woodland and Plantation on Heath, Settlement – including Pamber Heath, Tadley and Silchester

1.3 Composition of Borough/District LCAs: Basingstoke and Dean North Silchester Wolverton (small part) North Sherborne (small part)

This character area is more extensive than the Borough North Silchester character area which is drawn closely to reflect the extent of mixed heath and plantation woodland over heath and acid sandy soils. This character area includes settlement that grew up along the edge of, and had grazing commoner’s rights to, the heath commons such as Tadley and Baughurst. Hence it includes the mixed farmland and woodland small scale landscape type associated with this piecemeal development.

1.4 Associations with NCAs and Natural Areas: NCA 129: Thames Basin Heaths NA 66: London Basin

2.0 Key Characteristics • Gently undulating plateau landscape with areas of more pronounced undulations associated with water courses. • Mixture of soils ranging from sandy poor soils in the north to less well drained soils in the south. • Rich biodiversity due to the mosaic of woodland, heathland, wetland and grassland habitats. • Extensive areas of coniferous heath plantation and assart woodland giving an enclosed wooded character. • Remnant areas of dry heathland e.g. Silchester Common.

Hampshire County 3 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . • Medium scaled assart enclosures supporting predominantly pastoral landuse with some areas of arable. • Limited views out of this landscape as result of plateau character and extent of woodland cover, especially conifer plantations. • Principle periods of exploitation appear to be Bronze and Iron Age, Roman and mid to late 20th century – with little in between. • Important area for Roman archaeology associated with the Roman town of Silchester. • Quiet, rural character.

3.0 Physical Characteristics and Land Use 3.1 Much of this character area forms a gently undulating plateau which is dissected by water courses particularly in the northeast and southwest. In these latter areas the landform can take on a more pronounced undulating form. Land rises to just over 100m AOD in the north around Heath End and slopes generally in a southerly direction to approximately 70m AOD.

3.2 The northern fringes of this landscape are underlain predominantly by plateau gravels giving rise to heath soils and resulting in acid loving vegetation. Further south the soils are well drained, fine and silty progressively becoming influenced by clay deposits and resulting in slowly permeable soils. Landuse is a mixture of woodland (native and plantation), remnant patches of dry heath and pasture, with only limited patches of arable. This in part can be attributed to the sensitivity of the area for buried and upstanding archaeology and the implementation of management agreements with local landowners accordingly. Agricultural land quality is generally medium quality with small patches of lower quality along river course e.g. around West End Brook and Ashford Hill Meadows.

3.3 The distinct heath associated vegetation and areas of coniferous heath plantation gives rise to contrasting areas of semi-natural vegetation on the commons through to more formal managed and uniform landscape within the plantations e.g. Benyan’s Inclosure and Hundred Acre Piece.

3.4 In addition to the plantations this landscape has a high concentration of broadleaved woodland e.g. Pamber Forest and smaller copses. Between the copses is a pattern of medium scaled fields defined by thick hedgerows with hedgerow trees.

3.5 Adjacent to urban areas land has been used for recreational purposes such as Tadley Common (common rights now extinguished) and Bishopswood Golf Club to the south of Tadley.

3.6 This character area falls within the Environment Agency River Kennet/ Enborne catchment area to the west and River Kennet/Foudry Brook catchment area to the east. There are two watercourses which dissect this area and flow eastwards namely West End Brook and Bishop’s Wood Stream. Kiln Pond (located on the West End Brook) is the only water body in this character area.

Hampshire County 4 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . 4.0 Experiential/Perceptual Characteristics 4.1 This is an inward looking landscape with medium to short range views contained by vegetation and topography. The maturity of the woodland, hedgerows and trees coupled with the remains of archaeological earthworks projects a strong but disjointed historic character where Roman archaeological remains are isolated elements superseded by a pattern which is more recent.

4.2 Key attractions in this landscape are the Roman remains of Silchester Roman Town (Roman wall and earthworks) and features such as the Roman Amphitheatre. In addition to this there is a central swathe of accessible broadleaved woodland (Pamber Forest) which cuts through this character area linking areas of former common e.g. Silchester Common and providing open access. Ashford Hill Meadows located in the east of this character area is a National Nature Reserve and also provides open access. There is a medium density of public rights of way throughout this area connecting into areas of more open access.

