Landscape Character Statement for the Parish of Colwall ... · Landscape Character Statement for...

Landscape Character Statement for the Parish of Colwall

Landscape Character Statement for the Parish of Colwall

CONTENTS

Landscape Character Statement for the Parish of Colwall1

1 Contents2 Consultation3 Aims4 Introduction5 Map6 Geology and History7-9 High Hills and Slopes10 -12 Principal Wooded Hills13 -16 Principal Timbered Farmland16 Bibliography17-18 Landscape Pictures


consultationThe Landscape Character Statement for the Parish of Colwall has been produced by a group of residents using Herefordshire Council Landscape Character Assessment Supplementary Planning Document for guidance.

ConsultationwithintheParishincludedthepublicationofarticlesintheParishCouncilNewsletterandParishMagazine.Questionnaireswereproduced for both locals and visitors attendingtheannualVillageFete.AweeklongexhibitionwasheldattheVillageLibraryandawebsitecreatedtoincludedocumentation,photosandquestionnairescreatedforthisproject.

ParishLandownersandVillageSocietiesreceived1stDraftCopiesforconsultationandtheirwrittencomments,togetherwiththefollowing:

- Colwall Parish Council

- Herefordshire Council Community Led Planning Landscape and Biodiversity Planning Policy Team

- Natural England

- CouncilforthePreservationofRuralEngland[CPRE]

- Malvern Hills Conservators

- Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding NaturalBeauty[AONB]

- Bird Survey Group

- Local Councillors of Herefordshire Council

- Local Member of Parliament

Theconsultationtookplaceduring2010/2011.

The land elements of this document were endorsed by Herefordshire Council in September 2012.


aims

Toinfluencepotentialchangesin landuseinaconstructiveway.

To prevent erosion of the character of the area.

Toenforcethedistinctivelocal character.

TocomplementtheVillageDesignStatement and Parish PlanAll three documents to be at the heart of local planning.

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INTRODUCTIONThe Parish of Colwall is on the eastern fringeofHerefordshire,sittingunderthe slopes of the Malvern Hills. Its populationmakesitoneofthelargestvillagesinHerefordshire,yetitscharacter ensures that the density of itspopulationislow.Thehousesaremainlyscatteredalongandradiateoutfromthemainroad-WalwynRoad,whichrunsfromtheWycheCuttingthrough the Malvern Hills in a south-westerndirection.Surroundingthebuiltupareasistheagriculturallandscape,which is both pastoral and arable. This land is crossed by approximately 50

kilometresoffootpaths,whilethemainHereford to Worcester railway line cuts diagonally through the Parish roughly followingWalwynRoad.

The Herefordshire Council Landscape Character Assessment has divided the landscape of the Parish of Colwall into 3distinctlandscapetypes-HighHillsandSlopes,PrincipalWoodedHillsandPrincipal Timbered Farmlands. This documentaimstogivealocalflavourtothesedesignations.


map

Key

High Hills and Slopes

Principal Wooded Hills

Principal Timbered Farmland


geologyColwall’sdramaticlandscapeisshapedby geology. The igneous pre-Cambrian rocks of the Malvern ridge form the eastern boundary of the parish and the Silurian limestone of Oyster Hill forms the western boundary. In between other Silurian ridges run North-South. Pressure from the South-East forced Colwall’smostprominentfeature,theHerefordshireBeacon,outofthemainridge and caused one of the Silurian ridges,Chance’sPitch,torunEast-West.The pressure was also responsible fortheColwallfault,whichrunsNorth-WestfromGardiner’sQuarry,disruptingtheNorth-Southlinesofthe

ridges. The red-brown and dark green pre-Cambrianstones,aswellasthegreylimestone,areevidentintheolderbuildings in the parish.

Another feature is the broad Mathon river valley formed by the river that drained the West Midlands before thelastIceAge,whentheicebroughtdown the sand and gravel not found elsewhere in Colwall.

