LCA10C Thruxton and Danebury Chalk Downland
Landscape Strategy and Guidelines
The Thruxton and Danebury Chalk Downland is an open homogenous area of national importance for its unimproved grassland and woodland habitats and extant historic features. The overall strategy is therefore to conserve the open views and its historic and ecological value whilst restoring some of the landscape structural features of the downs at Thruxton and Danebury Chalk Downland.
Land Management
Landscape Distinctiveness
Maintain sense of remoteness and tranquillity
Protect significant open vistas from visual intrusion
Protect and enhance views to valued local landscape features
Agriculture
Seek opportunities to retain remaining small areas of pasture
Discourage further amalgamation of fields and loss of hedgerows
Encourage sustainable farming practices with a view to minimising the impact of new farming infrastructure and methods including spraying and fertiliser applications
Encourage new farm buildings to be well sited and integrated into the landscape
Encourage careful siting of new energy crops in keeping with the local landscape pattern and to create a positive contribution to the landscape
Hedgerows
Restore lost and fragmented hedgerows on former hedgerow lines
Seek opportunities mitigate impact from existing and future development through new hedgerow planting
Woodland and Trees
Seek opportunities for new woodland planting to link existing wooded areas and integrate modern development into the landscape
Identify woodlands where felling would make a positive contribution to the landscape and provide more suitably sited replacement woodlands
Promote good management of woodlands
Biodiversity
Conserve, restore and manage remnant areas of unimproved chalk grassland
Avoid further erosion of farmland biodiversity due to intensive agricultural methods
Seek opportunities to extend and link unimproved grassland and woodland habitats
Historic Landscapes
Protect the landscape setting to historic features
Avoid further erosion of historic landscapes due to modern agricultural methods
Protect and enhance parkland features
Maintain and enhance the surviving Iron Age Hill Forts at Danebury and Bury Ring while protecting earthworks from visitor erosion
Urban Fringe
Reinforce the edge of Andover through careful design and appropriate landscape planting
Avoid deterioration in the urban fringe landscape arising from poor design and intrusive development
Improve management of the landscape around settlements
Seek improved management and maintenance of farmsteads and farms in the urban fringeLand Use and Development
Built Developments
Development to respond to the local characteristics of the landscape
Opportunities to be sought to restore local landscape features and create a stronger landscape structure within the settlement edge of Andover
Maintain the historic integrity of the existing settlement pattern
Careful consideration to be given to the environmental impact of alternative uses for redundant MOD landInfrastructure
Seek opportunities to enhance roadside planting and minimise visual and noise intrusion
Avoid intrusive development of tall and large structures except where they can be successfully integrated into the landscape
Seek to minimise the visual intrusion and suburbanising effect arising from highway infrastructure
Recreation, Tourism and Access
Consider possibility of introducing small country parks or similar recreational focal points
Manage any growth in horse related recreational activities to prevent deterioration in landscape features