83 - South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

The South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area (NCA) occupies a large area of central East Anglia stretching from just below Norwich in the north down to the River Gipping in the south. The area is bounded to the north by Mid Norfolk and The Broads NCAs and to the east by the sandy heathland of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths NCA. To the west the landscape merges into the drier and more open character of The Brecks NCA and to the south it meets the South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland NCA with its noticeably more undulating topography. ‘High’ Suffolk originally derives its name from the contrast between this formerly well-treed area and the openness of the adjacent areas to the east and west. Today it is probably better understood as meaning the high and predominantly flat clay plateau that dominates the character of the NCA. The plateau is incised by numerous small-scale wooded river valleys with complex slopes that in places are much unexpected for East Anglia. The underlying geology is chalk, which forms the principal aquifer, and shallow marine deposits overlain with glacial till, buried river gravels, lake sediments and bands of glacial outwash deposits.

Rivers are mostly small and slow flowing, contributing to the character of the landscape as well as providing water for irrigation and public usage. The Waveney, the largest of the NCA’s rivers, forms the division between the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The river valleys contain an important mosaic of small-scale pasture, wet heath, reedbeds and woodland that provide ecological connectivity into the heart of the claylands. Remnant areas of unenclosed ‘semi-wild’ valley fens are designated as a Special Area of Conservation and support a great diversity of wetland species including the fen raft spider.

Large areas of woodland are scarce, with most confined to a narrow band on the edges of the plateau. Views are frequently open, only sometimes confined by hedges, hedgerow trees and scattered smaller woodlands that are still notable elements of the landscape. Occasionally there can even be a feeling of exposure, although within the valleys it is possible to find quite confined landscapes with intimate views.

The equable climate and widespread, moderately fertile, heavy chalky clay plateau soils support farming, predominantly for arable crops, which utilises 90 per cent of the land area. Valley soils are more workable, less heavy clays, and in places along the Waveney there are some extensive areas of peat.

It is mostly an ancient, long-settled landscape, and above all this is farming country, with a strong utilitarian and rural character, evoked best in its ancient irregular field patterns that are still discernable over much of the area, its medieval churches, historic timber-framed barns and houses with colourwashed walls and thatched or tiled roofs. This is an area of mixed settlement patterns with nucleated villages found in the west and along the river valleys, intermixed with dispersed hamlets and moated farmsteads. Large, often interconnected village greens or commons are a key feature of the area. Market towns such as Eye and Framlingham have largely retained their medieval character, derived from their vernacular architecture. Today the main pressures for change are posed by a need to accommodate increased development in and around these traditional centres, especially along the main transport corridors. Public rights of way, including the Boudicca Way and Angles Way long-distance footpaths, and country estates and parklands continue to provide recreational opportunities.

Since the 1940s changes in farming methods have had an impact on farmland habitats and species once common on arable land such as tree sparrow, grey partridge, cornflower and brown hare have significantly declined in numbers. Over recent years the uptake of agri-environment options for land management has targeted this decline. Sustainable approaches to commercial farming practices are key opportunities for this NCA.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

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

SEO 1

Maintain and enhance the rural character of the landscape and the contrast between the arable plateau and pastoral river valleys by maintaining agricultural productivity and encouraging sustainable land management practices that protect and enhance the landscape, geodiversity and biodiversity assets while benefiting water quality and water availability, as well as the rural sense of place and tranquillity.

SEO 2

Encourage measures that conserve and enhance the characteristic historic settlement patterns including notable village commons and greens, and historic features such as moated farmsteads and windmills, ensuring that access and educational opportunities are maximised; and ensure that the design and location of new developments add to the sense of place and history across the NCA.

SEO 3

Maintain and enhance the river valleys and their grazed flood plains which provide linkages through the landscape, including their valley fens and riparian habitats. This will support the operation of natural processes and their contribution to biodiversity, geodiversity, soil quality, water availability and regulating water flow and their function in contributing to the traditional rural character of the area.

SEO 4

Protect and enhance the area’s ancient semi-natural woodlands, copses, river valley plantations and ancient boundaries including hedgerows and hedgerow trees, through the management of existing and the creation of new woods and hedgerows to benefit biodiversity, landscape character and habitat connectivity, and for the benefits to soil erosion reduction, water infiltration and quality, timber provision and carbon storage.