Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty LANDSCAPE SENSITIVITY STUDY (Final Report) May 2007 T H E L A N D S C A P E P R A C T I C E CHARTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 1 A B B E Y R O A D S H E R B O R N E D O R S E T D T 9 3 L E T 01935 817255 F 01935 817211 E
[email protected] CONTENTS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Study Aims 1.2 Background and Scope of Study 1.3 Concept of Landscape Sensitivity 1.4 Overview of Study Approach 2.0 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AREAS AND SENSITIVITY TO CHANGE 2.1 Character Area 1A: Melbury to Blandford Chalk Escarpment 2.2 Character Area 1B: West Wiltshire Downs Chalk Escarpment 2.3 Character Area 1C: Fovant and Chalke Chalk Escarpments 2.4 Character Area 2A: West Wiltshire Downs 2.5 Character Area 2B: Southern Downland Belt 2.6 Character Area 3A: Cranborne Chase 2.7 Character Area 4A: Martin - Whitsbury 2.8 Character Area 5A: Wylye River Valley 2.9 Character Area 5B: Ebble River Valley 2.10 Character Area 5C: Stour and Avon Tributary Valleys 2.11 Character Area 6A: Fovant Terrace 2.12 Character Area 6B: Kilmington Greensand Terrace 2.13 Character Area 7A: Donhead - Fovant Hills 2.14 Character Area 7B: Penselwood - Longleat Greensand Hills 2.15 Character Area 8A: Vale of Wardour 3.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 3.1 Overall Landscape Sensitivity Profile 3.2 Summary and Conclusions APPENDICES Appendix 1: Project Brief Appendix 2: Landscape Character and Visual Sensitivity Evaluation Tables Appendix 3: Glossary FIGURES Figure 1: Landscape Character Sensitivity Figure 2: Visual Sensitivity Figure 3: Overall Landscape Sensitivity Figure 4: Sensitivity Mapping Key PREFACE The Landscape Practice (TLP) was commissioned in February 2006 by Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Partnership, hosted by Wiltshire County Council, to undertake an AONB-wide assessment to provide information on its inherent landscape sensitivity at the strategic level.