LCA1A West Wellow Heaths
Landscape Strategy and Guidelines
The West Wellow Heaths are highly valued as a natural and recreational resource, but their popularity and dependence on an active commoning system requires a positive effort to maintain the current assets. The overall strategy is to conserve and enhance the tranquillity and open grazed heathland character of West Wellow Heaths, as part of policy and strategy for the whole of the New Forest Heritage Area (or National Park).
Land Management
Heathland
Control the invasion of scrub and pine
Encourage the continuity of commons grazing
Enhance the protection of heathland from fire damage
Maintain the current extent of unenclosed heathland, and maintain heathland restoration to provide linkages between isolated patches
Woodland and Trees
Remove inappropriate conifer plantations on heathland
Encourage the planting of deciduous small woodlands and tree belts, provided that these do not result in the obstruction of important views, or change the overall character of the area
Biodiversity
Maintain variety of wetland habitats by limiting changes to drainage and creation of new wetland habitats
Encourage the development of new habitat links between existing areas of biodiversity value
Historic Landscapes
Encourage the implementation of appropriate protection measures to archaeological features and provide alternative pedestrian routes
Land Use and Development Built Development
Avoid encroachment into the open heathland
Maintain the open character of the landscape and avoid visual intrusion into the existing sense of remoteness
Any new development should not alter the distinctive linear pattern or result in the coalescence of Plaitford and West Wellow
Infrastructure
Protect the area from further noise intrusion from the A36
Avoid suburbanisation arising from introduction of inappropriate highway measures
Seek opportunities to screen the A36 through planting of native tree belts
Maintain public recreational car parks in a good condition
Recreation, Tourism and Access
Encourage measures to limit erosion from vehicle parking