129 - Thames Basin Heaths : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

The Thames Basin Heaths National Character Area (NCA) stretches westwards from Weybridge in Surrey to the countryside around Newbury in Berkshire. The London greenbelt incorporates countryside around Chobham and the rivers Wey and Mole. West of the greenbelt, 20th-century development has given rise to large conurbations including Camberley and the ‘new town’ of Bracknell. Among these conurbations, gardens amount to a significant area of greenspace, with rhododendron being a particular feature, and a major road network incorporates the M25 and M3. This densely settled area can be a significant source of pollution and rapid run-off.

Further from London, in the west, the settlement pattern is a mix of dispersed hamlets, farmsteads and houses interspersed with villages, many of medieval origin. Vestiges of the historic royal hunting forests of Bagshot, Eversley, Pamber and Windsor comprise parkland, ancient woodland, and small to medium-sized fields of semi-natural grassland. Features include ancient hedgerows and veteran trees, and there are parklands at The Vyne and Highclere Castle.

Woodland accounts for a quarter of this NCA, reflecting the predominance of low-grade agricultural land. Only 20 per cent of this woodland is on ancient woodland sites, with the majority of it having grown up or been planted on former heathland – much of which is or was common land. Conifers and rhododendron are particularly distinctive in the east of the NCA. In this heavily wooded landscape, there are significant timber and biomass opportunities.

Common land is found across the NCA, with the largest commons found on raised plateaux of Tertiary sands and gravels. On these deposits, farming is largely limited to rough pasture and there are large estates. Non-agricultural land uses are widespread, and include large plantations and military bases (including Aldershot). Formal and informal greenspace is concentrated in the east of the NCA, and includes country parks, woodlands and golf courses (such as Wentworth). The Kennet and Blackwater valleys are a focus for sand and gravel extraction.

Semi-natural habitat is extensive on the plateaux, and includes mosaics of wet and dry heathland, woodland and acid grassland. These habitats (and bird populations of nightjar, Dartford warbler and woodlark) are of international importance; they are protected by the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright and Chobham Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA), as well as being nationally designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In the east, the close proximity of semi-natural habitats to settlements gives rise to recreation and education opportunities, as well as to problems such as fly-tipping, arson and disturbance.

To the west, international sites include the three wetland SAC of the Kennet and Lambourn Flood Plain, the Kennet Valley Alderwoods and the River Lambourn. The Kennet and Loddon catchments drain the plateaux and intervening clay valleys. Agriculture in the valleys is mixed, and there are fragments of historic meadows and reedbeds.

In the far west, the chalk scenery of the Hampshire Downs escarpment and the countryside around the River Pang are both designated as part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which makes up 17 per cent of the NCA.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

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

SEO 1

At a catchment scale, manage and create woodlands, highway verges, field margins, reedbeds and other features in urban and rural settings to intercept run-off and to filter pollutants. In the heavily developed flood plains of the Blackwater and Thames, adapt the urban environment to manage floodwaters, and restore or enhance modified watercourses.

SEO 2

Maximise the variety of ecosystem services delivered by wooded features – from wet woodlands in the Kennet Valley to the large conifer plantations around Camberley and new woodlands. Conserve soils, water, biodiversity and the sense of place and history; enhance timber and biomass production; and provide for recreation and tranquillity as appropriate.

SEO 3

Enhance the sense of history and biodiversity by conserving, restoring and building the resilience of long-established habitats such as heathland, ancient woodland and meadows, and of archaeology such as hill forts. Work at a landscape scale to conserve and restore key attributes of the historic hunting forests (such as Eversley) and historic common land. Engage the public in enjoying this heritage.

SEO 4

With a focus on the Blackwater Valley, Newbury and nearby major settlements such as Reading, provide good-quality green infrastructure (incorporating commons, woodlands and restored gravel pits) to facilitate people’s sustainable engagement with the local landscape. In doing so, also seek benefits for wildlife, water quality, flood amelioration and climate regulation.