The various hills and ridges give the parish of Colwall many excellent view linesand,consequently,adistinctiveand unique character greatly valued by parishioners and visitors alike.

historyThemajorIronAgesettlementonBritishCampledtotheintensiveexploitationofsouthernColwallforovertwothousandyears.Incontrast,northern Colwall has been developed much more recently. South Colwall had four medieval manors and their settlements,apoly-nuclearpatterntypicalofbordercounties.Thepatternisstillevidenttoday.Twosettlementsdisappeared with the Black Death andwerereplacedinTudortimesbysettlementsinEvendineandColwallGreen.Bytheseventeenthcentury,larger estates began to form and their parklandsstillformanimportantpartofthelandscape.Alittlelater,hopsandfruitweregrown,especiallyinthe West around the Mathon river

valley. The arrival of the railway saw thedevelopmentofleisurefacilities(cricket,tennis,golf,horseracing,especially,walking)whichconsiderablymodifiedthelandscape;eventuallythecentreofpopulationmovedtothevicinityofthestationinNorth-EastColwall. The built areas expanded and otherhouseswerebuilt,ofteninstyleswhichjarredwithwhatwasalreadythere,anexceptionbeingtheArtsandCraftsstylebuildingsontheWestfacingslope of the Malvern ridge. The hops have disappeared and the orchards havedeclined.Thetwentiethcenturythen saw a brief spell of dairy farming before we arrived at the agricultural mix of today.


HIGH HILLS AND SLOPESKey Characteristics

Primary - prominent area of highland topography with notable steep slopes - unsettledlandscapewithonlyafewsignsofhabitation - extensive area of acid grassland - openandexposed,withpanoramicviews - an unenclosed landscape

Secondary - rough grazing - sparsely wooded

character descriptionThese are areas of unenclosed high land,characterisedbysteeplyslopingtopography and extensive tracts of roughgrassland.InColwall,ontheeasternBoundaryofHerefordshire,thisdistinctiveLandscapeTypeisrestrictedto the summits and upper slopes of the Malvern Hills. The landscape’s unique qualitiesembraceaninvigoratingopenandexposedspatialcharacterwith large scale views and provides a contrast with the surrounding more gentle enclosed agricultural landscapes to the West.

This area is owned and managed by the corporate body of Malvern HillsConservators,whoarechargedand constrained by various Acts of Parliamentto“preserveforthebenefitof the public all the natural aspects andfeaturesoftheMalvernHills,topreventencroachment,tokeepthelandopenandnotbuiltupon,toproviderecreationalfacilitiesinthe

interests of social welfare for the public benefitandtoprotecttherightsofthe commoners.” The whole area is designated an Area of Outstanding NaturalBeauty(AONB)and90%oftheareaisaSiteofSpecialScientificInterest(SSSI).

The landscape owes its character primarilytoacombinationofitsphysical structure and its past management. Historically the areas have been largely open expanses of unenclosed common used for rough grazing.Today,thereductioningrazinghas resulted in a much greater diversity ofvegetation,suchasbracken,scruband secondary woodland that are gradually encroaching on the lower slopes. (Although the bracken provides anidealenvironmentforbluebells,whosedramaticdisplayattractsvisitorsfarandwideeachSpring.)Thesteeptopography has discouraged road buildingandsettlement.Consequently,


thisareaisborderedbyroads,ratherthan crossed by them. The sparse settlementthatdoesexistisassociatedwith the occasional road and is a site

settlement patternThisisamainlyunsettledlandscapein which any further development would be inappropriate. The coherent character of this landscape should be conserved by refusing new build

development and other urban influencessuchasstreetfurnitureandlighting.(RefertoMHAONBGuidanceonHighwayDesign)

ENCLOSURE PATTERN

Thisisanunenclosedlandscape,traditionallyanareaofopencommonland.Fences,hedgesorothermethodsof enclosure are not appropriate here

although temporary fencing may occasionally be necessary to control grazing.

WOODLAND OR TREE COVER PATTERN

The character of this landscape depends on its open grassland. Trees arenotamajorpartofthischaracterandtheintroductionofmorewoodland

would therefore be contrary to the inherent landscape character and are likely to restrict the large scale views currentlyenjoyedbyvisitors.

FORCES FOR LANDSCAPE CHANGE

The landscape character of High Hills and Slopes is dependent on the management of open grazing. Traditionally,thestockinglevelswouldhavebeensufficienttokeepextensive scrub encroachment at bay,somaintainingthedistinctiveexposed character and producing a close,botanicallyvaluableswardintheprocess.Inrecentyearsasignificantreductioninstockinglevelshasresultedinthedramaticincreaseofscrub,bracken and secondary woodland and the consequent decrease of open grassland. The approach adopted by

the Malvern Hills Conservators has been to accept a degree of scrub and woodlandcover,particularlyonthelowerslopes,butmaintainrigorousbracken and scrub control on the higher land.

