92 - Rockingham Forest : 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

Woodland cover, especially in the old Rockingham Forest, is a distinctive feature of this NCA. There is a mixture of commercial conifer and broadleaved plantations, ancient woodland as well as semi-natural and replanted ancient woodland sites.

Justification for selection:

• Large area of woodland cover is a significant feature of the landscape, especially the core area of Rockingham Forest, with areas of broadleaved as well as commercial coniferous plantations extending across the elevated plateaux and ridges. While not forming continuous belts across the plateaux, the blocks of woodland often coalesce visually with hedgerow trees, smaller copses and game coverts around farmsteads to increase the perception of an extensive woodland cover across the landscape.
• Historically, the characteristics of the heavy clay soils deterred widespread clearance and cultivation resulting in much of the area remaining as woodland and forests. Rockingham Forest is of historical importance as a remnant of former Royal Hunting Forests. Many woods are ancient, former coppice woods and contain a diverse range of species that are of considerable nature conservation interest, several are designated as SSSI/NNR for this reason.
• The publicly accessible woodlands, such as the Forestry Commission estate, are popular with visitors for their amenity and aesthetic values. The centre at Fineshade Wood is a popular visitor attraction. It offers opportunities to view red kites on the nest and other wildlife. Additionally there are trails for all abilities, cycle hire, horse riding trails, cafe, shop and campsite.
• Damage by pests (such as grey squirrels, rabbits, hares and deer) prevents natural woodland regeneration and affects the success of new planting schemes and regrowth from woodland management. In particular, high deer populations browse new growth from coppice stools and new planting and affect the quality of woodland ground flora. Control of pest species, and particularly deer populations, is essential for successful woodland management.

Fields are commonly bounded by well-managed hedgerows in most areas with characteristic mature trees and some drystone walls especially to the north-east of the NCA. Predominantly large- to medium-sized fields, mixed arable and some pastoral land use, displaying the rectilinear pattern of 18th- and 19th-century enclosures.

Justification for selection:

• Hedgerow trees, notably of oak and ash, and lines of trees fringing watercourses add to the wooded character of the landscape by providing visual containment and networks of habitat throughout the agricultural landscape.
• It is possible that many areas remained unenclosed until the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time, the landscape was divided up as part of parliamentary and non-parliamentary enclosures, resulting in today’s pattern of rectangular hedged fields set within a more sinuous pattern of older enclosures, winding lanes and watercourses.
• Boundary loss (hedgerows and stone walls) as a result of neglect and poor repair continues to threaten the integrity of historic landscape and its character across this area.

Country houses and the parks associated with them are important features of the landscape, adding to the overall wooded character of the area.

Justification for selection:

• There are 11 Registered Parks and Gardens in the NCA. This includes large country houses and mature parkland estates such as Deene Park, Kirby Hall and Rockingham Castle which are important landscape features. There are also numerous unregistered parks and gardens of various sizes across the area.
• The former extent of parkland in the area has been significantly reduced by agricultural changes in the 20th century. The condition of many surviving areas is poor, and would benefit from appropriate conservation management

The limestone outcrop to the north-east is an important feature of this NCA giving rise to distinctive semi-natural habitats, including grasslands. Barnack Hills and Holes NNR and SAC, for example, is of high biodiversity value for the species-rich grassland it supports as well as an important local recreation asset.

Justification for selection:

• Although only 22 ha in size, Barnack Hills and Holes NNR and SAC represents half of the surviving limestone grassland in Cambridgeshire. It is designated as an SAC to protect the orchid-rich grassland. More than 300 kinds of wild plant have been found here, including eight species of orchid. The site is renowned for its population of the rare pasque flower. It is a popular local amenity and a ‘Friends of Group’ is being established to involve the community in its management and care.
• Other small unimproved relic grasslands of biological interest can be found on the fringes of settlements, often marked by the presence of ridge-and-furrow earthworks. These add to the pastoral, enclosed and rural quality of the areas around the villages and would often benefit from enhanced management to improve their long term biological diversity.