4.3 Much of this area retains a quiet character, although its predominately rural nature is disrupted in western parts by the urban influence of Tadley, and Pamber Heath. Areas of open common can appear rough and unmanaged in appearance increasing a sense of naturalness and contrasting with the more managed areas of conifer plantation or urban development. Night light pollution from urban areas of Tadley and Pamber Heath undermines tranquillity.

5.0 Biodiversity Character 5.1 This landscape character area contains agricultural habitats, woodland and heath associated habitats particularly to the west and south. In the north of the area there is a large residential area associated with Tadley, while to the east there is an area of coniferous woodland containing patches of remnant parkland and broadleaved woodland. In the north there are some small patches of lowland heath with associated bracken growth. These contain a mix of habitats including dry heath, mires, bare ground, open water, acid grassland, scrub and wooded areas and provide important and specialist habitats.

5.2 There is a sizeable area of active coppice with standards in the southeast of the area, associated with Pamber Forest. Hazel coppice with oak and ash standards relate to the historical production of hazel wattle sheep hurdling and can support rich flora and butterfly populations if the coppice is cut regularly. There are occasional small ponds and patches of marshy grassland in this character area which can support wetland species and provide important variation within the wider habitat mosaic. Ancient and semi-natural woodland is fairly widespread through this landscape and much of it is covered by nature conservation designations.

5.3 There are three SSSIs designated in this landscape character area including Pamber Forest and Silchester Common SSSI and LNR (consisting of an area of ancient oak woodland, with two heathland commons and a series of unimproved wet meadows), Ron Ward’s Meadow with Tadley Pastures SSSI (comprising unimproved meadows traditionally managed for hay production -the south facing sloping nature of the site gives rise to habitat variation illustrated by the 28 ancient grassland species) and, Ashford Hills Woods and Meadows SSSI (comprising ancient oak woodlands with some stands of hazel and ash adjacent to dry and wet pastures).

Hampshire County 5 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . 5.4 This area is part of two Biodiversity Opportunity Areas. In the west, Ashford Hills BOA is made up of a range of habitats, including ancient woodland, wet woodland, lowland meadows and rush pastures. The intimate juxtaposition of habitats within a small area gives rise to great biological richness. In the east of the area, Silchester/Tadley BOA comprises lowland heath and dry acid grasslands along with mixed woodlands and wet woodlands and covers heathlands which support woodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler, three species listed in Annex 1 of the EC Directive on the Conservation of Birds.

5.5 There are over 35 SINCs within this landscape character area, mainly designated for the ancient and semi-natural woodlands they support. Benyon’s Inclosure is a large SINC, covering 182 hectares and designated because it contains ancient and semi- natural woodlands, including species limited to Hampshire, along with areas of woodland over heathland with sufficient remnant heath to enable habitat recovery. Hundred Acre and Fifty Acre Pieces SINC is also an area of woodland over heathland with sufficient remnant heath to enable habitat recovery.

6.0 Historic Character 6.1 Archaeology 6.1.1 The evolution of this landscape, either for pasture or plantation, is a relatively late event, reflecting the weak and poor sandy soils and gravel geology.

6.1.2 There is only very limited Mesolithic evidence currently recorded. Similarly no sites of Neolithic date have been found although some Neolithic material has been recorded which may suggest exploitation of this area in the Neolithic without settlement. The chalk to the south seems to have been settled in the Neolithic and it may be the emerging arable based communities on the chalk exploited these higher, poorer, heath lands, perhaps by grazing.

6.1.3 This pattern is likely to have continued into the Bronze Age and a number of impressive Bronze Age barrows are recorded along the high gravel ridge over looking the Kennet Valley (of which this landscape forms a part). The Kennet Valley is rich in Bronze Age settlement evidence and it is not a great leap to suppose that these communities were utilising the heath land on the gravel ridge above the valley.

6.1.4 In the late Iron Age there is a considerable change. An Iron Age Oppidum was established at Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum). The evolution of such an important settlement within this otherwise quite weak landscape probably reflects its position in relation to political boundaries at the time. None the less the establishment of this centre will have had an impact on the nature of the exploitation and use of the adjacent area. This Oppidum evolved in to a Roman Civitas Capital, and Roman roads radiate from it across the character area. There is evidence of both clay and gravel extraction during this period and it is likely that the Roman town had a continuing and increasing impact on the landscape around it, with the development of market gardening and dispersed occupation sites and farms/villas.

