Bodmin Landscape Assessment BODMIN CELL REFERENCE: 1 ASSESSOR: Nola O’ Donnell CMLI DATE: 23 August 2013 Landscape Survey Information Landscape Value Landscape Overall Landscape Sensitivity Assessment Landscape Within Landscape Character Area CA33 Camel and Allen Valley. Description Record descriptive LDU 251 hard rock slopes and ridges Landscape Visual Final Cell Judgement information for each Character Sensitivity survey sub heading listed Visually enclosed land consisting of rough pasture, scrub and woodland Sensitivity Natural Landscape Features Topography/ landform Stream valley –southern side catchment; steeply sloping. High – 5 High Low 8 orange Many positive qualities Contributes to LC Visually enclosed Vegetation cover/ trees Upper levels of improved grassland pasture enclosed by high canopy tree dominated => / Strongly Suitable to accommodate hedgerow with lower slopes of unimproved or marshy grassland with wet woodland • Camel trail – matches TFD • Most views development but with and encroaching scrub. important to local => are to/ fro numerous constraints, community high • Intact cell 2 subject to mitigation Field pattern/ boundary Medieval small field system; Cornish bank with high canopy hedgerow recreational value • Low intrusion type • Mainly intact -limited • Camel Trail • poor visual degradation • historic linkage to Land use Land to east is classed ALC grade 7 and to west ALC grade 3 - Recreation, • strong aesthetic features existing ‘horsiculture’ = recreational horse use and management, woodland and sewage • tranquil housing to plant (-) no designations the east Distinctive landscape/ Dismantled rail route historic features Water bodies/ courses Stream feed by local springs; the site is very much part of a flood plain. a number of stream cross to the north Settlement/ Built Features Settlement type None within – only built form is the sewage works plant; periurban edge. Low grade social housing lies to the east and industrial area to the south. Distinctive manmade Sewage plant, telegraph poles, electrical transmission lines features Distinctive historic or Disused rail route; historic field pattern cultural features Vernacular (use of local Local stone; timber benches materials) Landscape Sensitivity Transport Pattern Moderate – (3) A Road/ B Road/ other No -none internal – A389 Dunmere Road lies a field depth away to the south. Railways No Farm/ Private tracks yes Cycleways Yes- national cycle way- the Cornish Way part of the Camel Trail forms northern edge PROW No Informal paths yes Visual Prominence (tick appropriate) Open/ long distance No- visually enclosed. Views are limited into site; filtered by vegetation (high) Intermittent (medium) Visual intrusion adjacent cell 2 solar farm is visible from field gate gap. Also views to and from upper field west of Cell 2 from sewage works entrance to near and from play area. Limited (low) Most views are internal within the visual envelop Landscape Condition Integrity and unity of From outside seems a degraded perhaps neglected sector; from within appears more landscape unified and special, if forgotten. Aesthetic & Sensory Tranquillity (H/ M/ L) Medium to high how is the landscape Secluded lost forgotten hidden –a place to escape to experienced? Key sources / visual or From Dunmere road and adjacent industrial uses noise (both within and outside the cell) Cell to Cell relationship What is the key Cell 2 lies to the north starting with river valley tree cover extending up slope into information relating to improved grassland meadow and pasture adjacent cell? Photograph numbers Bodmin Cell 1 1-33 Other Information A surprising resource for recreation if brought into better management and more walk routes were to be added. Could only accommodate housing if integrity of dense tall hedgerow system were to be rigorously protected and Camel Trail linear park buffered against encroachment. However, although well screened, the sewage works would be a bad neighbour –nearby housing is low grade social housing. Some expansion along Midway road would be possible if East and West Midway Roads were united. BODMIN CELL REFERENCE: 2 ASSESSOR: Nola O’ Donnell CMLI DATE: 22 August 2013 Landscape Survey Information Landscape Value Landscape Overall Landscape Sensitivity Assessment Landscape LCA 33 Camel and Allen valleys Description Predominantly LDU 251 to south central and east with intrusion of LDU 208 Hard Record descriptive rock plateau from north:northeast and LDU 358 fro west: northwest. Landscape Visual Final Cell Judgement information for each Character Sensitivity survey sub heading listed The cell is rolling landscape of hill plateau and river valleys of which substantial Sensitivity proportion is covered by the AGLV basically land west of the Scarlett’s