Since the landscape character is dependent on open rough grassland,thiscouldrapidlybecomecompromised by erosion from increasing visitor pressure and the effectsofclimatechangeontheecology. Future management should recognize the impact that these will have on the landscape character.

specificfeatureratherthanacharacterattributethataffectsthelandscapeasawhole.


MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES AND ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION

The overall management strategy should primarily be one of Protect,togetherwithan element of Manage and Plan.

Protect and Manage Plan

Protect all remaining areas of semi-natural grassland.

Manage areas of former grassland whilst acknowledging the need to retain other habitats of importance for endangered species.Tothisend,maintaintheupperslopes as grassland and allow a mosaic of grassland dominant scrub habitats to establish the lower slopes together with areas of English Bluebells.

Manageexistingfootpathsbyusingvisuallysensitive,appropriatemethodsin order to control visitor pressure and protectadjacentgrassland.

Protect and Manage the coherent landscape character for its own sake and improve degraded areas.

Enhancethenatureconservationofthe whole area through appropriate sustainablemanagement,withparticularemphasis placed on restoring grazing at thenecessarystockingdensities.

RefertoMalvernHillsConservatorsManagement Plan 2009/12.

RefertoMalvernHillsAONBGuidanceon Highway Design.

RefertoMalvernHillsAONBLandscapeCharacter Assessment SPG 2004 – updated 2009 and Malvern Hills AONB Landscape Strategy and Guidelines.


PRINCIPAL WOODED HILLSKey Characteristics

Primary - Variedoftensteeplyslopingtopography - Woodedcharactermadeupofpredominatelybroadleavedwoodlands,oftenofancientorigin

Secondary - Wooded land use with occasional pasture - Hedgesdefinefieldboundaries - Linkedwoodlandpattern - Medium-framed views - Scatteredsettlementpattern

character descriptionThe parts of the Colwall parish that fall into this landscape category have the typicalslopingorsteeplyundulatingtopography between higher hill tops andlowersettlementfarmland.Thisresults in a strong sense that the village is encased by the Malvern Hills to the North and East and Oyster Hill to the West. The woodlands are large and irregularly shaped and typically of long standingcharacter.Incombinationwith wooded streamlines they form aninterlockingpatternoftreecover.The steepness of slopes has tended toinhibitsignificantclearanceforagricultural use in the past.

AnexceptionisintheextremeSouthof the parish where the slope is less severe and clearance has resulted in morepastoralfields.Thepresenceof strong hedge lines with a good representationofhedgerowtreescontributes to the visual integrity of the landscape. Both the wooded hill landscapes on the Malvern and OysterHillsaresparselysettledwiththeexceptionoftheareaaroundtheWycheCutting.Woodlandremainsthedominantlandcover,theancientsemi-natural status of the woodlands rendering them to be a very important natureconservationasset.

settlement patternThis is mostly a landscape with a scatteredsettlementpatternofoccasional dwellings which were traditionallysmallforestryworkerscottages.Therearealsoanumberlargehousesstandinginextensivegrounds,

particularlyalongJubileeDriveonthewestern slopes of the Malvern Hills and also on the eastern slopes of Oyster Hill.


enclosure pattern

Theenclosurepatternisacompositionofirregularlyshapedpastoralfields


It is assessed that more than half of this landscape type is under tree cover.Thewoodlands,oftenofsemi-naturalcharacter,areofnative

deciduous species with a mixed age structure linked to each other and the surrounding landscape by well treed hedgerows.

FORCES FOR LANDSCAPE CHANGE

Thedistinctivecharacterofthesurrounding wooded hills is highly visible from most of the village of Colwall and its visible integrity is of paramountimportance.Riskstothislandscape are any further inappropriate developments within privately owned landandsignificantchangestoforestry

oragriculturalpractices.Anychangesto woodland cover should respect thehistoricalsignificanceoftheoldpatternsofwoodlandclearanceandensuretheconservationofthesepatternsalongwithoriginalfieldboundary hedges.