The network of small, shallow rivers and streams that wind across the NCA are tributaries of the rivers Nene and Welland. They have shaped the form of the landscape by moulding the underlying rocks to create the many small sheltered valleys in which settlements are often found. However, where water action is limited to minor streams and brooks, the landscape retains a plateau like appearance.

Justification for selection:

• The rivers and streams in this NCA are tributaries which feed in to larger rivers downstream namely the rivers Nene and Welland. Water is abstracted from these two rivers in adjacent NCAs to feed Rutland Water reservoir (NCA 74) which is used as a strategic resource for water demand within the Anglian region. Rutland Water is also an important nature reserve which supports an internationally important assemblage of waterfowl and so is designated as a Special Protection Area and Ramsar site.
• Settlements tend to lie along the valleys and the smaller streams and rivers often flow through or near to the villages, contributing to their rural character.
• The smaller streams and rivers are prone to localised flash flooding impacting on the silt load of rivers and also contributing to flooding problems downstream in adjacent NCAs. The streams and rivers run largely through arable land and so diffuse pollution and high run-off rates are issues which impact negatively on water quality.
• Wet meadows, pollards and ponds are locally important historic riparian features that are becoming increasingly rare and where present suffer from neglect. They are most commonly found along small watercourses adjacent to villages.

Landscape opportunities

• Aim to increase the biological quality, quantity and landscape connectivity of woodland in the NCA. Support the establishment of new broadleaved woodland areas that are well integrated with the surrounding landscape. These should connect existing ancient woodland and parklands sites and provide biodiversity, landscape character and recreational enhancement opportunities. The area’s more recent woodlands include a high proportion of even-aged, mixed and conifer woodland nearing maturity which could provide an opportunity to enhance the areas landscape character, biodiversity and amenity values in the future if replanted with mixed broadleaved woodlands.
• Look for opportunities to improve the quality, quantity and connectivity of other isolated but significant wildlife habitats including SSSI. In particular, identify opportunities to enhance relic lowland grasslands surviving on ridge and furrow, and to establish new grasslands, including flood plain meadows, where appropriate. There is also an opportunity to enhance the quality and connectivity of wildlife habitats throughout the farmed landscape and use farm woodland, riverine and hedgerow corridors as the basis of strengthening landscape character by establishing a better connected and diverse semi-natural landscape.
• Plan and manage for the re-introduction of cost-effective ancient woodland management and manage recent woodlands similarly to enhance their landscape character, biological and structural diversity in the long term. Any such plan would need to address the impact the deer population has on the capacity for woodland regeneration, structural and biological diversity.
• Aim to maintain the rural character of the landscape and limit the visual impact of any new development by ensuring it is appropriate in terms of design, scale and materials. Specific mechanisms could include Design Statements for those villages and market towns most prone to infill development and the larger scale expansion of settlements lying within the Growth Points. Encourage the use of innovative architectural and planning solutions that take inspiration from local distinctiveness and character while using eco-friendly and high quality design. Seek to prevent development coalescence, ensuring separation is maintained between the urban fringe and surrounding settlements. Where appropriate take the opportunity to design in green infrastructure links to connect residential areas with the surrounding countryside and to reduce the visual impact of new developments.
• Conserve and enhance the characteristic networks of hedgerows and drystone walls that enclose the landscape. Encourage replanting of hedgerows, hedge laying and establish a programme for the ongoing replacement of mature hedgerow trees, to ensure that the strong characteristic pattern of hedgerows is retained throughout the area particularly along roads and public rights of way and adjacent to settlements. Reinstate priority stone walls found particularly in the north of the area.
• Seek to enhance the area’s existing public rights of way network and establish new permissive access within and between woodlands and other areas of countryside where there is an opportunity to link people with places. This might include designing green infrastructure links to new developments and enhancing the existing hedgerow, river and woodland corridors.
• The historic parklands are designed landscapes from the 16th to the 18th century and many are in need of positive management and appropriate planned restoration. Prepare and implement historic parkland management plans throughout this area including the smaller parkland landscapes which are often more vulnerable to neglect.
• Look for opportunities to manage and enhance locally important historic riparian features such as wet meadows, pollards and ponds that are becoming increasingly rare within the area’s river valleys.