6.1.5 However, once the Roman town was abandoned and the direct influence of its economy on the local area was removed it seems likely that the exploitation of the area reverted to a lower level, with less enclosure and settlement. Thus this area’s more recent history and evolution shares similar traits to the other plateau gravel

Hampshire County 6 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . areas i.e. the current dispersed settlement would seem to be a relatively recent landscape addition.

6.2 Historic Landscape 6.2.1 In the medieval period this area was part of the Royal Forest of Pamber and was used for hunting and the production of timber. Extensive areas of this woodland were subject to clearance or assarting in the 14th century while other areas remained wooded until much more recently (17th and 18th century). It is the woodland/plantations on heath or common character which remains evident today and the different phases of clearance have resulted in two distinct historic patterns which are described below.

6.2.2 To the north and west of Silchester there is a pattern of medium scaled irregular fields and broadleaved copses/shaws which are often wavy in form. This pattern may reflect the process of piecemeal clearance of the former Forest and enclosure for agriculture. These areas are also associated with a dispersed pattern of small farmsteads (see below) suggesting medieval or late medieval field systems. Pamber Forest is the most significant block of remaining assarted woodland in this area and where traditional coppice management can still be found. Elsewhere some of the smaller assart woods have been replanted with conifers. The extent of heathland/common in this character area has diminished as a result of development encroachment but also conifer plantations which were established in the 19th century e.g. Hundred Acre Piece and Benyon’s Enclosure. On Silchester Common some areas of open heath have been lost through scrub and woodland encroachment as a result of lack of grazing.

6.2.3 West of Tadley and also to the south the landscape shows evidence of much later and larger scale clearance probably in the 17th and 18th centuries. In this area there are also areas of parliamentary enclosure, presumably from commons and large blocks of conifer woodland. Areas of open common/heath comprise remnants of what is likely to have been more extensive common used for grazing livestock.

6.3 Built Environment 6.3.1 This landscape is traversed by minor roads and lanes which connect the settlements and dispersed farmsteads. The pattern of roads and lanes is varied but distinct. In farmed areas the network is relatively dense, the lanes being sinuous and rural in character flanked by hedgerows. Where lanes cross areas of former heath and common they become straight and are often undefined. In settlements the road network takes on an urban character with kerbing and street lighting. Significantly, the lines of former Roman roads associated with Silchester are no longer in use and today form only remnant or subtle features in the landscape reflecting the abandonment of the Roman infrastructure followed by the gradual establishment of an entirely different phase of communication networks.

6.3.2 This is a landscape which has experienced distinct phases of settlement and exploitation. The pattern seen today reflects a medieval and latter pattern of nucleated hamlets/villages which emerged particularly on the edges of heath or common. Church Road Tadley and Ramsdell both have conservation areas and comprise a loose connection of dwellings thought to have developed as a result of engagement in the production of wood products and crafts from local forests/woods

Hampshire County 7 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . in the medieval period. Similarly Silchester and Tadley are common edge settlements with Conservation Areas, the former has a range of building types; timber framed with brick infill, red brick, mostly tiled roofs with some thatch and slate. The church is an important focal point; mostly of flint/brick with stone dressings. In the 20th century, Silchester and Tadley saw considerable growth such that the urban development of Tadley now dwarfs that of the original historic medieval core. This growth in part reflects the development of nearby towns such as Newbury and Reading. This recent housing growth has altered the settlement pattern as well as the original form of villages in this area.

6.3.3 There are very few historic farmsteads. They tend to be found scattered through this area at intervals along the rural lane network particularly in the east and are not found in areas of former common or plantation. They tend to be small, comprising a mixture of agricultural buildings including barns, granaries, cartsheds and stables. Stained weatherboarding on farmstead barns is a repetitive vernacular feature of this area. In particular there is an important farm group at Manor Farm, Silchester, which comprises timber framed aisled barns, weatherboarded with large areas of hipped roofs; some tiled, some corrugated sheet.

6.3.4 More specifically the vernacular architecture of this character area comprises timber framed buildings, the use of red brick, and clay tile roofing. However, the extent of recent development means that this vernacular character is no longer dominant. More recent housing development uses a variety of building material and brick colours and roofing is often Welsh slate.

6.3.5 The above ground earthwork remains of the Roman town of Silchester are a special component of this landscape.

Hampshire County 8 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . EVALUATION

7.0 Forces for Change 1. Urban growth (particularly around Tadley), and incremental suburbanisation of landscapes and roads. 2. Changing land management practices, particularly associated with forestry, and agricultural intensification. 3. Mineral extraction, including a safeguarded quarry site on the northern edge of the area, and a safeguarded area for sand and gravel extraction. 4. Climate change, particularly potential for increased storms, droughts and disease resulting in tree loss.

