Landscape Character Area WHITELEY WOODLANDS Map 21 Landscape Character Assessment 152 Winchester City Council 4.21. Whiteley Woodlands Landscape Character Area Biddenfield Lane Key Characteristics varied, containing mainly hazel, together with G Gently undulating lowlands underlain by sands, hawthorn, goat willow, gorse and dog rose, and loams, gravels and clays. This poor quality ancient woodland indicator species on the banks. agricultural land has proved unattractive for G Occasional long views, but generally enclosed by cultivation and development. woodland. G Minor streams drain the area into the River G Few roads or paths, especially in the centre of the Hamble to the west and River Meon to the east. area, although the main South Coast railway line The River Hamble at Curbridge constitutes the goes through here. This and a section of the District’s only very small stretch of tidal river. Rich M27, which crosses through the southern area woodland surrounds the Upper Hamble, which is adjacent to Whiteley, reduces the tranquillity of designated an SSSI. This grades into neutral the area. grassland, reed beds, salt marsh and tidal G mudflats. A long history of occupation since the Stone Age, focused on Fairthorne Manor, Curbridge, G Irregular small to medium sized meadows are including the site of a Roman building and kiln. A closely integrated with a strong assarted moat is also present in Maid’s Garden Copse, and woodland structure. a Roman kiln in Hall Court Wood. G Small areas of paddocks, nurseries and G Settlement is sparse, occurring at the edges of the smallholdings are situated along Biddenfield Lane, character area with a predominance of woodland Titchfield Lane and Funtley Lane to the east of the in the centre. The only settlements are Curbridge area, plus an extensive landfill site and small and the recent major development of Whiteley, industrial uses. which provides employment, housing and G Predominance of woodland, including a relatively community/service facilities. Farms are sparsely high proportion of ancient woodland, much of scattered and occasional dwellings and small which has been replanted with conifers. The holdings have been have developed in the latter many small semi-natural ancient woodlands 20th century along Tichfield Lane and at Lee include Blackmoor Copse and Ridge Copse. Much Ground. of this woodland, including the replanted areas, is G Although development has occurred protected by national and local wildlife predominantly in the 20th century, some older designations providing important habitats for farms can be found, constructed mainly of red flora and fauna. brick with clay tiles. G Hedgerow boundaries in the area are strong and often sit on banks. The woody species mix is Note: however, to warrant designating as a separate At Curbridge, the Whiteley Woodlands Character Area landscape character area. In reality however, this part contains an area that is stongly influenced by the of the Winchester District has more in common with presence of the River Hamble, which is tidal at this the ‘Upper Hamble Valley Landscape Character Area’ point. Consequently the ecology, drainage and described in the Fareham Borough Landscape topography here is significantly different from the rest Assessment. of the Whiteley Woodlands Area. The area is too small Landscape Character Assessment 153 Winchester City Council Landscape Types within the Area Copse, Blackmoor Copse, Dimmocks Moor, Sager’s Mixed Farmland & Woodland (Open) Down, Bridget Copse, Flagpond Copse, Stonyfield Mixed Farmland & Woodland (Enclosed) Copse, Lee Ground Coppice and Sawpit Copse. Much of this is ancient woodland. The varied soils in the Horticulture and Smallholdings area mean that a mixture of species are present, River Valley Floor including oak, ash, cherry, yew, birch and conifers. Historic Parkland Despite the size of Botley Wood, it has few public footpaths running through it and remains remote, Settlement Types within the Area forming a backdrop to Whiteley. Other areas of 20th and 21st Century woodland, Gull Coppice and Round Coppice Scattered Clay Lowland contribute to the landscape structure of the new settlement, and are managed by Hampshire County Location and Boundaries Council as Nature Reserves with public access. The Botley Woods complex is designated an SSSI, chiefly Whiteley Woods Character Area lies in the south of the because the woodland rides support a very diverse district, with the district boundary forming its invertebrate fauna, particularly butterflies and insects. southern and western edges. To the north, the To the north of the character area, the woodland has settlement edge of the villages of Shedfield and been more heavily assarted and is more fragmented. Curdridge provides the