Landscape Character Assessment for Forest Heath (Draft Version December 2008) NOTE: The Forest Heath Landscape Character Assessment is currently in draft, it is based on work led by Suffolk County Council Contents Introduction - Page 2 What is Landscape Character Assessment? - Page 2 Biodiversity and LCA - Page 2 Assessment Methodology - Page 2 Outputs from the Survey - Page 3 How does LCA fit into Legislative Frameworks relating to Planning? - Page 3 How to use this document - Page 3 Character Types: Estate Sandlands - Page 4 Planned Fenland - Page 7 Settled Fenland - Page 9 Valley Fen - Page 11 Wooded Fen - Page 13 Wooded Valley Meadowlands and Fen - Page 14 Rolling Estate Chalkland - Page 16 Settled Chalkland - Page 18 Rolling Estate Sandlands - Page 20 Wooded Chalk Slopes - Page 22 Plateau Estate Farmland - Page 24 Undulating Estate Farmland - Page 26 Undulating Ancient Farmland - Page 28 Appendix 1: Landscape Character Area Level 2 Map - Page 30 1 Introduction This study is intended to form the basis of a Core Strategy policy relating to landscape in its wider sense, within the Local Development Framework. Decisions relating to development often impinge considerably upon landscape, changing and altering it. Landscape as an entity is not static but is constantly changing and developing. It is anticipated that this study will be referred to by Development Control, developers, Parish Councils, members of the public and all others responsible for, or interested in development within the District. What is Landscape Character Assessment? Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) in its most basic form is a process of assessing the particular features (individual items such as churches) and elements (general items such as hills) within landscapes which make one landscape different from another. Landscape is a product of lots of different factors ranging from the topography (hills, valleys, fens etc), which is influenced by underlying geology, climate and soil type, through landcover (types of agriculture, whether wooded or not etc), settlement (farms, villages and towns), through to smaller elements such as the size of fields and the presence or absence of hedges right down to single features such as a church or water- tower. All of these factors cumulatively make up the feel or character of a landscape. The process of undertaking a LCA is to try to break down the overall landscape into its constituent parts, understanding the contribution of each of them to the whole effect and then be able to describe and analyse the landscape in a manner which is useful to the particular purpose set - in this case development planning. The result is the production of a map showing areas which have distinctive, homogenous ‘character’, together with descriptions of these areas and an analysis of why they look as they do - what features or elements have contributed to making the landscape what it is. Biodiversity and LCA Apart from simply describing landscape, other factors can be included or have influence within a LCA. In the case of an LDF, these other factors might include the biodiversity of the area. Biodiversity has a similar place within the planning regime to landscape and the two are obviously linked in terms of what they contribute to the sense of place of any area. Biodiversity in this survey is recognised through the use of landcover and soil type/geological data, and it is acknowledged that the survey will support and mesh with the Suffolk Biodiversity Action Plan and the Forest Heath Biodiversity Action Plan where appropriate. Assessment Methodology The assessment was conducted by Suffolk County Council in a partnership with the Living Landscapes Project based at Reading University and all District and Borough Councils in Suffolk using the standard LCA methodology which has been developed by the Countryside Agency and the Living Landscapes Project. This process has been in development for over twenty years and is a robust process for undertaking such an assessment (Landscape Character Assessment Guidelines; Countryside Agency et al ., 2002). In this instance over 300 individual landscape description units (LDU's) were identified from information on geology, soils, landform, vegetation, and settlement pattern. Field surveys have been carried out to identify the strength of character and condition of the 2 LDUs. A draft Landscape Character Map of Suffolk, that arranged these LDU's into 28 Landscape Typologies. The preparation of the full written descriptions has refined the understanding of the landscape of Suffolk further and the revised map has 31 Landscape Typologies, 13 of which are found in Forest Heath. Outputs from the Survey This assessment comprises a map, which shows where different overall character areas can be found (at what is termed Level 2 within the LCA Guidelines Book) and a description for each Character Area, including among other things key characteristics of the area, its general location and settlement