The aim of future management of the Principal Wooded Hills in Colwall parish should be to retain the proportionofwoodlandandirregularlyshapedpastoralfields.Emphasisshould be placed on restoring the ancient semi-natural character of the woodland cover. It is also important thattheoverallinterlockingpatternofwoodlandandfieldscontinuesto be supported by hedgerows and streamside trees. It is recommended that new large roofed buildings and

alsoinfillingofopenspaceswithinthevillageshouldbediscouraged,asspecifiedintheBuildingGuidelinesandPatternofDevelopmentinColwallVillageDesignStatement.Thiswillavoidadverselyaffectingtheopengreenspacesandprotectingthedistinctiveviewsintoandoutofthevillage.ThethreeaspectsofProtect,Manage and Plan are therefore applicable to the Principal Wooded Hills of Colwall.

boundedbyhedgesandoftenclearedfromtheadjoiningwoodland.



Protect and manage the ancient broadleavedwoodlandandexistingopen grazing areas.

Protectthehistoric,irregularpatternoffields.

Inareaswheretheinterlockingpatternofwoodlandisnolongerevident,seekto restore the woodland character and providehabitatconnectivityforthemovementofwildlifethroughadditionalwoodlandplantingandhedgerows.

It is recommended that proposals for new large roofed buildings and also infillingofopenspaceswithinthevillagetakeaccountoftheVillageDesignStatementtoavoidadverselyaffectingthe foreground and framing of long distance views.

Encourage landowners to enhance the wooded character of hedgerows andstreamsbyadditionalspeciesrichplantingand/orregeneration.

Wherepracticable,forestrypracticesshould respect the character of thelandscape,promotetraditionalmanagement techniques (e.g. short rotationcoppicing)andtakeparticularcare when assessing the visual impact of newplantingandfelling.

RefertoMalvernHillsAONBLandscapeCharacter Assessment SPG 2004 – updated2009andtheColwallVillageDesign Statement.


PRINCIPAL TIMBERED FARMLANDS

Key Characteristics

Primary - Hedgerowsdefinefieldboundaries. - Woodedcharacterportrayedbyhedgerowtrees,woodlandandorchards. - Denselyscatteredhedgerowtrees,inparticularoak. - Filtered views between hedgerow trees.

Secondary - Organicenclosurepattern. - Small scale landscapes.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONColwall’s Principal Timbered Farmlands are rolling lowland landscapes fringed by steep-sided hills. They have a small scale,wooded,agriculturalappearancecharacterised in the medium distance byfilteredviewsthroughhedgerowtreesand,inthelongdistance,viewstothesurroundinghills.Thepatternof mainly small and medium sized irregularshapedfieldsandwoodlandscombined with hedgerows and winding lanes contributes to the overall organic character of this landscape. This is particularlynoticeableinColwall,where the outlines are visible from the surrounding hills. A key element of this landscape is the strong unifying presence of tree cover as foundinwoodlands,orchards,fields,hedgerows,andthelineartreecoverassociated with the numerous streams thatflowfromthesurroundinghills.The woodlands are a mixture of ancient semi-natural character and more modernplantings,comprisingmixed

nativebroadleavedspecies,withoakbeingdominant.Visuallydominantmatureoaksareaparticularfeatureofthehedgerows,whicharespeciesrich,complexhabitatssupportingawiderangeoffloraandfaunaaswellas trees. The scale and shape of the woodlandsisalsoimportant,ranginginsizefromsmallfieldcornercopsesto those of about 2 hectares. There is a mixture of arable and permanent pasture,withlargerfieldsonthegraveldeposits along the Cradley brook towards the West of this area. In some areasthefieldsarepartofa“designedlandscape” and are bounded by iron railings.Themainsettlementareaswithin this landscape are Colwall Stone andColwallGreen.Outsidetheseareas,thereisadispersedpatternoflargefarmsandsignificantbuildingsinavariety of local materials.