well track west and north of Higher Bodiniel. Natural Landscape Features Topography/ landform Rolling landscape backdrop to eastern catchment of the Camel River and comprising of one minor tributary stream; essentially landform wraps around the mini tributary Moderate– 3 High Moderate 7 orange valley with two hill promontories to western half. Vegetation cover/ trees Fields of grassland pasture and arable; Significant hedgerows with full canopy trees Suitable to accommodate at northeastern stretch of the Copshorn road; along southern edge of Scarlett’s road Many positive qualities Contributes to Very visible development but with and Tanwood Lane; pockets of woodland and scrub to southwest corner. => LC/TFD => numerous constraints , Field pattern/ boundary Anciently enclosed land with significant medieval field system to the west and • AGLV designation to => • Prominent hill subject to mitigation type pockets of medieval fields to the east. Far west corner is recently enclosed land. 2/3’s of cell (north: • Significant top field Land use Agriculture -ALC grade 3– substantial improved grassland for hay and pasture, northwest) medieval field • Upper areas equestrian centre at Bodiniel, some arable, renewable energy generation, • Good rolling system highly visible / And housing to the southern edge. agricultural land • Manor farm lower area Distinctive landscape/ Medieval ridge and furrow; medieval field boundaries; medieval field system; • strong aesthetic as complex only partially historic features historic lane network to Bodiniel and Dunmere to Scarlett’s Well; post medieval rural arable scene • Rich in historic small quarry pit; Cornish hedges and deep sided lanes. Wind swept trees oh higher features plateau areas. (-)some degradation- • Productive Water bodies/ courses Dunmere Stream tributary of the Camel river issuing central to the cell at Bodiniel - solar PV and pylons agric outfalls into Lower River Camel to the west of Dunmere ( out of the cell) , Scarlett’s intrusion • High Well to the southern edge; some ponds at Higher Bodiniel and Westerly; spring at tranquillity Bodiniel. Settlement/ Built Features Settlement type Rural historic manor farm complex of Bodiniel and disbursed toward the east at Higher Bodiniel; some incremental suburban ribbon development intruded along Weil Road and further later incongruous urban estate intrusion from Scarlett’s well road Distinctive manmade Pylons, Telegraph poles, Solar PV installation to north: northwest of cell of hill features promontory stretching over two fields. Distinctive historic or Medieval Manor farm - Bodiniel, spring of the former Fairwash Coombe well - cultural features Medieval holy well, granite gate posts; secluded lanes Vernacular (use of local Granite gate posts, stone construction, timber field gates materials) Landscape Sensitivity Transport Pattern Med-High – (4) A Road/ B Road/ other No A road – main access is via Bodiniel road of Berrycombe road which lead to the manor and Copshorn road which theoretically leads to Clerkenwell but ends at rural track after Copshorn. Railways No Farm/ Private tracks Yes- various from the manor Cycleways Near- adjacent cell to south, the camel trail PROW Yes- 513/11/1 (gold status) from the manor to East wood and dunmere Informal paths yes Tamwood lane from Scarletts well to Dunmere Visual Prominence (tick appropriate) Open/ long distance Yes from and to the Beacon and from countryside. There are excellent panoramic (high) view of Bodmin from the main hill which currently hosts the solar PV installation and expansive distant view to the west. Both the western hill and the Solar PV are highly visible from play area in Cell 1 and adjacent existing housing off Midway Road. Intermittent (medium) Limited (low) Landscape Condition Integrity and unity of The integrity is diminished by the recent solar pv installation. landscape Although outside of the cell there is a sense that housing is encroaching from the south east. Aesthetic & Sensory Tranquillity (H/ M/ L) Visual tranquillity is impacted by the urban intrusion, the pylons and the solar PV. Aurally the majority of the cell is high for tranquillity. The road area generally quiet and are for access only with no through traffic. how is the landscape As a rural agricultural landscape close to the town but largely separated from it. experienced? There is a secluded hidden quality to the road that dip away from the higher plateau areas into the Bodiniel settlement area. Key sources / visual or Visual : pylons and cables, Solar PV noise (both within and Aural: none outside the cell) Cell to Cell relationship What is the key Cell 1 lies to the south- it is defined by the national cycle route the Cornish Way- information relating to Camel trail and its linear park. adjacent