16 - Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe : Analysis: Landscape Attributes & Opportunities

Analysis supporting Statements of Environmental Opportunity

The following analysis section focuses on the landscape attributes and opportunities for this NCA.

Further analysis on ecosytem services for this NCA is contained in the Analysis: Ecosytem Services section.

Landscape attributes

A rolling upland landscape of broad open ridges and valleys with a strong west to east grain.

Justification for selection:

• Elevation ranges from 11 m to 370 m.
• The main valleys are along streams and rivers that run primarily from the higher ground of the North Pennines in the west to the North Sea in the east.
• The area overlies Coal Measures rocks (sandstone, mudstone and coal seams) of Carboniferous age, which were worn by glacial rivers into ridges and valleys running west to east during the last ice age.

A transitional landscape with pastoral farming on higher ground in the west giving way to arable and mixed farming in the valleys and to the east.

Justification for selection:

• 73 per cent of land is grassland or uncropped, 18 per cent is used to grow cereals and 4 per cent for oilseeds.

A rural landscape heavily influenced by the mining and steel-making industries, in particular to the north and east.

Justification for selection:

• Scattered mining and industrial settlements, of terraced and estate housing, occupying prominent sites linked by a network of main roads.
• A number of settlements were built specifically to service local mines and processing plants and provide accommodation for their workers, particularly along railway routes in the 19th century. They include Stanley, Consett, Shildon and Tow Law.

Numerous plantations of conifers or mixed woodland, as blocks or shelterbelts, on hillside; in places more extensive conifer woodlands on hillsides.

Justification for selection:

• 14.3 per cent of the NCA is covered with woodland (6 per cent conifers, 6 per cent broadleaved, less than 1 per cent mixed and 2 per cent other).
• Many parts of the NCA are windswept and open; shelterbelts give important protection for buildings and livestock.

Wide, open, windswept ridges of regular large fields bounded by drystone walls and fences and crossed by straight roads. Isolated farmsteads.

Justification for selection:

• Panoramic views from higher ridges into adjacent valleys and beyond to the North Pennines or Tyne and Wear lowlands.
• Relatively low woodland cover, with the exception of some plantations and shelterbelts, on higher ground.
• Stone walls are the primary boundary type, contributing to the openness of the landscape, as compared to hedgerows with boundary trees in the east.

Broad valleys of arable and mixed farmland with low hedges, strips of broadleaved woodland following rivers and streams, and conifer plantations on valley sides.

Justification for selection:

• Ancient semi-natural woodland covers 4 per cent of the NCA and is largely confined to river valleys.
• The lower eastern parts of the NCA have networks of hedges which have large numbers of hedgerow trees, contributing to a more wooded appearance in some areas.

Open cast coal workings form intrusive features in some areas and some restored open cast areas lack features.

Justification for selection:

• Coal seams are close to the surface in the NCA, giving rise to numerous open cast mines, a small number of which are still active.
• Restored soils, mostly from quarry and open cast spoil, cover 10 per cent of the NCA.
• Early attempts at restoration have resulted in very obviously manmade landscapes with geometric patterns of boundaries and woodlands, unnaturally flat featureless landform and a lack of time-depth.
• Large-scale, modern open cast coal mines are very different in terms of size, appearance, longevity, employment and local impact to the traditional smaller deep pit mines.

Scattered small country houses, set within parkland and well-wooded estates.

Justification for selection:

• Many smaller country houses and estates with parkland and woodland, as well as 3 Registered Parks and Gardens, fall partly or wholly within the NCA, covering 332 ha (Gibside, Auckland Castle Park and a small part of Raby Castle).

Landscape opportunities

• Expand and connect semi-natural habitats, particularly native woodland, grassland, heathland and wetland, to create more resilient ecosystems and allow native species to move through the landscape.
• Protect and maintain mature and veteran trees, particularly in parklands and hedgerows, by carrying out sympathetic management, such as avoiding compaction or cultivation of ground around tree roots, and by planting or encouraging regeneration of new trees to replace veterans as they die.
• Increase the broadleaved component of coniferous plantations.
• Restore plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) using local provenance broadleaved species wherever possible.
• Create buffer strips of grassland and woodland along watercourses to strengthen the natural character of watercourses, while improving the value of riparian habitat for wildlife and protecting water quality.
• Manage and restore field boundaries using materials and styles appropriate to the area.
• Improve landscape, biodiversity and access value of reclamation sites through improved design, planting and habitat management involving local communities where possible to foster understanding and a sense of ownership. Seek ways of improving the integration of restored industrial sites into the wider landscape, through tree and hedge planting that links with local patterns of hedgerows and woodlands, and providing access routes.
• Protect the few remaining tranquil areas from intrusion and development, particularly river valleys, woodlands and heathland.
• Protect industrial archaeology, and improve access to and information about, former coal mining and other industrial sites, in ways that celebrate the important contribution of coal mining and steel-making made to the identity and past economy of the area
• Assimilate new development into the landscape, by using sympathetic and sustainable design, incorporating green space and using tree and shrub planting, including biomass where appropriate.
• Protect and maintain traditional farm buildings and archaeological sites, particularly earthworks.