100 - Herefordshire Lowlands : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

The Herefordshire Lowlands National Character Area (NCA) lies almost entirely within Herefordshire, with small areas to the north and east in Shropshire and Worcestershire and to the south-east in Gloucestershire. It is largely tranquil and rural in character but does include the larger settlements of Hereford and Leominster. There are small dispersed settlements of hamlets and villages, many of which contain older buildings with the local vernacular of black-and-white timber-framed buildings. Restored cider barns with characteristic double doors and historic farmsteads are also common.

The landscape is gently undulating with steep-sided cornstone hills in the central area dominated by ancient woodland of ash and field maple or oak and bracken. Woodland within the area is a significant landscape feature, typically on the hill tops and valley sides. Many of these woodlands are actively managed (commercially) to produce quality timber, for example Garnons Estate. The NCA is an important area for commercial agricultural supported by the fertile and high-grade agricultural soils; the farming is mixed arable and livestock. Traditional orchards are still to be found, though suffering decline, with new orchards and dwarf varieties of trees also common. The area is also important for commercial production of soft fruit under polytunnels, supplying much of the UK. Historic parklands such as at Berrington Hall have many veteran trees that are important for invertebrates.

There are many rivers in the area, the largest of which are the rivers Wye, Lugg and Frome, flowing through wide, fertile mudstone valleys. Old Red Sandstone is commonly found in the west and east of the area and here the soils take on a distinctive red colour. The River Wye Special Area of Conservation is of international importance, designated for its natural river habitat, which includes species such as native migratory fish (lamprey, shad and salmon), and the wide, meandering river valley creates a unique and beautiful landscape. Recreational opportunity is offered by long-distance trails including the Wye Valley Walk which links to the Shropshire Hills and the Herefordshire Trail which links the market towns in Herefordshire. Views can be expansive across to neighbouring NCAs, looking west to the Black Mountains, north to the Clun and Shropshire Hills, and east to the Malvern Hills.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

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

SEO 1

Protect and manage the internationally important River Wye Special Area of Conservation and the many other watercourses and their flood plains to improve the health of the rivers and the quality and availability of water. Develop the capacity of the riverine environment to tolerate more extreme flow levels by protecting and creating new wet meadow and woodland in the flood plain and seek to increase recreational opportunities related to the riverine environment.

SEO 2

Protect and enhance the natural and historic environment, integrating new development through the use of green infrastructure principles informed by existing heritage, geodiversity and biodiversity assets. Protect the agrarian character of the area by making the most of versatile and fertile soils to produce food while integrating semi-natural features and protecting above and below-ground heritage assets and geological assets and reinforcing the strong sense of character.

SEO 3

Protect, manage and restore semi-natural habitats, in particular woodlands, grasslands, orchards and wet meadows within the rural and urban areas to improve ecological connectivity, biodiversity, landscape character, the historic environment, and flood water storage capacity and the ability of the landscape to adapt to the impacts of climate change. In particular, manage, restore and create new woodland, and develop connectivity in other semi-natural habitats such as the hedgerow networks and orchards.