FORCES FOR LANDSCAPE CHANGEThedistinctivecharacteroftheselandscapesisdeteriorating.Thisisdue primarily to the decline and fragmentationofthetreecoverelements,particularlythehedgerowandfieldtrees.Theagedistributionof hedgerow trees is markedly unbalanced,withthemajorityofspecimensbeingmatureandlittlenewstockornaturalregenerationbeingencouraged to replenish them. Arable land use and the use of wire stock fencingareresultinginlossoffunctionof many hedgerows. In the absence of appropriate management the

hedgerow structure is being eroded. Ploughingclosetofieldtreesisalsoresultingintheirgradualloss.Changesinagriculturalpractice(e.g.largerfields,newcrops,polytunnels)couldalsohaveanoticeablevisualimpact,especially when viewed from the surrounding hills. The older orchards withtheirrichhabitats,whicharenolongercommerciallyproductive,arein danger of being neglected and lost. Development pressure has resulted in new dwellings which do not respect the characteristicsettlementpatternandimpact on the views from the hills.

SETTLEMENT PATTERN

Themainsettlementareaswithinthis landscape are the well populated Colwall Stone and the more rural Colwall Green. These areas are covered inmoredetailintheColwallVillageDesign Statement and the guidelines contained within that document should be followed. Outside the settlementboundariesofColwallStoneandColwallGreen,thelandscape

hasadispersedsettlementpatternof frequent roadside dwellings and farmsteads,setamongstwindinglanes. Development proposals which incorporate groups or clusters of new houses must take account of both theVillageDesignStatementandtheLandscape Character Assessment in order to ensure they are in keeping withtheexistingsettlementpattern.

ENCLOSURE PATTERN

Theexistingenclosurepatternindicatesan unplanned landscape arising from the previous enclosure of both former woodlandandopenfields.Itisvitalfortheretentionoflandscapecharacter

thatthecurrentpatternofenclosureispreservedandthatageometricpatternis not superimposed by subdividing or enlargingfieldsandemployingstraightfence lines.


The scale and shape of the woodlands isveryvaried,rangingfromsmallfieldcorner copses to those of about 2

hectares.Thereisscopeforadditionalsmall-scalewoodlandplanting.However,largescaleplantingorlinking


upexistingfragmentedwoodlands,otherthanbyhedgerows,wouldnotbeappropriate. The prominent hedgerows and lines of hedgerow trees provide the visual and ecological linkages

betweenwoods.Inaddition,therearebotholdandneworchardplantings.The orchards provide a rich habitat for bothfloraandfauna.



Protectandrestorethepatternandcompositionofthehedgerowmatrixthrough appropriate management and replanting.

Protect and restore tree cover along watercourses and streamlines.

Protectallnativebroadleavedwoodsand copses and restock with locally occurringnativespecies.

Protectexistingorchardhabitats.

Protecttheorganicpatternandcharacter of the lane networks and considervergecuttingregimetoprotectwildflowers.

Protectthehistoricdispersedsettlementpatternoutsidethesettlementboundaries.

Encouragereplantingofhedgerows,which should be species rich.

Retainthedistinctivehedgerowtreesand enhance their age structure through newplantingorencouragingthegrowthofexistingplantstotreesize.

Seekopportunitiestoenhancetreecover along roadsides and in other non-farmedlocationswhilstretainingviewlines.

Encouragetheplantingofneworchards

Encouragetheplantingofnewsmallwoods,reflectingthescale,shapeandcompositionoftheexistingwoodlandcharacter.

New signage should be limited and in a styleappropriatetoaruralsettingandshould conform to Malvern Hills AONB Guidance on Highway Design.

EnhancethemainsettlementareasasdescribedintheVillageDesignStatement.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. HerefordshireCouncilLandscapeCharacterAssessment2004(updated2009)

2. Herefordshire Council I.T. Department Colwall LCA Map - 2011

3. ColwallVillageDesignStatement–HCendorsed2001

4. Colwall Hedgerow Survey

5. Colwall Parish Council Footpath Map - 2005

6. MalvernHillsAONBLandscapeCharacterAssessmentSPG2004(updated2009) Landscape(Sheet1)and BuiltDevelopmentGuidingPrinciples(Sheet7)

7. The Malvern Hills AONB Guidance on Highway Design - 02.20118.

8. Malvern Hills Conservators Management Plan – 2009-2012

March 2012

annotated photograph showing Principal timbered farmland key characteristics

Small-scale landscape

Copses

Organic fieldpattern

Field Trees

Winding LanesHedges with

hedgerow trees

Stream

Designed and Printed by Document Services, Malvern Hills District Council.

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