pattern. How does LCA fit into Legislative Frameworks relating to Planning? Landscape Character Assessment has been promoted as a tool to be used in land use planning for over ten years. The Countryside Agency has been using and developing the process for somewhat longer. In 1997 the then PPG7 contained a sentence which promoted the option for local planning authorities to incorporate an LCA within their planning documents to inform policy and decisions. This has been added to in the current PPS7 to the effect that such a study is expected. The purpose behind this gradual process has been to try to resolve the difficulties (as the Government and others perceive them) associated with ‘landscape quality’ based surveys. Landscape quality was and still is a very important means of apportioning landscape policy. National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and at District level, Areas of High Quality Landscape (AHQL) all rely on this form of assessment. However, it has been criticised on the basis that it is very subjective - ‘what is beauty?’ and on the basis that it does not value the wider landscape which is not beautiful. By changing the criteria to ‘character’ rather than ‘beauty’ the two problems were largely addressed. Everywhere has a character and the character assessment process works to try to remove a good deal of subjectivity. Nevertheless, relative quality is still an important; some would argue the most important factor in defining policy. Therefore, whilst it will be expected that any review of District or County level planning policy documents will be underpinned by an LCA rather than simply areas which have been designated as of higher quality and those that have not, there remains a clause which allows Councils to retain (but informed by and LCA) some form of qualitative assessment. It will be seen that the issues which surround the assessment of, and policy apportionment resulting from , considerations of landscape sensitivity mentioned above, are likely to be very similar to issues relating to relative landscape quality. How to use this Document This document sets out to provide detailed descriptions of each of the landscape character types indicated on the map of the district which accompanies this document. The level of assessment of the landscape at Level 2 (‘County/District level’ as defined by the Countryside Agency Guidance) is intended to give a strategic view of the relative variety of landscapes to be found in the District. 3 Estate Sandlands Key Characteristics • Flat or very gently rolling plateaux of freely-draining sandy soils, overlying drift deposits of either glacial or fluvial origin • Chalky in parts of the Breckland • Absence of watercourses • Extensive areas of heathland or acid grassland • Strongly geometric structure of fields enclosed in the 18 th & 19 th century. • Generally a landscape without ancient woodland, but there are some isolated and very significant exceptions • Widespread planting of tree belts and rectilinear plantations • Large scale commercial forestry • Characteristic ‘pine lines’ especially, but not solely, in Breckland • High incidence of relatively late, estate type, brick buildings • North-west slate roofs with white or yellow bricks. Flint is also widely used in as a walling material. Location This is a large area of landscape found in two main areas of Suffolk, the North West and south east/along the coast. In the north east and centre of Forest Heath it is made up of the dry slopes and central plateau of the Breckland, extending from Freckenham and Kentford eastward on both sides of the River Lark to Wordwell and Hengrave, and northward to Brandon and along the Little Ouse valley to Knettishall. Geology, landform and soils All the parts of this landscape type consist of flat or very gently rolling plateaux of freely draining sandy soils, overlying drift deposits of either glacial or fluvial origin, sometimes chalky in parts of the Breckland, but usually acid and sandy. Landholding and enclosure pattern The dry mineral soils of this landscape and the general absence of watercourses gave rise to extensive areas of heathland or acid grassland that, historically, were used either for sheep grazing or for rabbit warrens, the sheep-grazed heaths were often referred to as ‘sheepwalks’. The earliest warrens were established on the poorest soils and were owned by ecclesiastical landlords: the bishops of Ely had a warren at Brandon by 1252; the prior and convent of Ely received a specific grant of a warren at Lakenheath in 1300, but had had ‘free-warren’ hunting rights since 1251; and Bury abbey had a warren at Mildenhall by 1328. Many of the warrens and heaths were enclosed in the period of agricultural improvement in the 18 th and 19 th centuries and now survive mainly as place names, e.g. Eriswell High Warren and Weather Heath. The enclosed land, like that of the Planned Fenlands, has the strongly geometric structure that results from the map- based work of surveyors.