61 - Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

The Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain National Character Area (NCA) comprises most of the county of Cheshire, the northern half of Shropshire and a large part of north-west Staffordshire. This is an expanse of flat or gently undulating, lush, pastoral farmland, which is bounded by the Mersey Valley NCA in the north, with its urban and industrial development, and extending to the rural Shropshire Hills NCA in the south. To the west, it is bounded by the hills of the Welsh borders and to the east and south-east by the urban areas within the Potteries and Churnet Valley, Needwood and South Derbyshire Claylands, and Cannock Chase and Cank Wood NCAs.

A series of small sandstone ridges cut across the plain and are very prominent features within this open landscape. The Mid-Cheshire Ridge, the Maer and the Hanchurch Hills are the most significant. They are characterised by steep sides and woodland is often ancient semi-natural woodland which is notably absent from the plain, except around Northwich.

The landscape character of the plain owes much to its glacial origins. A thick layer of glacial till covers the lower slopes of the ridge and the surrounding plain and is punctuated by numerous ponds and meres. Subsequent colonisation by vegetation has resulted in the establishment of large areas of bog, known as mosses. Some are associated with the development of schwingmoor which is an advancing, floating raft of bog moss. The meres and mosses of the north-west Midlands form a geographically discrete series of nationally important, lowland open water and peatland sites; the finest examples are considered to be of international importance.

The NCA is important for food production. Throughout the plain, the water retention and fertility of the clay soils support lush pastures for grazing dairy cattle. There are a number of dairy processors making a range of dairy products that include ice cream and Cheshire cheese. The lighter soils in Staffordshire and parts of Shropshire support more mixed farms, combinable crops and potatoes in rotation.

The NCA contains several significant flood plains. Its flat, low-lying basins carry meandering stages of ten main rivers, a number of which have sections notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest for their nationally important geomorphological features or clough woodland and wetland habitats important to birds and insects. A section of the River Dee that flows north along the western boundary of the area is designated as a Special Area of Conservation for its vegetation communities and populations of Atlantic salmon, lamprey species, bullhead and otter.

The presence of large conurbations and the dense network of roads mean that development pressures are likely to continue. Road improvements risk the urbanisation of rural villages. The demand for mineral extraction sites and in-fill sites for waste disposal from the conurbations is likely to increase and, as the population increases, the demand for food will increase. Development will also increase water demand which, together with the effects of climate change, potentially threatens the internationally important peat wetland habitats of the NCA in terms of water availability and water quality, compounding the effects of climate change. These pressures have the potential to further fragment habitats and change settlement patterns and the vernacular, but can also provide opportunities to create a high-quality built environment with multifunctional greenspace with links to the rural area.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

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

SEO 1

Restore, manage and protect from diffuse pollution the rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetland habitats (including flood plain grazing marsh and wet woodland) and support partnerships to maintain the integrity and unique conditions for the preservation of the internationally important meres and mosses and River Dee, to benefit water availability, water quality, landscape character, biodiversity and climate regulation.

SEO 2

Protect the landscape of the plain, recognising its importance to food production and incorporating well-maintained hedgerows, ponds and lowland grassland margins within agricultural systems, to secure resource protection and maintain productivity, while reducing fragmentation of semi-natural habitats to benefit a wide range of services, such as landscape character, sense of place, water quality and biodiversity.

SEO 3

Manage and restore lowland heathland and ancient and plantation woodland, support partnerships to plan appropriately scaled new woodland cover, particularly where this will link and extend existing woodlands, restore and reinstate traditional orchards and increase biomass provision to mitigate the impact of climate change, where this will benefit biodiversity, landscape character and enhance the experiential qualities of the area.

SEO 4

Protect and manage the nationally important geological sites and heritage features demonstrating how the interaction of natural and historical factors influenced the distinctive character of its landscape and settlement patterns, and help to promote greater understanding of the link between wildlife, heritage and geodiversity, particularly the importance of former extraction sites for both geodiversity and biodiversity.