CRANBORNE CHASE AND WEST WILTSHIRE DOWNS AONB INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT Final Report Prepared for The Countryside Agency by Land Use Consultants June 2003 43 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD Tel: 020 7383 5784 Fax: 020 7383 4798 [email protected] CONTENTS Acknowledgements.................................................................................... i 1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 2. Physical Influences............................................................................... 5 3. Ecological Character......................................................................... 13 4. Human Influences.............................................................................. 19 5. Social and Economic Influences....................................................... 31 6. Overview of Agricultural Character................................................ 41 7. Recreational Influences..................................................................... 53 8. The Landscape Character of Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs ................................................................................ 61 Type 1: Chalk Escarpments ................................................................... 63 1A Melbury to Blandford Chalk Escarpments ..................................... 65 1B West Wiltshire Downs Chalk Escarpment..................................... 73 1C Fovant and Chalke Escarpment....................................................... 81 Type 2: Open Chalk Downland.............................................................. 89 2A West Wiltshire Downs Open Chalk Downland............................. 91 2B Southern Downland Belt ................................................................ 101 Type 3: Wooded Chalk Downland ...................................................... 109 3A Cranborne Chase ............................................................................ 111 Type 4: Downland Hills......................................................................... 119 4A Martin –Whitsbury Downland Hills............................................... 121 Type 5: Chalk River Valleys.................................................................. 129 5A Wylye Chalk River Valley............................................................... 131 5B Ebble Chalk River Valley................................................................. 141 5C Stour and Avon Tributary Valleys................................................. 151 Type 6: Greensand Terrace ................................................................. 159 6a Fovant Greensand Terrace ............................................................. 161 6B Kilmington Greensand Terrace ..................................................... 167 Type 7: Greensand Hills ....................................................................... 173 7A Donhead – Fovant Hills................................................................... 175 7B Penselwood – Longleat Hills........................................................... 183 Type 8: Rolling Clay Vales.................................................................... 191 8A The Vale of Wardour...................................................................... 193 9. Managing the Nationally Important Landscape.......................... 201 ii FIGURES Figure 1.1 Regional Context of the AONB Figure 1.2 National Joint Character Areas Figure 2.1 Surface Geology Figure 2.2 Topography Figure 2.3 Hydrology Figure 2.4 Land Cover Figure 2.5 Agricultural Land Classification Figure 3.1 Natural Areas Figure 3.2 Statutory Nature Conservation Designations Figure 3.3 Woodland Inventory Figure 5.1 Ward Boundaries and Peripheral Towns Figure 7.1 Recreation Figure 8.1 Landscape Character Areas across the AONB Figure 9.1 Current Condition and Predicted Future Change Figure 10.1 Farming Character Areas across the AONB APPENDICES Appendix 1: The Agricultural Character of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Appendix 2: Perceptions of the Landscape Appendix 3: Comparison between 1995 classification and 2003 classification Appendix 4: Method Statements Appendix 5: Field Survey Form ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Land Use Consultants (LUC) has prepared this report on behalf of the Countryside Agency, with specialist expertise on the historic environment provided by Wessex Archaeology and specialist expertise on socio-economic issues provided by Segal Quince Wickstead. LUC's team consisted of Kate Ahern, Rebecca Knight, Emma-Jane Lee, Kate Milner, Robert Deane, Robert Hutchinson and Bernie Warmington (authors) and Cressida Jones and Flo Harrison (GIS and graphics). The study has been steered by an Advisory Group with the following members: Amanda Grundy Countryside Agency Linda Nunn Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Unit David Carman Hampshire County Council Alan Turner East Dorset District Council We are grateful for the guidance and advice provided by the Advisory Group. However, the views and recommendations in this report are those of Land Use Consultants, Wessex Archaeology and Segal Quince Wickstead. June 2003 i Final Report 1. INTRODUCTION A Nationally Significant Landscape 1.1. Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs is a landscape of national significance as recognised by its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is recognised to be of equivalent importance in terms of landscape quality as a National Park. 1.2. Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB is an area of 983 sq km forming part of the extensive belt of chalkland which stretches across southern England. Its designation as an AONB was confirmed in October 1983. It abuts the Dorset AONB (Figure 1.1) and includes part of the South Wessex Downs Environmentally Sensitive Area. 1.3. The AONB is divided into its two areas by the fertile wooded Vale of Wardour. To the south is Cranborne Chase with its smooth rounded downs, steeply cut combes and dry valleys typical of a typical chalk landscape. The dipslope gently descends to the south-east where it meets the Dorset Heaths. To the north, the Wiltshire Downs are more elevated, the landform rising to a subtle ridge at Great Ridge/Groveley Wood. Both areas are fringed by impressive scarps, cresting above the adjoining greensand terraces. 1.4. Traditional downland pasture is now largely confined to steeper slopes while large rectangular fields emphasise the chalkland's open character. The chalkland valleys of the Wylye and Ebble support a larger proportion of permanent pasture, with many copses and hedgerows. In the northwest, the AONB's sandstone fringe of wooded ridges and valleys includes rich parklands such as Longleat and Stourhead. 1.5. The AONB is of great ecological importance. Its protected sites range from ancient downland, herb-rich fen and river meadow to scattered deciduous woodland which includes remnants of the ancient Cranborne Chase hunting forest and the former Royal Forests of Selwood and Gillingham. It is rich in prehistoric sites with many ancient monuments and field patterns on the downs, whilst the Vale of Wardour is dominated by large 18th and 19th century estates, parklands and associated villages. 1.6. This is a deeply rural area with scattered villages and narrow roads. There are no large settlements in the AONB but nearby country towns such as Salisbury, Shaftesbury and Warminster are growth areas. Although there are a few sites attracting a large number of visitors, such as Longleat, Stourhead and Centre Parcs, the AONB is not a developed tourist area as yet, although demand for caravan sites, holiday and second homes is increasing. The 1995 Landscape Assessment of the AONB 1.7. In 1995 the Countryside Agency commissioned a landscape assessment of Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB. This was undertaken by Land Use Consultants and involved a thorough and robust assessment, based on the 1993 June 2003 1 Final Report landscape assessment guidance1. However, since the publication of this guidance the approach to landscape character assessment has moved on. The new guidance2 provides the current accepted methodology. LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT Hierarchy of Assessment 1.8. The Countryside Character Initiative came about because it was recognised that there was a need for a new approach to landscape assessment which would look at the whole of England's countryside, rather than just specific designated areas, and provide a consistent national framework for more detailed local landscape assessments. 1.9. The Countryside Agency has mapped the whole country into 159 separate, distinctive character areas. The features that define the landscape of each area are recorded in individual descriptions which explain what makes one area different from another and shows how that character has arisen and how it is changing. Cranborne Chase and the West Wiltshire Downs is covered by 5 different Countryside Character Areas. The majority of the AONB is covered by three areas, area 132: Salisbury and West Wiltshire Downs, area 133: Blackmoor Vale and the Vale of Wardour and area 134: Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase. Area 117: Avon Vale borders the AONB to the north and area 135: Dorset Heaths borders the AONB to the south-east. These are shown in Figure 1.2. 1.10. Cranborne Chase and the West Wilts Downs AONB covers four counties and seven districts. In undertaking this integrated landscape character assessment it was important to take