11 Copythorne Forest Farmlands

Location of Landscape Character Area 11, Copythorne Forest Farmlands (LCA 11)

Location of LCA in the National Park

Cultivated fields near Winsor

Grey area is land outside of the New Forest National Park

N Not to scale

Component landscape types within LCA 11

6. Heath Associated Smallholdings and Dwellings

7. Ancient Forest Farmlands

Not to scale

© Crown Copyright and Database Right 2014. Ordnance Survey 1000114703.

The area east of the A326 falls outside the New Forest National Park.

National Park boundary

LCA 11

Area in shadow- outside National Park

A. LANDSCAPE DESCRIPTION

Key landscape characteristics

• A partially enclosed and settled area of farmland interspersed with small areas of ancient deciduous woodlands.
• Small-scale irregular fields, bordered by ditch and bank boundaries with hedgerows and mature hedgerow trees, are particularly distinctive.
• Shaded leafy lanes, sometimes sunken, wind their way through wooded areas.
• Major infrastructure including the M27, A36, A326, A31, A336 pass through, creating barriers to movement across the landscape.
• Distinctive linear roadside development of traditional two storey red brick cottages with slate roofs infilled with a variety of modern housing styles and materials.
• Electricity pylons detract from the landscape.

Component landscape types

The main landscape types found within this LCA, in the New Forest National Park, are:

6. Heath Associated Smallholdings and Dwellings

7. Ancient Forest Farmlands

Key positive landscape attributes

• Strong pattern of ancient, small, irregular fields enclosed by historic ditch and bank boundaries, hedgerows and oak trees.
• Regular Parliamentary fields around Cadnam and Barrow Hill.
• Small ancient semi-natural woodlands, wood pasture and patches of heathland sitting within a mixed farmland landscape.
• Winding, sunken tree-lined lanes linking woodlands and settlements.
• Traditional red brick cottages lining roads, surrounded by rectilinear paddocks.
• Isolated farmsteads, often timber framed.
• Iron Age hillfort at Tatchbury Mount.
• Open hill tops allowing rare long views across the surrounding area.

Relevant designations relating to positive landscape attributes

B. LANDSCAPE EVALUATION

Current condition

Landscape structure: This landscape has historic origins, still visible today through the presence of intact mosaics of ancient fields, copses and remnant heathland. This has, however, been significantly interrupted throughout by the impacts of modern development including major transport corridors, minerals extraction, settlement expansion and the presence of prominent electricity pylons. Intensification to suit modern farming methods has erased the ancient field pattern in places to create large fields of improved pasture and arable land within the Ancient Forest Farmlands landscape type. Changes in land use have impacted on fields traditionally used for grazing.

Landscape elements: The elements of this landscape that combine to form its forest-edge character are still present, although a number of factors are affecting their current condition. Historic ditch and bank boundaries remain, though in places trees are over-mature and outgrown forming tree lines that no longer serve their function for stock-proofing. Elsewhere, hedgerows bounding intensively farmed fields are gappy in places and replaced with fencing. Within the landscape’s settlements, close-board fencing, brick walls and other suburban-style garden boundaries exist in contrast to traditional hedgerows and picket-fences cumulatively diluting their historic setting.

