14 - Tyne and Wear Lowlands : Summary and Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity

Summary

Tyne and Wear Lowlands National Character Area (NCA) is an area of gently undulating or rolling land, incised by the valleys of the major rivers and their tributaries. It is densely populated and heavily influenced by urban settlement, industry and infrastructure. Between settlements there are wide stretches of agricultural land.

The undulating land and broad valleys of the Tyne and Wear Lowlands are underlain almost entirely by Coal Measures rocks of Upper Carboniferous age. Mineral extraction has played a considerable role in the area and the legacy of coal mining remains evident in the landscape, although much restoration has occurred in recent years. Spoil heaps have been restored to pastures, mixed/coniferous plantations, amenity ponds and lakes (former open cast mines) and accessible green spaces such as country parks, and new networks of footpaths and cycle routes have been created along former wagonways.

Newcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding settlements cover a large area in the north of the NCA. Newcastle lies on the site of the Pons Aelius, a Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall, at a strategic crossing point of the River Tyne. Hadrian’s Wall, which extends north-west from this NCA, is a World Heritage Site and the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail provides recreational opportunities for visitors and local people. During the Industrial Revolution, engineering, mining, ship-building and chemical industries grew along with the populations of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Tynemouth.

The major settlements in the NCA are distinctive. On the southern bank of the Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead are linked by a series of dramatic bridges, including the Tyne, High Level and Gateshead Millennium bridges. The historic centre of Durham is located on a prime defensive site, high up on a bluff in the middle of a tight, incised meander on the River Wear. The castle, cathedral and historic centre combine to form an historic landscape which has been designated a World Heritage Site.

As the settlements expanded, semi-natural habitats became fragmented. Sparse, lowland mixed deciduous woodland is the largest semi-natural habitat, sometimes strongly contributing to sense of place, such as the steep-sided, wooded river valley of the Wear in Durham. Although limited in extent, the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) known as Waldridge Fell is the largest and most diverse lowland heathland in the north-east of England.

In the east of the NCA, there is a small coastal area bordering the Tyne as it flows out into the sea. Sandy beaches backed by sea cliffs are found at Tynemouth and there are fragmented intertidal habitats along the heavily defended Tyne estuary. This habitat supports many wading birds, and is important for otters and migratory salmon. Part of the coastline in North Tyneside is a designated Ramsar site, an SSSI and a Special Protection Area as it supports nationally important numbers of wintering shore birds and the Tynemouth to Seaton Sluice SSSI is a fine example of Coal Measures strata in Great Britain. Hard rock headlands and foreshore outcrops occur in between defended beach frontages and Tyneside is a major port for commercial fishing and a sea ferry terminal. The coast is also popular with visitors for beach use, watersports and walking.

The rivers Tyne and Wear contribute a strong sense of landscape character to the area. These major catchments supply public water for large settlements such as Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead and the headwaters emerge in the North Pennines NCA. Water quality is affected by pollution from former mining activity and diffuse pollution from agriculture. Flood risk occurs during heavy rainfall, emerging from rapid water flow over moorland in upland areas such as in the North Pennines NCA.

Headline Statements of Environmental Opportunity (SEO)

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

SEO 1

Reverse the fragmentation of semi-natural habitats due to the industrial and urban expansion of Tyneside by extending, creating and linking habitats in rural areas, developing or regenerating urban green spaces/urban fringe and protecting brownfield sites with high biodiversity interest.

SEO 2

Enhance and manage the Tyne and Wear river network and Tyneside coastal area to improve water quality and reduce flood risk, and to mitigate the effects of climate change.

SEO 3

Conserve and enhance the network of green infrastructure – broadleaved woodlands characteristic of the Tyne and Wear river valleys, country estates in and around urban settlements and restored coal mining sites – to increase biodiversity, improve water and soil quality, provide tranquillity and recreation and enhance landscape character.

SEO 4

Use an understanding of the unique historic landscape and heritage features of the Tyne and Wear Lowlands NCA to provide opportunities for interpretation, education, wellbeing, recreation and tourism, and to inform good design in new development that respects the setting of heritage assets.