Landscape type: Valley Pasture Character areas: Frome Valley Pasture Stour Valley Pasture The valley pasture landscape type is found along the lower reaches of the Stour and Frome, formed from alluvial deposits. They have wide, open meandering floodplains that historically support transport routes and market towns around the fringes. A series of wet woodlands, large pastures and water meadows are typical of this landscape type. Landscape change Policy driven farming changes over the last sixty years have resulted in concentration of stock levels. This has limited the availability of livestock to graze land of low agricultural, but high environmental value such as flood plains. A change from wet pastures to arable use on the upper terraces has detracted from the open character of the area. Only remnant water meadows survive with traditional management no longer practiced. Some pastures have been drained reducing their ecological and visual interest. The condition of many of the hedges along the valley floor is now declining. Some of the floodplain trees are becoming over-mature and will eventually need replacing. Wet woodland is now mostly restricted to small blocks of willow and alder along the immediate river banks. The increasing traffic levels, particularly along the A37 and A352 have brought pressures for development and signage with visual impact and loss of tranquillity. Recent residential developments around settlements have a negative visual impact on the open character of the floodplain. Agriculture is becoming more market driven with intensification of production and farm diversification. This may result in short term changes in agricultural patterns in the landscape with diversification into other crops such as biomass crops, altering the open character of the landscape. Continued development pressures around Blandford and Dorchester and increases in traffic and associated management schemes could further impact on tranquillity and loss of key features. Climate change may alter important habitats and features. Landscape Guidelines The overall objective should be to conserve the strong open character and visual unity of the valley. Conserve and restore features and the diversity of semi-natural habitats such as wet woodland pastures, water meadows, and boundary features. Planning guidelines Encourage use of native planting in any new landscape scheme associated with new development and consider removal of unsympathetic species, such as poplars that stand out in the landscape. Monitor development around main settlements to ensure planting and built form is both sympathetic and complementary to landscape character. Resist development in open locations. Improve recreational links from main urban centres into the surrounding countryside, with the provision of functional greenspace. Restore traditional mills, bridges and farmstead of local stone. Prevent further quarrying in open locations. Minimise small scale incremental change such as signage, fencing or improvements to the road network which could change the peaceful, rural character of the landscape. Management guidelines Encourage opportunities for reversion from arable cropping back to pasture on the valley terraces, linking up areas in good condition and enhance management of existing wet pastures. Encourage maintenance of boundaries, particularly parkland railings and stone walls along the valley floors. Identify, conserve and restore remnant water meadow systems that are important historic landscape features and consider opportunities for reinstatement of traditional land management practices. Protect watercourses and associated wildlife from soil erosion and the effects of diffuse pollution. Consider planting a new generation of floodplain trees to replace those that are becoming over-matured and to replace elms that were lost during the twentieth century. Consider extending wet woodland on the valley floor, particularly around existing settlements. Restore water meadows for additional flood storage.
The overall objective should be to conserve the strong open character and visual unity of the valley. Conserve and restore features and the diversity of semi-natural habitats such as wet woodlands, pastures, water meadows, and boundary features. Encourage use of native planting in any new landscape scheme associated with new development and consider removal of unsympathetic species, such as poplars, that stand out in the landscape. Monitor development around main settlements to ensure planting and built form is both sympathetic and complementary to landscape character. Resist development in open locations. Improve recreational links from main urban centres into the surrounding countryside, with the provision of functional greenspace. 55 Valley Pasture Restore traditional mills, bridges and farmsteads of local stone. Encourage maintenance of boundaries, particularly along the valley floors. Encourage opportunities for reversion from arable cropping back to pasture on the valley terraces, linking up areas in good condition and enhance management of existing wet pastures. Consider planting a new generation of floodplain trees. Identify, conserve and restore remnant water meadow systems that are important historic landscape features.
