134 - Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

This National Character Area (NCA) forms the south-western limb of England’s Cretaceous Chalk outcrop. It straddles the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. The NCA extends from the east of Bridport to the outskirts of Salisbury. It is sparsely settled, with Dorchester and Blandford Forum being the main towns.

Large, open fields of pasture and arable make this a strongly rural NCA. There are occasional blocks of woodland across the rolling chalk landscape. It has one of the densest collections of prehistoric sites and monuments in Europe. Areas such as the South Dorset Ridgeway reveal 8,000 years of human activity. The evolution of the Cranborne Chase chalk plateau is fundamental to the character of the north of the NCA.

Food production is the most visible service provided by the NCA. The provision of drinking water and recharge of the landscape’s chalk rivers are also essential services.

The outstanding landscape is recognised in the designation of two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Dorset AONB and Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB cover 78 per cent of the NCA. The South West Coast Path National Trail follows the South Dorset Ridgeway through the south-west of the NCA.

The area’s chalk downland is internationally recognised. Large tracts are within the Cerne and Sydling Downs, Fontmell and Melbury Downs, and Prescombe Down Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). Internationally significant lowland yew woodland is also represented in the Great Yews SAC. Three per cent (3,486 ha) of the NCA is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The area is synonymous with the writer Thomas Hardy. The Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase form some of the core areas of his literary Wessex. It is also associated with the artists Elisabeth Frink, Stanley Spencer, Lucian Freud, Henry Lamb and E.Q. Nicholson.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

See the Statements of Environmental Opportunity section for more details on the headlines listed below.

SEO 1

Plan for and manage changes in the agricultural landscape by encouraging and supporting business choices that balance food production with protecting soils and water, enhancing ecosystems (particularly those associated with semi-natural grasslands) and restoring ecosystem services.

SEO 2

Manage and enhance the historic character of the NCA, including the rich assemblage of settlement and field patterns, heritage features (including prehistoric assets), and the patterns of woodland, vegetation and geodiversity that give the NCA its sense of place.

SEO 3

Manage and enhance the recreational and educational potential of the NCA in a way that clearly shows the links between people and the landscape, and between geodiversity, ecosystems and the services they provide. Aim to heighten people’s enjoyment, appreciation and understanding of the NCA, as well as their ability to take positive, informed action to enjoy and conserve their surroundings.