LCA1A West Wellow Heaths

General Description

The West Wellow Heaths LCA is a gently undulating landscape with domed hill top commons (Canada Common) and shallow valleys, creating an open barren landscape with wide views from the few high points across to the south. Overhead transmission lines along with small groupings of trees and scrub provide vertical features within this landscape.

Location

This character area lies in the south western corner of the Borough and forms an unique landscape unit in the Borough, defined by the Borough boundary to the west and south and including Plaitford, West Wellow and Canada Commons. The character area extends southwards into New Forest District1.

Local Physical Influences

Refer to Heathland landscape character description type.

Local Biodiversity and Vegetation Pattern

The area has an important flora and fauna particularly in regard to its aquatic and associated habitats. This is an area of typical lowland heath, dominated by ericaceous shrubs. Heath occurs in mosaics with acid grassland, patchy woodland, scrub, and a few valley mires.

Heathland has three defined types within the mosaics: dry heath, dominated by Ling Heather; humid heath, dominated by Bell Heather; and wet heath, dominated by Cross leaved heather. The most diverse and species rich areas are the valley mires and the acid grasslands. These include a variety of flowering plants and lower plants that can comprise a substantial proportion of the herbage, such as Tormentil, Heath Bedstraw, Birds-foot Trefoil, Harebell, Milkwort and Violets in the grasslands, and Bog Bean, Least Skullcap, Bog pimpernel, Lousewort, and a variety of Sphagnum species in the mires. Orchids found include Spotted Heath, Southern Marsh Orchid and Early Purple Orchid.

Local Historical Influences

This area of heathland may well have been cleared as early as the Bronze Age and retains two burial mounds dating from this period.

This area has and continues to be considerably influenced by its associations with the New Forest. Between AD 1227 and 1280 the ‘Large Bounds Perambulatory’ identified this landscape character area as falling within the New Forest and so King’s Law which extended as far north as the River Blackwater.

Part of this character area includes premises which retain rights to forest grazing or to both forest and adjacent commons grazing.

Settlement Pattern

Several 19th century ‘heath associated’ type settlements line the northern and eastern edges of this character area although no settlement can be found within its bounds. Similarly no farmsteads can be found upon the heathland of either Plaitford or Wellow Common probably, as their name suggests, because they represented land where common grazing rights still held sway.

No roads or tracks extend across the heathland although several informal paths and rights of way do exist. The informal paths and to a lesser extent the rights of way are fluid and are subject to change over time and consequently may not represent traditional routes across the commons.

Features of Built Form

Mixed aged and style of development with infill.

Community Perceptions

Many of the Borough residents do not realise that this part of the New Forest lies within the Borough but most recognised the strong distinctive character of this area, naming the presence of gorse, trees, grass swathes, commons, ponies and a sense of barrenness. There was evidence of some confusion over the effect of grazing on the heathland character and concern that heather was being lost due to overgrazing.

Of particular importance is the accessibility of the New Forest for passive recreational pursuits.

Remoteness and Tranquillity

Due to the limit of development in Plaitford, this landscape has a strong feeling of remoteness. However, the A36 is a busy road and, at peak times with the right weather conditions, will cause a high level of intrusion across to the commons.

Key Characteristics

A strong heathy character resulting from the underlying older geological deposits and acid soils, reflected in the presence of gorse, birch and scots pine, maintained by grazing

Areas of unenclosed heathland common, including Canada, Plaitford and West Wellow Heaths, with shared landscape features to other areas of New Forest heathland

Long views over Commons are limited in places by the domed topography of the low ridges and encroaching scrub

Unenclosed common heathland, which is criss-crossed by many formal and informal paths and rights of way

Premises in the surrounding area retain rights to graze cattle and ponies on the common

New Forest ponies

Proximity of roadside linear settlement at Plaitford

A strong sense of remoteness and solitude away from the A36.

Local Natural and Cultural Landscape Issues

Loss of fragile archaeological features such as Bronze Age burial mounds through pedestrian erosion of unstable heathland soils

Loss of historic common land associated with the New Forest to increasing development pressures from existing linear settlements

Loss of tranquility arising from increase in traffic

Increased need for water abstraction leading to mires and wet woodlands drying out causing a reduction in biodiversity

Invasion of gorse, scrub and pine due to low grazing particularly as a result of the foot and mouth epidemic in 2001

Reduction of heathland and isolation of small patches due to scrub encroachment

Erosion arising from recreation

Climatic change leading to increased risk of fire and loss of heathland

Loss of unimproved habitat through fertiliser leacheate.

Designations

Landscape

New Forest Heritage Area

Historic

Plaitford Common: Owned by the National Trust and part of the New Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest. A Bowl Barrow is also located within this area

Other commons: West Wellow Common and Canada Common.

Nature Conservation

RAMSAR / SAC / SPA

New Forest – Dry heath, wet heath, acid grassland and scrub

Footnotes

1. New Forest District Council Landscape Character Assessment: September 2001

Volume 2: LCA1A Strategies and Guidelines