Thames Basin Heaths
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Appendix LT2.2.1 Appendix 4: Tab2 Landscape Character Extracts National Landscape Character, Countryside Agency Area 129: Thames Basin Heaths Area 130: Hampshire Downs The Hampshire Landscape: A Strategy for the Future, 2000 1: Hampshire Downs 5: North Hampshire Lowland and Heath Hampshire County Integrated Character Assessment, Final May 2012 2B: North Hampshire Lowland Mosaic 8B: Basingstoke Open Downs Tab3 Basingstoke and Deane Landscape Assessment, June 2001 16 Basingstoke Down Basingstoke, Tadley and Bramley Landscape Capacity Study, February 2008 Landscape Capacity Study 2010: Site Options Appendix 4 Tab5 Countryside Character Volume 7: South East & London The character of England’s natural and man-made landscape Character Area 129 Thames Basin Heaths Key Characteristics ● Particularly diverse landscape unified by the high incidence of heathland and coniferous forestry, the open unenclosed nature of which is unusual within the context of the south-east region. ● Heavily populated and developed area characterised by large towns plus numerous smaller settlements along transport corridors interspersed by open land. ● Important occupation area from Mesolithic to modern times based on exploitation of the rivers with numerous Prehistoric, Roman and medieval settlements, the latter of which extended along valley bottoms. ● Fragmented but often connected blocks of largely AGENCY JOHN TYLER/COUNTRYSIDDE neglected remnant heathland as a result of early agricultural clearances and widespread development, Small towns and villages, such as the Roman settlement of Silchester, nestle discreetly amongst the gently sloping plateaux of with most heath retained on large commons or as the Reading and Bagshot Beds. Use of local materials is reflected Ministry of Defence training areas. in the buildings and flint wall. ● The western part of the area is fairly well-wooded Landscape Character with grazed pasture but retains a heathy character due to the dominance of oak/birch/bracken/pine The Thames Basin Heaths comprise a distinct area of and remnant heath on small unimproved pockets commonly unenclosed heathland and coniferous forestry of land. developed on the acidic soils in the west of the Thames ● Variety and contrast is given by the wide grazed Basin. The Heaths extend from the Thames Basin Lowlands floodplain, drainage ditches, restored gravel in the east, across north Hampshire north of the Downs and workings and lush wetland vegetation associated with through south-east Berkshire towards the dip slope of the the Kennet Valley. Berkshire and Marlborough Downs. ● Cultivated farmland and pasture is typically enclosed The once extensive heathland is now largely fragmented within small and irregularly shaped fields divided by and degraded but the landscape still maintains its open and hedgerows with small areas of wood and heath ‘heathy’ character. The area still contains large areas of heavily used for horse grazing. rolling unenclosed heathland where the varying seasons and weathers change the character of the open landscape from ● Large tracts of coniferous plantations or mixed colourful and exhilarating to sombre and bleak. The wood with beech and birch are typical of much of distinctive and widespread occurrence of the area, with significant areas of ancient woodland in oak/birch/bracken/pine reflects the poor acidic soils and the west. heathland origins of this area. 1146 Area 129 boundary Character Area 129 115 Adjacent Area Thames Basin Heaths Motorway 600-800' A Road 400-600' B Road 200-400' 0-200' Railway and station height above sea- level in feet County boundary 108 Unitary authority District boundary 8 110 Ashampstead 116 Yattendon A340 M4 WINDSOR AND MAIDENHEAD UA Hermitage Frilsham READING UA River Bradfield A329(M) 115 Pang M4 WEST BERKSHIRE UA Buckleberry Theale River Southend Lambourn Cold Ash Runnymede Wokingham BRACKNELL FOREST UA 7 A329 District Spelthorne Beenham District Speen Thatcham River Virginia NEWBURY A4 Woolhampton A327Loddon BRACKNELL A332 AscotSunninghillWater M3 Burghfield A3050 Lyne Kintbury Common Spencers Wood Arborfield A322 Enborne Greenham River Kennet Mortimer Garrison Addlestone A34 Swallowfield Crowthorne A318 Weybridge ESHER Newtown WOKINGHAM UA Bagshot Windlesham Burrowhill Elmbridge Headley Heath A340 River Lightwater A318 Burghclere Tadley Blackwater A3095 Woodham District End West End CAMBERLEY Donkey Chobham Byfleet A343 Green Surrey Heath Tow n A245 Yardley Woking 6 Ecchinswell Basingstoke and Dean Hound River District Bisley M25 District A30 District Kingsclere Bramley GreenHart Frimley Knaphill A324 Charter West Green Minley Woking Alley A33 Manor Deepcut A331 Monk Rotherwick Hart District Hartley A322 SURREY Sherborne Wintney A320 A339 