Character Area: Frome Valley Pasture The Frome Valley Pasture is characterised by a flat valley floor with the meandering River Frome and associated floodplain and terraces. Views are often extensive particularly towards Wareham with an array of diverse wetland habitats. Coastal grazing marsh grades into reed beds on the harbour fringes east of Wareham. Its harmonious character features large regular pastoral fields running adjacent to the river and occasional arable fields and scattered woodland blocks. To the south of the river there is a gradual transition to the farmed landscapes with larger conifer plantations. Along the terraces are a chain of ancient woodlands. Towards Dorchester, there is a more intimate character and landform with dense hedgerows and individual trees. Settlement and road corridors are found on the upper terraces. To the south of the river there is a marked transition to the undulating Dorchester Downs and series of chalk valleys branching off to the north. Historical landuses are evident along many stretches of the floodplain including wet winter flooded grassland, water mills and bridges made of local stone. Key characteristics Meandering flat river floodplain with small wet woodlands, wet winter flooded grasslands and extensive pattern of water meadows Extensive reedbeds and coastal grazing marsh towards the Harbour Large open regular fields with dense copses of oak, hazel, holly ancient woodlands and occasional individual trees Linear and nucleated settlements of local stone along the river terrace margins Long open views with a tranquil experience Historic bridges, mills and ecclesiastical remains
Description Land shape & structure Formed of fluvial deposits, the area is a flat bottomed valley floor with a meandering river and floodplain becoming broader towards Poole Harbour. A series of terraces form the outer fringes of the main channel. Soils and vegetation Soils are alluvial drift, mainly of recent riverine origin. Wetland habitats in the valley floor include wet pastures, reedbeds, willow and marsh. There are some areas of neutral and acid grassland and ancient woodlands with oak, hazel and holly. Towards the harbour, there are significant winter flooded grasslands, reedbeds and coastal grazing marsh. Settlement and land cover Settlement patterns are characterised by small compact and linear villages, although the area is influenced by the towns of Dorchester, Wareham and Wool. The land cover is typified by rough pasture used for seasonal grazing with small pastoral wet woodlands along the meandering river. Arable fields are found along the upper terraces. Historic character The area is dominated by extensive water meadows with some fragments of regular enclosure and evidence of industrial and quarrying activity. Mills and bridges are an important reminder of management and exploitation of water. Historically, the River Frome acted as a physical barrier between the Isle of Purbeck and the heathlands to the north. It is suggested that the area has a wealth of as yet unrecorded archaeology in river valleys such as extensive prehistoric activity with well preserved organic remains providing evidence of environmental change and past exploitation of the river and adjacent areas. Excavations in advance of gravel extraction at Bestwall have revealed extensive multi-period occupation and industrial activity. Bindon Abbey is probably the most notable Medieval feature in this area, and of particular interest because of its gardens. Visual character & perceptions Unified by the river corridor and its associated patterns of small wooded pasture, it has a natural character emphasised by colourful and textured grasslands and reeds. Key buildings and features form locally prominent landmarks in this sinuous landscape, with extensive views towards Wareham and Dorchester. Evaluation Strength of character This is a landscape of strong character as a result of the distinctive winding river and associated floodplains. The distinct and recognisable pattern of features such as grazed valley floor pasture, historic water meadows and linear wet woodlands reinforce the strength of character of the valley pasture. It is largely unaffected by development with a continuation in open landform, and a sense of visual unity. There are relatively few detracting features that weaken the character, except for unsympathetic poplar planting and signage that occur towards Wareham, along the A37, and urban fringe landuse around Dorchester. Condition The condition of semi-natural habitats on the valley floor of wet meadow and riverine habitats has been fragmented by arable fields. Today only small areas of semi-natural habitat remain. For example, former extensive wet woodland is now mostly restricted to a narrow line of willow along the river and traditional water meadow management is no longer practiced. However, significant areas of wet pastures are dotted along its length with a large area of reeds and marsh at the fringe of the harbour. Some hedges have been replaced by fencing and urban fringe pressures around Wareham and Dorchester and along the major roads impact on the tranquil valley floor. Pylons also have a visual impact along parts of the area. Overall landscape condition is moderate and stable. Although, climate change may result in changes to important habitats. 57 Frome Valley Pasture
