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Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Canterbury City Council. LA077399 2012 Contents Context 1 Consultation 2 Introduction 3 Landscape 3 Biodiversity 3 Methodology 6 Landscape Character 6 Habitat Networks 7 Kent Landscape Information Systems (KLIS) 7 Living Landscapes 8 Ecological Designations 9 Limitations in Interpretation 9 Natural Environment 10 Geology and Soils 10 Landform and Drainage 13 Agricultural Land Use 15 Ecology 17 Landscape Designations 24 Cultural Heritage 26 Cultural Heritage: Designations 31 Canterbury District within the Broader Landscape 33 Landscape Character Areas 36 1. Beltinge Coast 39 2. Swalecliffe Coast 42 3. Chislet Arable Belt 45 4. Nethergong Sarre Penn Inlet 48 5. Seasalter Marshes 51 6. Shelvingford Inlet 54 7. Snake Drove Pastures 57 8. Reculver Coastal Fringe 60 9. Chestfield Gap 62 10. Chestfield Wooded Farmland 66 11. Court Lees and Millstrood Farmlands 69 12. Ford and Maypole Mixed Farmland 72 13. Greenhill and Eddington Fringe 75 14. Herne Common 78 15. Hillborough Arable Farmlands 81 16. Wraik Hill 84 17. Yorkletts Farmlands 87 Blean Woods: Harbledown, Thornden, Yorkletts, East, Bigbury Hill and 90 Denstead Woods 18. Blean Woods: Harbledown 19. Blean Woods: Thornden 20. Blean Woods: Yorkletts 21. Blean Woods: East 22. Bigbury Hill 23. Denstead Woods 24. Clay Hill 98 25. Broad Oak Valley 101 Contents 26. Shalmsford Slopes 104 27. Stour Valley Sides 107 28. Stour Valley Slopes 110 29. Stour Valley Slopes Westbere 115 30. Stodmarsh Ridge 118 31. Little Stour Valley 121 32. Stour Valley Chartham 124 33. Stour Valley Sturry and Fordwich 127 34. Stour Valley Wincheap and Thanington 131 35. Westbere and Stodmarsh Valley 135 36. Blean Farmlands 138 37. Harbledown Fruit Belt 141 38. Hoath Farmlands 145 39. Ickham Farmlands 148 40. Nackington Farmlands 151 41. Nailbourne Parklands 155 42. Old Park 158 43. South Canterbury and Littlebourne Fruit Belt 161 44. Trenley Park Woodlands 166 45. Wickhambreaux and Ickham Horticultural Belt 169 46. Adisham Arable Downland 172 47. Bramling Downland 175 48. Chartham Downland 179 Summary and Recommendations 182 Table 1: Landscape Guidelines 183 Farmland Landscapes 185 Fruit Belt Landscapes 185 Valley and Wetland Landscapes 186 Parklands 186 Historic Villages 186 Blean Landscapes 186 Green Gap 186 Marshland Landscapes 186 References 188 Glossary of Abbreviations 189 Appendix A: Living Landscapes Methodology 190 Appendix B: Conservation Areas 201 Appendix C: Example Field Sheet 216 List of Figures Figure 1 ‐ BRANCH Habitat Network Change for a Typical Grassland Species (Meadow Pipit) Figure 2 ‐ Current Biodiversity Opportunity Mapping Projects Figure 3 ‐ Geology Figure 4 ‐ Soils Figure 5 ‐ Topography Figure 6 ‐ Agricultural Land Classification Figure 7 ‐ Natural Areas Figure 8 ‐ Biodiversity Designations Figure 9 ‐ Strategic Habitat Network Figure 10 ‐ Landscape and Heritage Designations Figure 11 ‐ Countywide Landscape Character Areas Figure 12 – Canterbury Landscape Character Types Figure 13 – Canterbury Landscape Character Areas Figure 14 – Landscape Guidelines Context 1.1 Canterbury City Council have commissioned Jacobs to undertake a landscape and biodiversity appraisal of the Canterbury District. This appraisal forms an update and extension of previous work prepared by Kent County Council’s Kent Environment Consultancy on behalf of Canterbury City Council, which was commissioned to support the Canterbury District Local Plan. This previous work subdivided Canterbury District into three separate areas and subsequent studies which excluded the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the locally designated North Downs Special Landscape Area (SLA). The studies comprised Canterbury Landscape Appraisal (November 1998), Herne Bay and Whitstable Landscape Appraisal (June 2000) and Blean Woods and the Great and Little Stour Valleys Landscape Appraisal (July 2001). 1.2 The purpose of this appraisal is to inform the Core Strategy within the emerging Local Plan. In addition, this report will be a useful tool for a variety of people including planners, land managers, developers and conservation bodies. 1.3 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published in March 2012. Within its 12 Core Planning Principles it identifies that planning should: take account of the different roles and character of different areas, promoting the vitality of our main urban areas, protecting the Green Belts around them, recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside and supporting thriving rural communities within it; contribute to conserving and enhancing the natural environment and reducing pollution. 1.4 The NPPF also states that, ‘114. Local planning authorities should: set out a strategic approach in their Local Plans, planning positively for the creation, protection, enhancement and management of networks of biodiversity and green infrastructure; and maintain the character of the undeveloped coast, protecting and enhancing its distinctive landscapes, particularly in areas defined as Heritage Coast, and improve public access to and enjoyment of the coast.’ 1.5 In June 2011 the Natural Environment White Paper (NEWP) entitled "The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature" was launched by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The NEWP provides the Government's vision for the natural environment for the next 50 years, backed up with practical action for delivery. The White Paper sets out the choices that need to be made to ensure how best to enhance the environment, to sustain economic growth and to boost wellbeing. The NEWP promotes an ecosystem‐wide approach to nature conservation with an emphasis on connectivity, through the identification of ‘Nature Improvement Areas’ (NIAs). 1.6 This appraisal supports the principles of the NPPF and NEWP by assessing character and biodiversity at a landscape scale. Specifically the objectives are to: Identify and describe the local landscape character areas Assess the condition and sensitivity of these landscape character areas Identify existing priority wildlife habitats and strategic biodiversity networks 1.7 The study excludes the built‐up urban areas. It also excludes the nationally designated AONB. As illustrated on Figure 10, the Kent Downs AONB is located to the south of the district, south of Chartham, Patrixbourne and Adisham. Landscape recommendations in the form of policies for the AONB are included within the Kent Downs AONB Management Plan 2009 – 2014 (First Review April 2009). 1.8 The assessment aims to provide logical, robust and defensible justifications for managing pressures for change in the area, without diminishing the value of the landscape and existing and potential wildlife habitat networks. The study also provides the opportunity to identify