September 2005 West Wight Landscape Character Assessment FINAL REPORT Prepared on behalf of The West Wight Partnership By Land Use Consultants WEST WIGHT LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT Prepared for the West Wight Partnership by Land Use Consultants FINAL REPORT September 2005 43 Chalton Street London NW1 1JD Tel: 020 7383 5784 Fax: 020 7383 4798 [email protected] CONTENTS 1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 2. Summary of significance of the West Wight landscape ................ 5 3. Physical Influences............................................................................... 9 4. Ecological Character......................................................................... 11 5. Human Influences.............................................................................. 17 6. Perceptions of West Wight.............................................................. 21 7. The Landscape Character of West Wight .................................... 25 LANDSCAPE TYPE 1: Chalk Downs.................................................... 27 1A: Tennyson Down................................................................................ 29 1B: Compton Down ................................................................................ 35 1C: Brighstone Down.............................................................................. 39 LANDSCAPE TYPE 2: Greensand Hills .............................................. 43 2A: Brighstone Greensand Hills ............................................................ 45 LANDSCAPE TYPE 3: Clay Farmland ................................................ 51 3A: Chilton Clay Farmland .................................................................... 53 LANDSCAPE TYPE 4: Bays ................................................................. 59 4A: Freshwater Bay................................................................................ 61 4B: Alum Bay .......................................................................................... 65 4C: Totland and Colwell Bays............................................................... 69 4D: Thorness Bay ................................................................................... 73 LANDSCAPE TYPE 5: Estuaries.......................................................... 77 5A: Newtown Estuary............................................................................ 79 5B: Yar Estuary...................................................................................... 83 LANDSCAPE TYPE 6: Open Farmland .............................................. 87 6A: Thorley and Wellow Open Farmland........................................... 89 West Wight Landscape Character Assessment i Land Use Consultants Final Report September 2005 LANDSCAPE TYPE 7: Settled Farmland ........................................... 93 7A: Freshwater Isle ................................................................................ 95 LANDSCAPE TYPE 8: Soft Cliffs....................................................... 101 8A: Headon cliff .................................................................................... 103 8B: Bouldnor cliff.................................................................................. 107 8C: Hanover Cliff.................................................................................. 111 LANDSCAPE TYPE 9: Rolling Farmland.......................................... 115 9A: Calbourne Rolling Farmland........................................................ 117 8. LANDSCAPE TYPE 10: Seascape................................................ 123 10A: West Wight Seascape ................................................................ 125 West Wight Landscape Character Assessment ii Land Use Consultants Final Report September 2005 FIGURES Figure 1: Location and context Figure 2: Joint Character Areas Figure 3: National Typology Figure 4: AONB Landscape Character Assessment Figure 5: Solid Geology Figure 6: Drift Geology Figure 7: Topography Figure 8: Hydrology Figure 9: Agricultural Land Classification Figure 10: Natural Areas Figure 11: Statutory Nature Conservation Designations Figure 12: Local Nature Conservation Designations Figure 13: Historic Environment Figure 14: Landscape Character Assessment Figure 15: Condition Figure 16: Character Figure 17: Strategy APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: Strategy Map APPENDIX 2: Methodology APPENDIX 3: Consultation APPENDIX 4: References APPENDIX 5: Table of designations West Wight Landscape Character Assessment iii Land Use Consultants Final Report September 2005 West Wight Landscape Character Assessment iv Land Use Consultants Final Report September 2005 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Land Use Consultants has prepared this report on behalf of the West Wight Partnership with the LUC team consisting of Kate Ahern, Jane Wilson, Frances Curtis and Luke Bristow (authors) and Diana Graham (GIS and graphics). The study has been steered by members of the West Wight Partnership Steering Group, in particular Matthew Chatfield, Countryside Manager for Isle of Wight Council and Jim Fawcett Agenda 21 Officer for the authority. Considerable assistance has been given by Ollie Boulter, the West Wight Partnership Project Officer, particularly in collating the results of the public consultation. Assistance has also been given by John Brownscombe, the Isle of Wight AONB Officer, and Zoe Cozbeck of the National Trust. On the historic environment Ruth Waller, County Archaeologist, has contributed the chapter on Human Influences, Rebecca Loader has supplied information on coastal archaeology and Vicky Basford has provided invaluable assistance on historic landscape characterisation. West Wight Landscape Character Assessment v Land Use Consultants Final Report September 2005 1. INTRODUCTION THE WEST WIGHT LANDSCAPE 1.1. West Wight makes up approximately one third of the Isle of Wight (covering 10,255 ha). It is a surrounded on three sides by the sea with the Solent to the north and English Channel to the south and a total coastline in the region of 48 km. To the east lies the rest of the Isle of Wight including the main centres of population at Newport, Cowes, Ryde and Sandown. 1.2. West Wight is sparsely settled with the greatest concentration at the large village of Freshwater. Other, smaller settlements are the port of Yarmouth and the villages of Brighstone, Newbridge, Shalfleet, Bouldnor, Mottistone and Brook. Newtown is an unusual settlement, the remnants of an abandoned planned settlement from Medieval times. 1.3. Much of West Wight is highly rural, and in some areas remarkably remote and natural, considering its context in the South East of England. It is a highly varied landscape due to the wide range of the geology which underlies this relatively small area and is rich in biodiversity interest, in historic landscape elements and in cultural associations. The significance of the landscape is emphasised by the fact that 60% of the area is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 80% of the coastline is Heritage Coast. THE WEST WIGHT LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT 1.4. This study was undertaken by Land Use Consultants on behalf of the West Wight Partnership during the period November 2004 to March 2005. The study examines the landscape character of the western side of the Isle of Wight which consists (for this project) of the following electoral wards in the County of the Isle of Wight: Totland; Freshwater Norton; Freshwater Afton; Salfleet and Yarmouth; and Brighstone and Calbourne. (see Figure 1) 1.5. The West Wight Partnership are in the process of making a Landscape Partnership bid for funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund and commissioned this landscape character assessment with the aim of it supporting and informing this bid. The objectives of the assessment which will achieve this aim are: • to demonstrate how and why West Wight is a valued and distinctive part of the heritage of the UK • to find out and record what local people and visitors value about the landscape • to identify forces for change (past and future) • to provide information to guide and influence those responsible for developing projects and policies to conserve and enhance the West Wight landscape METHODOLOGY 1.6. Landscape character assessment is a technique that has been developed to facilitate systematic analysis, description and classification of the landscape. It involves identification of those features or combinations of elements that contribute to the character of the landscape, thereby enabling the special character and qualities of a particular area to be understood. West Wight Landscape Character Assessment 1 Land Use Consultants Final Report September 2005 This information allows reasoned consideration of those issues affecting the landscape, which can be used as a basis for the development of appropriate recommendations for future landscape conservation and management. 1.7. The method for undertaking the landscape character assessment follows the current accepted method promoted by the Countryside Agency as set out in the document Landscape Character Assessment Guidance for England and Scotland (2002). 1.8. The assessment has been prepared within the framework of the Countryside Agency and English Nature’s Countryside Character Initiative as shown on the Character of England Map and it also considers the context provided by the Agency’s National Landscape Typology. The assessment also builds upon The Isle of Wight Landscape: an assessment of the