Chineham A3013 Guildford A3 Hook Fleet River Wey 1 HAMPSHIRE Basingstoke Farnborough District M3 Canal 4 Church A323 130Crookham Rushmoor A324 114 5 Village Crookham District BASINGSTOKE A287 Aldershot GUILDFORD 5 Crondell 6 7 SU 0 TQ 9 8 0 10km 147 irregular fields set in winding, locally sunken lanes with hedgebanks, hedgerows and oaks. Small farms, cottages and straggling roadside settlements are dispersed throughout. A more regular field pattern also occurs, with a network of Blocks of remnant typically straight roads and small hedged fields or small to heathland on acidic medium-sized fields, often internally fenced. Roadside soils are often open and settlements, smallholdings, market gardening and garden unenclosed, which centres also tend to occupy this recently enclosed is rare in the south landscape. Bracken and gorse, typically prominent along the eastern landscape. Their bright purple fencelines and in the hedgerows, reinforce the impression patches make a of a ‘heathy’ character. distinct impression on the character Contrast and variety is provided by, the Kennet Valley of the Thames south of the Berkshire and Marlborough Downs. Generally, ~ Basin Heaths. the valley sides rise gently, in places in a series of terraces, encompassing an area of gentle character which is quintessentially English lowland river and vale. Over quite large areas the valley bottom is still undrained and damp in PETER WAKELY/ENGLISH NATURE PETER WAKELY/ENGLISH character with a complex pattern of river, canal, drainage The Heaths have experienced rapid and intensive residential dykes and linking channels, with associated wet pasture, development in the last 50 years with large towns such as reed beds and woodland. Ascot, Camberley, Farnborough and Woking comprising The Kennet Valley has also borne the impacts of recent major focal points within the wider landscape. The M3, development, in particular the rapid growth of Newbury M4, M25 and A34 are major transport routes that cut and Thatcham, and some substantial sand and gravel through the area adding to the generally developed extraction. From Theale towards Reading, for example, the character of much of the heathlands. Within the wider rural extensive lakes of wet workings have completely landscape, farming is generally small-scale and enclosed, transformed the original character of the landscape. primarily, restricted to pasture, with widespread horse grazing and very little productive arable land due to the South of the Kennet, the land rises to a plateau of mixed poor soils. woodland with extensive conifer plantations, heath, farm and parkland. This area includes the famous defence Trees are a significant feature of western Surrey, Fields, establishment at Aldermaston, which is a distinct feature at gardens and houses appear to be set within all-enveloping night when lit. woodland; an illusion partly created by large wooded gardens and by belts of woodland along roadsides, together Physical Influences with substantial areas of woodland and forestry. Broad heaths and a subtle mosaic of grassland, bogs, ponds and The dominant landform is generally flat to gently sloping fringes of encroaching scrub combine with the woodlands plateaux commonly incised by broad or, in places, steep- and forestry to give the essential character of the area. sided river valleys. The plateaux are generally underlain by, At the western end of the Thames Basin Heaths, a Tertiary deposits including clays, silts, sands and gravels of landscape of mixed farmland and woodland forms most of the Reading and Bagshot Beds, with London Clay in the the boundary with the Hampshire Downs to the south. This valleys. These give rise to nutrient-poor acidic soils with a is largely a landscape of small to medium-sized irregular mainly light or slowly permeable character which are a major fields and woodlands as well as hedgerows and hedgebanks factor in the land use. Localised areas of more fertile loamy with large trees. Views are constrained by the many soils support arable farming within the predominantly woodlands and hedgerows. The chalklands are visible from heathland, woodland and pasture land use. areas of higher ground but, generally, this is an intimately Where the Chalk scarp of the Hampshire Downs meets the enclosed landscape, valued for its sense of remoteness and lower lying Heaths, water from within the higher Chalk seclusion. strata produces many spring lines. These are commonly Large areas are under private ownership, including sizeable associated with ecologically important habitats and also with tracts owned by the Ministry of Defence. Barracks, areas of distinctive linear settlement patterns. Many valley areas are army housing, camps, military signs and notices give much affected by gravel extraction. Elsewhere, drift deposits