KEY QUALITIES AND EFFECTS OF FORCES 7.1 Varied/distinct pattern of roads and public rights of way (sinuous and hedged in farmed areas, straight across heathland), with relatively high proportion of publicly accessible land. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: Most influence: Threats: 1.2. Lack of access into the countryside from towns. Conflicts of interest between motorised and non-motorised users of roads and other public rights of way. Speeding traffic on straight roads is a particular issue in this area.

Opportunities: Potential to link areas of publicly accessible land (e.g. accessible woodland, forest, common land, nature reserves and archaeological sites), and to improve links between towns and countryside, in accordance with CAP actions. Potential use of Rural Roads Initiative to retain the character of rural roads whilst meeting Highways standards. In particular the issue of vehicle speeds on straight roads needs to be addressed, and also the retention of the character of the sinuous rural lanes. This could include the management of road verges to increase species diversity and encourage their use as “green corridors” to facilitate wildlife movement.

7.2 An important area for Roman archaeology, particularly associated with the Roman settlement at Silchester. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: Most influence: Threats: 2.3. Potential loss of fragile buried and upstanding archaeology through ploughing, tree planting, neglect or other changes in land use. Potential loss of archaeology due to future mineral extraction.

Opportunities: Continuation and enhancement of existing stewardship schemes to prevent damage to buried and upstanding archaeology through ploughing or other means. Sensitive interpretation of and public access to archaeological features within the landscape, such as traces of Roman roads, in accordance with CAP actions. Use minerals planning policy and conditions to minimise impacts of works on archaeology.

Hampshire County 9 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath . 7.3 Sandy soils support extensive areas of contrasting coniferous plantation and ecologically valuable assarted deciduous woodland, with additional biodiversity deriving from the pockets of unimproved pasture and areas of remnant heathland and commons. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: Most influence: Threats: 2.3.4. Continued visual and ecological impact of large quarry/landfill site on the northern edge of the character area. Lack of ecological diversity in conifer plantations. Potential poor management of ancient deciduous woodland. Loss of historic field patterns, particularly in the area to the North and West of Silchester Past (and potential future). Loss of rare unimproved pasture and heathland habitats due to scrub encroachment, forestry and agriculture. Climate change may result in loss of species biodiversity throughout these varied habitats due to increased drought, diseases etc.

Opportunities: Use of minerals planning policies and conditions to ensure appropriate management and restoration of the quarry/landfill site on the northern boundary, to maximise future ecological diversity and blend into the surrounding landscape. Influence forestry management to improve species and structural diversity, and the ecological value of coniferous plantations. Potential use of timber as sustainable woodfuel to help combat effects of climate change. Use of woodland grant schemes to encourage programme of traditional woodland management, for example coppice management at Pamber Forest. Target agri-environment schemes to encourage retention of historic field patterns through management of hedgerows and hedgerow trees, and promote grassland and heathland management to minimise scrub encroachment, maximise biological diversity, and encourage linking of similar habitats in accordance with BOA targets.

7.4 A quiet and rural area containing a dispersed pattern of common-edge villages. FORCES FOR CONSEQUENCES CHANGE: Most influence: Threats: 1. Increased urbanisation of larger settlements (e.g. Tadley, Silchester and Pamber Heath) has led to changes in the pattern and form of settlements. Vernacular character has a reduced dominance in these settlements. Major proposed residential development at Tadley. Increased suburbanisation, particularly in villages, due to changes in kerbing, lighting, signage etc which reduces the rural quality of the area. Adjacent to urban areas, there is pressure on land to be used for recreational purposes, such as golf courses, which further affect its rural character.

Opportunities: Local-level assessments such as Village Design Statements and Parish Plans provide an opportunity to identify valued features in the built environment and retain the character of settlements, avoiding the effects of suburbanisation on settlement in this area. Use of planning conditions to help integrate new development into the landscape and ensure new extensions to towns and villages fit into the traditional form of the settlement. Use of planning policies and conditions, and CAP actions to ensure that land is made available for recreation in a way that is not detrimental to the character of the surrounding countryside.

Hampshire County 10 Status: FINAL May 2012 Integrated Character Assessment Pamber and Tadley Plantations and Heath .