Character Area: Stour Valley Pasture The Stour Valley Pasture is a pastoral landscape dominated by the meandering river Stour set within a wide and settled floodplain. The area also includes the southern edge of the Iwerne Valley which extends into the Cranborne Chase AONB. Although it shares many of the same characteristics as the main part of the Stour Valley, it has a more intimate character. The surrounding chalk downland towards the Cranborne Chase AONB to the east and the North Dorset Escarpment to the west create a sense of enclosure to the valley floor pastures. Small blocks of wet woodland along the river provide structure and diversity and a sense of intimacy to this otherwise flat and open landscape. Dense hedgerows with trees, small scale fields and occasional grassland meadows and remnant withy beds along the river give way to nucleated villages and larger blocks of deciduous woodland along the valley sides. Land use becomes more intensive towards Blandford and a significant parkland landscape around Bryanston School provides an attractive edge to the Blandford urban fringe. Key characteristics Meandering river Stour with broad, open floodplain and gentle valley sides Small deciduous wet woodlands with ancient woodland flora forming locally prominent landmarks Small scale patchwork of pasture divided by dense species rich hedgerows with hedgerow trees Remnant withy beds, water meadows, mills and weirs Large country houses set in parkland landscapes Great variety of building materials with many prominent country houses and buildings The valley floors typically provide historical transport routes with stone bridges, with a series of linear and nucleated villages of flint and stone A sense of enclosure provided by the surrounding chalk downland landscapes
Description Land shape & structure Formed of fluvial deposits and sedimentary rock, the area is a flat bottomed valley floor with a meandering river and floodplain, cutting through the surrounding chalk with terracing either side of the river channel. Soils and vegetation The river Stour and its associated floodplain, with its sediment rock type and peaty wet soils, support a range of wet woodlands, and wet neutral pastures. Settlement and land cover Settlements along the river terraces have a mixed nucleated and linear form. Blandford abuts the edge of the AONB and is seen from The Cliff and the bridge over the Stour, near Blandford St Mary. Parkland landscapes and country houses are evident throughout much of the valley with Bryanston and the cliff providing an impressive backdrop to Blandford set around a significant band of oak, ash and beech woodland. Landcover is largely pastoral along the valley floor with mostly arable along the upper terraces. Historic character The area has a prevailing character of relatively modern water meadows with regular enclosures. However, we would expect to find a wealth of as yet unrecorded archaeology in river valleys such as extensive prehistoric activity with well preserved organic remains providing evidence of environmental change and past exploitation of the river and adjacent areas. Bridges of local stone and manor houses with parkland add to historic character. Visual character & perceptions Unified by the river corridor and its associated patterns of small woodlands and pasture, it has a natural character emphasised by colourful and textured grasslands and reeds. Key buildings and features form locally prominent landmarks in this sinuous landscape, with open views along the floodplain. Designed parklands add to the visual interest. Evaluation Strength of character This landscape is judged to have a medium strength of character. The landscape is unified by the repeated occurrence of key features across the valley floor and sides, the settlement pattern, the presence of steam side woodland, and near continuous pastures. However, past intensive farming methods have weakened the character in places. Signage that occurs along the lanes and urban fringe landuse also weakens the rural and tranquil character. Recent engineering of flood control measures also weakens the natural character. Condition The area exhibits a diversity of land uses and this reduces the sense of intactness across the valley, particularly along the main transport routes and existing settlements. Hedgerows are largely intact on the valley floor although these become fragmented on the valley sides. There is some wet woodland in need of active management. Smaller settlement and built character is in good condition although the larger developments do impact on the open floodplain and tranquil quality. Overall, landscape condition is judged as moderate and declining. 59 Stour Valley Pasture