Yew Tree and Gardens Client: Mr & Mrs Danson. –Ashleigh Farm, Head Dyke Lane, Preesall, Lancashire Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Prepared by Yew Tree+Gardens Yew Tree House Hale, Milnthorpe Cumbria LA7 7BJ 015395 63527 07813 897631 [email protected] 19/01/2021 CONTENTS 1. Introduction ...................................................................................... 2 2. Relevant Landscape Policies ................................................................ 3 3. Site, Setting and Landscape Context .................................................... 4 4. Development Proposals....................................................................... 7 5. Viewpoints ........................................................................................ 8 6. Character assessment ...................................................................... 12 7. Conclusion ...................................................................................... 14 8. Methodology ................................................................................... 16 Appendix 1 - Image Location Map Appendix 2 - Images Appendix 3 - Visual Impacts Table Appendix 4 - Landscape Baseline Effects Table Appendix 5 – Proposed Site Landscaping Layout Ref: Ashleigh Farm Dwelling_LVIA 19/01/2021 Page 1 19/01/2021 1. Introduction a. This document is intended to provide a landscape and visual impact assessment in relation to the proposed residential development at the site currently occupied by Ashleigh Farm, Head Dyke Lane, Preesall, Lancashire. The location of the application site is illustrated in Appendix 1. Receptor location map. The current site is comprised of an existing single storey dwelling with a number of 20th century outbuildings of brick and timber construction and an enclosed sheet material clad two storey barn. Areas of maintained gardens, driveway, car parking area and concrete surfaces are distributed throughout the site. b. An appraisal of the surrounding area has been completed using Ordnance Survey data, local policy and published landscape character assessments. This information has been used alongside the on-site analysis to identify key viewpoints, analyse the landscape character and visual environment of the local area and assess the likely extent of any notable potential landscape and visual impact effects. c. The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate the viability of the proposed development in both landscape character and visual amenity terms. This assessment has been drafted from guidance contained in GLVIA3 (Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment 3rd Edition) published by the Landscape Institute and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment in April 2013 - electronic version and utilizing the standardized descriptors detailed in SNH Handbook on Environmental Impact Assessment 2009. Ref: Ashleigh Farm Dwelling_LVIA 19/01/2021 Page 2 19/01/2021 2. Relevant Landscape Policies Local Planning Policy References to the relevant local and national policies are contained within the planning statement which will accompany the application. Previous planning history We have searched the Wyre Borough Council online planning list and maps. The Ashleigh Farm site has extant Class Q permissions to change the use of two of the existing buildings from agricultural buildings to dwellings, made under planning refs: 19/00861/COUQ & 19/00844/COUQ. Ref: Ashleigh Farm Dwelling_LVIA 19/01/2021 Page 3 19/01/2021 3. Site, Setting and Landscape Context a. The site is accessed via a track from the public highway Head Dyke Lane. b. The site currently contains a dwelling with vehicle access / driveway and areas of maintained gardens. c. A number of 20th century agricultural /equestrian buildings with associated ancillary structures and areas of concrete surfacing are distributed within the site. d. The site has areas of established tree and shrub / hedge cover to the North and along the Western and Southwestern boundaries. Further trees are located in the Southeast section of the site. e. Existing vehicle access is present from Head Dyke Lane. f. Vehicle access terminates at the existing dwelling entrance with the remainder of the bridleway to the West of the site being for pedestrian and horse / cycle access only. Topography a. The land on which the site is level with no discernable changes in elevation or contours. b. Land to all side of the site is similarly level with elevation in the range of 4m. c. No change in elevation occurs until gradually rising land towards Preeseall and Stalmine is encountered over 1km way to the Northwest and Southwest respectively. The highest points are located within these villages and are at 22m and 16m respectively. d. The combination of a level landscape without any significant changes in elevation and the presence of existing field boundaries and tree groups significantly limits the extent of views within the landscape. e. Unlike land to the West of Preesall within the flat coastal landscape, the site and it surroundings do not have the expansive vistas and open aspect which it often associated with low lying and reclaimed land. Ref: Ashleigh Farm Dwelling_LVIA 19/01/2021 Page 4 19/01/2021 Cultural Pattern The setting of the site is characterized as being outside of the boundaries of the village conurbation of Preesall which is located just over 1km to the North West. Stalmine village is located just over 1km to the Southwest of the site. The general pattern of historic land use within the surrounding landscape has influenced the density and distribution of pre 20th century dwellings within the surrounding landscape. Pre and early 20th century Ordnance Survey mapping shows the landscape to the North and West of the site containing scattered farms distributed at regular intervals. These traditional agricultural holdings will have generally been of a relatively small acreage. Ordnance survey 1848 6 inch to 1 mile maps indicate a field pattern which is largely unchanged from that date up to the present day. These field sizes and shapes have often been defined by the route and arrangement of drainage ditches and main dikes which they feed into. Field boundaries are often defined by hedgerows, these boundaries will traditionally have been maintained through laying. Changes in agricultural practice have resulted in fewer of the traditionally smaller holdings with farming activity and confined to a smaller number of enlarged holdings. Where smaller agricultural holdings have been subsumed into larger acreages the dwellings which were traditionally associated with the farm have become purely residential in nature. Many of these are typified by modernized dwellings set within maintained gardens, where outbuildings are present these are often of more modern construction with an absence of traditional / vernacular agricultural buildings. Whilst these dwellings retain the word ‘farm’ in their names they are not tied to commercial agricultural activity, where these dwellings are set within larger plots they are often engaged in small holding or ancillary leisure activities i.e. caravan sites. More traditional / vernacular farm buildings are encountered towards Stalmine but the orientation of the highways and intervening vegetation and modern dwellings mean these are not experienced in the context of the site. The landscape immediately to the North of the site is that which the site is most closely allied with. This is due to the sites proximity to Head Dyke Lane. Head Dyke Lane is the route of the A588 highway with this road being the primary transport route within the surrounding landscape. The presence of the highway and associated traffic volumes has strongly influenced the pattern of use and development along its edges. This is seen through the presence of a number of 20th century dwellings to the North of the site along the highway edge, further influence from the highway has been created by the presence of commercial and leisure business. To the North of the site these are represented by Head Dyke Garage and Wyre Car and Van Hire which is located at Head Dyke Farm. Further activity linked to the highway can be seen with a proliferation of roadside small holding sales of eggs / vegetables with associated ad hoc signage. Ref: Ashleigh Farm Dwelling_LVIA 19/01/2021 Page 5 19/01/2021 The landscape to the South of the site and to the East of Stalmine is absent of farms or dwellings until Old Tom’s Lane is reached. This is due to the low-lying nature of the land and the relatively recent draining and reclamation of this section of the landscape. The 1848 Ordnance Survey map indicates a significant area of land as being un-reclaimed and titled as Stalmine Moss and Pilling Moss. All later editions show the same areas of land as a regular arrangement of fields and drainage dykes / ditches. Agricultural activity in the form of buildings / permanent structures has been in place at Ashleigh Farm throughout the 20th century with aerial photography from the 1940’s and 1960’s showing a number of buildings. The location of Ashleigh is typical of the farms and former farms which are located along the Southern edge of the A588 between Stake Pool and Preesall with private or shared access tracks and ‘dead end’ public highways extending Southwards from the highway. These tracks generally terminate at the farm or former farm, this again shows the influence of the former mosses to the South on limiting historic development / occupation within the landscape. Ref: Ashleigh Farm Dwelling_LVIA