NORTHUMBERLAND LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT PART A LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION Prepared for Northumberland County Council by Land Use Consultants August 2010 28 Stafford Street Edinburgh EH3 7BD Tel: 0131 202 1616 [email protected] registered address: 43 Chalton Street London, NW1 1JD CONTENTS 1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Landscape Character Assessment...............................................................................1 Study Area ....................................................................................................................................................2 Report Structure.........................................................................................................................................2 2. Approach and Methodology ............................................................... 3 Landscape Character Assessment...........................................................................................................3 Policy and Guidance....................................................................................................................................3 European Landscape Convention............................................................................................................3 National Planning Policy.............................................................................................................................4 Guidance on Landscape Character Assessment ..................................................................................4 Existing Landscape Character Assessments..........................................................................................4 National and Regional Studies..................................................................................................................4 District-scale Studies..................................................................................................................................5 Hierarchy of Classification ........................................................................................................................5 Data Gathering ............................................................................................................................................8 Landscape Description...............................................................................................................................8 3. The Evolution of the Landscape......................................................... 9 Physical Influences.......................................................................................................................................9 Geology .........................................................................................................................................................9 Glaciation ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Topography................................................................................................................................................ 11 Soils ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Rivers and Drainage Systems................................................................................................................. 12 Coastline .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Human Influences..................................................................................................................................... 13 Early Prehistoric ....................................................................................................................................... 14 Bronze and Iron Ages.............................................................................................................................. 15 Roman......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Medieval...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Post-Medieval............................................................................................................................................ 21 Twentieth Century .................................................................................................................................. 22 The Modern Landscape........................................................................................................................... 23 Land Cover and Land Use...................................................................................................................... 23 Habitats and Biodiversity........................................................................................................................ 24 Settlement Pattern and Buildings.......................................................................................................... 25 Cultural Heritage...................................................................................................................................... 26 Access and Recreation............................................................................................................................ 27 4. Landscape Classification ................................................................... 29 National Character Areas ...................................................................................................................... 29 NCA 1: North Northumberland Coastal Plain ................................................................................. 37 Landscape Character Type 1: Broad River Mouth ........................................................................... 39 Landscape Character Type 2: Coastal Incised Valley....................................................................... 41 Northumberland County Council Land Use Consultants Landscape Character Assessment: Part A August 2010 Landscape Character Type 3: Farmed Coastal Plain........................................................................ 43 Landscape Character Type 4: Rocky Coastline................................................................................. 46 Landscape Character Type 5: Sandy Coastline ................................................................................. 49 NCA 2: Northumberland Sandstone Hills.......................................................................................... 53 Landscape Character Type 6: Broad Sandstone Valley ................................................................... 55 Landscape Character Type 7: Estate Valley .......................................................................................57 Landscape Character Type 8: Outcrop Hills and Escarpments..................................................... 59 Landscape Character Type 9: Sandstone Upland Valleys................................................................ 63 Landscape Character Type 10: Smooth Moorland........................................................................... 66 Landscape Character Type 11: Sandstone Fringe Farmland........................................................... 68 NCA 3: Cheviot Fringe........................................................................................................................... 71 Landscape Character Type 12: Broad Farmed Vale......................................................................... 73 Landscape Character Type 13: Broad Floodplain Valley................................................................. 75 Landscape Character Type 14: Igneous Foothills ............................................................................. 77 Landscape Character Type 15: Upland Fringe Farmland................................................................. 80 Landscape Character Type 16: Open Rolling Farmland.................................................................. 82 Landscape Character Type 17: Upland Fringe Ridges...................................................................... 85 Landscape Character Type 18: Upland Fringe Valley....................................................................... 87 NCA 5: Border Moors and Forests..................................................................................................... 91 Landscape Character Type 19: Moorland and Forest Mosaic........................................................ 93 Landscape Character Type 20: Rolling Upland Valleys.................................................................... 96 Landscape Character Type 21: Rolling Uplands................................................................................ 99 NCA 10: North Pennines..................................................................................................................... 103 Landscape Character Type 22: Farmed River Valleys.................................................................... 105 Landscape Character Type 23: Lower Dale..................................................................................... 108 Landscape