BDB/70084 & BDB/70085 TESCO STORES LTD 24/12/2008 PROPOSED EXTENSION TO HOME FARM OAKLEY HALL, BASINGSTOKE Landscape Supporting Statement DECEMBER 2008 4605.LSS.001 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 LANDSCAPE RELATED POLICY 2 3 THE SITE AND THE SETTING 4 Character Assessment Visual Assessment 4 THE PROPOSALS 11 5 NATURE OF THE CHANGE 13 6 CONCLUSIONS 16 PLANS ASP1 SITE AND SETTING ASP2 OAKLEY PARK ESTATE: EXISTING SITUATION ASP3 HOME FARM LANDSCAPE MASTERPLAN ASP4 HOME FARM VEGETATION REMOVED APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD APPENDIX 2 ARCHITECTS SKETCH PROPOSALS APPENDIX 3 EXTRACT FROM LOCAL PLAN AND RELEVANT SPG Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Aspect were appointed by Oakley Hall Park Limited to address the landscape and visual matters relating to the proposed restoration of Home Farm and its ancillary buildings and a new extension to accommodate Nursing Home facilities. 1.2. A number of plans have been prepared to illustrate the landscape proposals, and these are at the back of this report. The plans include: ASP1 Site and Setting ASP2 Oakley Park Estate: Existing Situation ASP3 Home Farm Landscape Masterplan ASP4 Home Farm Vegetation Removed 1.3. The proposed layout illustrated on the landscape drawings is based on the Architect, Macallan Penfold’s drawing 3F01 1 Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 2. LANDSCAPE RELATED POLICY 2.1. The site lies within the county of Hampshire and is covered by the Hampshire County Structure Plan although this ceased to have any effect from September 2007 with the exception of 24 policies which are known as Saved Policies. The Hampshire County Structure Plan will be superseded by the South East Plan which is due to be formally adopted in late 2008/ early 2009. At a local level, the site is covered by the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Local Plan which was adopted in July 2006. 2.2. National Planning Policy PPS7 – Sustainable Development in Rural Areas 2.3. Within the key principles section of this statement it states: “All Development in rural areas should be well designed and inclusive, in keeping and scale with its location, and sensitive to the character of the countryside and local distinctiveness.’ 2.4. County Wide Planning Policy 2.5. The Hampshire County Structure Plan is no longer in effect, although a number of policies have been retained as Saved Policies, ahead of the South East Plan being adopted in the coming months. None of the Saved Polices are relevant to the site 2.6. Local Planning Policy 2.7. The Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan adopted in July 2006 contains a number of policies which seek to ensure the protection of the character and landscape elements of the District. Key objectives of the Local Plan include aiming to protect and enhance the Borough’s natural and built environment for the enjoyment of all, promoting opportunities to secure the regeneration and renewal of the built and natural environments. 2 Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 Policies of relevance are: Policy E6 Landscape Character and Policy E7 Nature/ Biodiversity Conservation. Refer Appendix 3 for extracts. 2.8. Supplementary Planning Guidance Relevant SPG for the area includes: ‘Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Landscape and Biodiversity Draft SPG’, ‘The Countryside Design Summary’ and the ‘Basingstoke and Deane Landscape Character Assessment- 2001’. Refer Appendix 3 for extracts 3 Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 2.9. THE SITE AND THE SETTING 2.10. Oakley Hall Park lies on the outskirts of Oakley Village, approximately ten kilometres to the west of Basingstoke. The site is predominantly rural and forms part of the estate of Oakley Park which covers some 128 hectares. The estate accommodates number of existing buildings which are predominantly located within the middle of the estate. The site is accessed from the B3400 road running between Andover and Basingstoke via a single-track access road. 2.11. Oakley Hall Park sits on the lower slopes of a shallow valley that runs from south east to south west; the existing buildings within the Park lie along the shallow valley bottom. The existing buildings sit next to cultivated fields and the estate boundary is marked through native hedgerow and hedgerow trees. 2.12. Within the estate, areas of native woodland exist within a managed landscape setting. Remnants of an early C18th park and C19th formal gardens also exist with successive layers of change and these are recognised of being of local interest and included on Hampshire County Council’s list of parks and gardens of interest. 