Landscape change

Key issues and trends

• Hedgerows are unmanaged and gappy or have been lost or replaced by post and wire fencing diluting the landscape’s distinctive ancient field patterns and the value of its historic boundary features.
• Enlargement of fields through amalgamation to suit modern, intensive farming methods. This has erased the historic small scale field patterns closely associated with the landscape’s traditional character (particularly in the Ancient Forest Farmlands landscape type).
• Intensification of agriculture and an increasing proportion of arable fields disrupting the area’s pastoral character and leading to the erosion and loss of traditional grazing land (in the Ancient Forest Farmlands landscape type – loss of grazing also an issue in the Heath Associated Smallholdings and Dwellings landscape type).
• Former areas of heathland and wood pasture lost in the past to conifer planting or improvement for agriculture (in the Heath Associated Smallholdings and Dwellings landscape type).
• Coniferous plantations breaking up the form and composition of the landscape’s valued semi-natural woodlands.
• Changing pests and diseases leading to decline or death of certain tree species.
• Modern, linear development along roads leading to settlement coalescence at odds with traditional settlement patterns.
• Some new development using modern materials out of keeping with the local vernacular styles.
• Close board fencing, brick walls and other suburban garden boundaries unsympathetic to traditional vernacular styles.
• Overhead cables are detracting features within the landscape’s historic settlements.
• Prominent sand and gravel extraction site south of Winsor alongside the A336, intruding into the agricultural landscape.
• Major infrastructure including the M27, A36, A326, A31, A336 and electricity pylons, have a significant impact on the area’s sense of tranquillity (in the Heath Associated Smallholdings and Dwellings landscape type).

C. LANDSCAPE QUALITY OBJECTIVES (LQOS) / STRATEGY

Vision

An ancient forest-edge landscape of small, irregular fields enclosed by historic ditch and bank boundaries, hedgerows and oak trees and interspersed by areas of heathland, ancient woodland and wood pasture sitting on the fringes of Southampton. Hedgerows and ditch boundaries are well-managed, forming a complete network linking to blocks of semi-natural woodlands and wood pasture. Paddocks and fields around settlements and holdings are used by commoners for grazing, with well managed hedgerows and a healthy stock of hedgerow trees following ancient lines wherever possible. Settlements have a recognisable New Forest character – with traditional red brick cottages and timber framed farmsteads surrounded by paddocks and linked by winding, sunken tree-lined lanes. A tranquil landscape that retains its integrity and clear relationship with the wider National Park, including views into the Forest from hill tops.

Overall Landscape Strategy

The priority in this landscape character area is to protect the positive landscape attributes valued within it. This will require active protection.

This should be accompanied by a strategy to manage the landscape to improve those attributes that are in poorer condition to improve overall quality.

Future landscape management guidelines

Field patterns and boundary features

1. Manage hedgerows through coppicing to preserve the visibility of historic ditch boundaries.
2. Manage and protect a healthy stock of hedgerow oaks, to preserve these important landscape features.
3. Protect and strengthen ancient irregular field patterns, bounded by a well-managed hedgerow network, reflecting the historic origins of the landscape.

Agricultural land use

4. Protect areas of traditional commoners’ grazing, to maintain appropriate grazing levels on the area’s remaining heathland by commoners’ stock.
5. Manage through grazing to maintain the continuity of a pastoral landscape, able to provide grazing for commonable animals.

Forestry and woodlands

6. Plan towards a gradual restructuring of conifer plantations with broadleaf species to reinforce the landscape’s traditional woodland character. Expand the area of open habitats, particularly heathland, on appropriate sites.

Development and settlement edge

7. Protect the rural character of settlements including the use of hedgerows, locally sourced timber fencing and railings as property boundaries.
8. Protect the network of rural roads by reducing levels of signage and street lighting, and encouraging sensitive road engineering works where required.
9. Ensure no further expansion of the sand and gravel extraction site near Winsor. Consider the further screening of this site using native woodland planting.
10. Refer to the Forest North East Conservation Area Appraisal for details on historic landscape setting, layout and plan form of the historic settlements, and architectural styles, materials and detailing of buildings within these settlements.

Tranquillity

11. Protect the landscape’s levels of tranquillity, including through exploring options for new woodland planting or allowing the succession of road verges to reduce the noise and visual impacts of major road corridors.

Management guidelines number (as per following table LCA 11)

Summary table LCA 11 showing landscape issues and guidelines by Landscape Type

Cultivated fields near Winsor

Modern housing and overhead cables, Copythorne

PHOTOGRAPHS LCA 11: COPYTHORNE FOREST FARMLANDS