boundary, having a far less Woods such as Silford Copse, Hole Copse, Biddenfield wooded and more settled character. To the east, the High Wood, Hallcourt Wood, Mansfield High Wood, valley of the lower River Meon marks a change to a Blacklands Copse, Hangman’s Copse, Alder Moor, more open, chalk landscape. Brook Wood and Tankerhill Copse are all interconnected but interspersed with medium sized Formative Influences fields, generally managed as meadows. Some of these The geology of this area ranges from Plateau Gravel in woods have escaped coniferisation and retain a very the south through Reading Beds (mottled clay and diverse flora and invertebrate fauna. sand) and London Clay to Bracklesham Beds (sand and The topography of the area is gently undulating, loam) and Lower Bagshot Sand. This varied forming minor localised ridges and hills, shown in topography has historically supported a variety of local place names such as Ridge Copse and Treetops woodlands and lush meadows and is also associated Farm. From some parts of Biddenfield Lane and with its gently undulating topography. The Titchfield Lane there are long open views, towards predominance of clay is also responsible for the Southampton and the Meon Valley respectively. occasional springs and the network of streams in the Generally however, this is an enclosed landscape with area, mostly forming tributaries of the River Hamble. only short views, as woodland or intact hedgerows The area has escaped large-scale woodland loss, bound fields. instead undergoing piecemeal assarting since the 19th Until the 1980s when development at Whiteley century resulting in relatively regular fields, started, this was a relatively remote inaccessible area, interspersed with large areas of wood. However, much with the hamlet of Burridge forming the only named of the remaining woodland has been converted to settlement and dominated by woodland. The centre conifer plantation in the last century, which has of the character area was only traversed by the South reduced the floristic value, although this is not Coast railway line and had no road access. However, necessarily a permanent change. there has been an increasing amount of development There is very little species rich grassland remaining in in the south of the character area during the second this area, most having been subject to agricultural half of the twentieth century. Whiteley is now an improvement. The remaining species rich grassland is established residential and commercial centre, vulnerable to neglect, as agricultural policies and forming an expansion of Segensworth to the south of market forces continue to lead to a declining demand the M27. Built by volume housebuilders, dwellings for small livestock and mixed production. are constructed using standardised materials and designs. Accessibility throughout the area is still The proximity of the area to the Portsmouth-Gosport- limited, with the distributor from the M27and the Fareham urban area has had most influence in the A27, forming the only major route into Whiteley. 20th century, resulting in the construction of the M27 motorway and development of Whiteley village. Titchfield Lane and Funtley Lane have also seen Additional piecemeal development of smallholdings additional development during the 20th century, and housing has taken place along Titchfield Lane and particularly nurseries and smallholdings. at Lee Ground. Key Issues Landscape & Settlement Description G Loss of species rich grassland through The Whiteley Woodlands Landscape Character Area applications of fertiliser and herbicide and also consists of a significant area of woodland, much of it through lack of grazing. based around Botley Wood and Everetts Mushes Copses, the largest SSSI in the district, including Ridge Landscape Character Assessment 154 Winchester City Council G Potential for improved woodland management strips around fields, and the increased use of using Forestry Authority grants. spring sown arable crops and retention of winter fallow fields. G Lack of footpath access to large areas of countryside. G Conserve and enhance species-rich grassland through traditional management techniques. G Localised visual intrusion of power lines. G Create grasslands of nature conservation, G Noise from M27 motorway. managed by extensive stock grazing and hay G Suburbanisation and urban fringe encroachment making without the application of herbicide or at Whiteley, Biddenfield Lane, Funtley Lane and fertiliser. Titchfield Lane. Built Form Strategies G Potential for agricultural run-off (including top G soil erosion) to cause biological changes in the Enhance the local urban edge, by planting locally Upper Hamble. indigenous hedgerows. G G Possible fertiliser/pesticide run-off from golf Resist development