2.13. To the north of the park, undulating farmland rises gently to the north-west where it meets the railway line lying in cut. The railway line marks the beginning of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which stretches to the north and west 2.14. To the east of the Park the settlement of Oakley rises gently to the south east. Oakley is an ancient settlement possibly of Saxon origin. The Basingstoke and Deane Landscape Assessment characterises Oakley as “….a setting contained by numerous woodland blocks and tree lined hedgerows” and references the “…..twin focal points of the church and village green”. The assessment also makes reference to the “…..country estate 4 Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 character at Church Oakley” and the “…..dominance of horse pasture between Oakley Park and the settlement” 2.15. To the south east undulating farmland rises to Itchen Row and Bulls Rushes Copse. Itchen Row remains a stand of ancient and semi natural woodland and Bull Rushes Copse combines ancient and semi natural woodland with ancient replanted woodland. Directly to the south undulating farmland is bisected by a second railway line lying in cut. 2.16. To the south west undulating farmland rises to Ashe Copse, a further substantial ancient replanted woodland, beyond which a string of small settlements and parkland including Deane Park and Ashe Park run from south to north along the shallow valley floor. 2.17. The principal building on the estate is Oakley Hall, a late C18th house with a Grade II listing. A number of ancillary buildings immediately surround the Hall, including the Stable Block and Kitchen Garden Walls, both of which have Grade II listings. To the south of the main cluster of buildings, a significant stretch of woodland runs to the southern boundary of the estate and offers a mature wooded setting to the Hall and offers a sense of enclosure to the Estate. 2.18. Generally mature vegetation associates with the buildings within the estate, reducing longer views from the estate buildings and providing a sense of intimacy. Beyond the mature tree planting, the open and undulating nature of the estate becomes more apparent and gives way to cultivated fields bounded by tree lined hedgerows. Home Farm lies approx. 350m to the west of Oakley Hall. This is a small cluster of late C18th buildings, comprising the former farm house, barns, outbuildings and associated structures. The existing buildings are currently in a poor state of repair. 2.19. A number of public footpaths run near to the site, one of which is the long distance route and byway, the Wayfarer’s Walk which 5 Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 runs from south to north and to the west of Oakley Park Estate. It incorporates Deane 2, Steventon 1 and Deane 7. A secondary public footpath, Deane 6, runs along the southern boundary of the estate and a third, Oakley 10, crosses the estate from the east to the north-west corner. These are indicated on ASP1: Site and setting Character Assessment 2.20. Aspect has carried out an assessment of the character of the local area in order to establish broadly homogenous areas that reflect the broad make up and components within the vicinity of the site. This is carried out in order to assess the suitability of the site and it’s setting to accommodate change, and to assess the impact of the proposals on the area’s defined character. 2.21. This has been carried out with reference to the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Landscape Assessment, Refer Appendix 3, which was completed in June 2001 by Landscape Design Associates and which identifies landscape character areas and notes key characteristics of those areas. 2.22. The site falls within the Oakley Steventon Down region and is characterised by: x Mosaic of arable farmland, managed parkland and mixed woodland. The latter brings semi-enclosure to much of the area and, where more extensive in the south, creates a more enclosed, intimate landscape. x Generally medium to large scale arable fields enclosed within a generally intact, well managed hedgerow and woodland structure, the range of assarts, parliamentary fields and large wavy- edged fields reflecting enclosure from early medieval to 19th Century times. x Pre-1810 Ashe Park, Deane Park and Oakley Park bringing an ornamental and well-managed element to the landscape. 6 Proposed Extension to Home Farm, Oakley Hall, Basingstoke Dec 2008 Landscape Supporting Statement 4605.LSS.001 x Generally low to moderate intervisibility within the area, with frequent woodland blocks and strong hedgerow structure minimising long or panoramic views. 2.23. The characteristics noted above are consistent with the existing landscape treatment of the site and wider estate.