summary

 
©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001

LOCATION

Linear area south of Lea Valley (West) between the eastern edge of Hatfield Park and the south-western edge of Hertford, bounded to the south by wooded upper slopes and the plateau. Divided into two sub-areas by the change of character caused by 20th-century land use at Bedwell Park.

 
©Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Hertfordshire County Council, LA 076678, 2001

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER

Gently undulating north-facing arable slopes, interrupted locally by extensive mineral workings. Generally unsettled, with isolated farms and tiny hamlets within hidden valleys. Dwarfed by the steeper wooded slopes to the south but with good views out over the river Lea.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

• *gently undulating arable slopes between the Lea floodplain and the small arable plateaux and associated steep slopes to the south
• *north facing
• *separated from river valley by B158 just above floodplain
• *extensive mineral extraction
• *parkland converted to golf course bisects this area
• *narrow wooded valleys cut back into steeper slopes above

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

• impact of mineral extraction and 20th-century recreational use is locally severe

View over Lea Valley from Bedwell Park golf course (P. Shears)

assessment

PHYSICAL INFLUENCES

Geology and soils. Deep fine loamy over clay soils over chalky till (Hornbeam 3 series).

Topography. Gently undulating north-facing slope with intermittent stream valleys.

Degree of slope. 1 in 65 (locally 1 in 30 to 1 in 100)

Altitude range. 55m to 75m.

Hydrology. Upper valley slopes of river Lea, with streams (Essendon Brook) flowing north to river and many ornamental lakes within an extensive golf course. Gravel bournes or summer-dry 'brooks' occur naturally across this area, with very steep banks.

Land cover and land use. Treed arable farmland with discrete woodlands. Extensive golf course in former parkland at Bedwell divides area. East of Bedwell a considerable amount of the arable farmland has been lost to mineral extraction. Limited pasture.

Vegetation and wildlife. Variable, discrete woodlands of oak/ash and some hornbeam, with a mix of ancient woodland and plantations. Mainly in arable cultivation, with some former pasture gone to scrub. Hedgerow species are oak and ash with hawthorn. There are also hawthorn hedgerows with oak and ash standards. Pollards Wood contains many veteran trees and is a remnant of formerly more extensive woodland cover. The growth of secondary woodland on common strips on the edge of settlements is particularly notable around Brickendon.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES

This is a landscape with a regular post-1800 medium to large-scale field pattern with consistent hedgerow boundaries, except where these have been disrupted by 20th-century land uses such as golf courses and mineral extraction. This area is sub-divided by remnant parkland on the lower slopes of Bedwell Park (now an extensive golf course). The hidden valleys that run back into the steeper wooded slopes to the south have retained their historic landscape and buildings.

Field pattern. The field boundaries are of variable size and content. In the main they are treed hedgerows, that is, overgrown hedgerows which now consist mainly of trees with some shrubs, but they have been heavily degraded by mineral extraction.

Transport pattern. From the B158 in the valley small sinuous sunken lanes with treed hedgebanks, some of them mown, climb the slopes to the south. There are no verges along these roads.

Settlements and built form. There are no large settlements within this area, simply small groups or isolated houses or farms, generally in vernacular style and well screened from the road, tucked up into the narrow valleys. Howe Green, for example, is an old settled linear hamlet of domestic and large-scale houses within a narrow valley of treed hedgerows nestling between arable fields. Building materials in this area are red brick or black weatherboard with tiled roofs. Farm buildings are small in scale and frequently of black weatherboard.

evaluation

VISUAL AND SENSORY PERCEPTION

This area is widely visible from the upper slopes to the south and from the northern slopes of the Lea valley, particularly along the A414. Within the area, views are generally filtered by vegetation, particularly the dense hedgerows and treed hedgerows. It is a tranquil area, apart from occasional noise from the B158 and is a medium-scale contained landscape of generally coherent visual unity. Locally this is disrupted by young planting within the golf course which does not reflect the historic avenues and other planted features within the former parkland.

Rarity and distinctiveness. The degradation of the historic integrity of parkland via change of use to golf course is not unusual in Hertfordshire. Arable farmland on shallow slopes is a fairly typical feature of the county.

VISUAL IMPACT

This area suffers from the localised impact of 20th-century land use, not built development but mineral extraction and golf courses, both dominant land uses with high impact. In general, the mineral extraction land use is contained within the landform and by vegetation, but golf course use can be widely visible, distinguished by superficial changes in landform and non-indigenous vegetation. In particular, the large mineral extraction site within the Lea valley is widely visible within the lower part of Bedwell Park. Although that site lies outside this area, this is where its impact is most visible.

ACCESSIBILITY

The B158 is not suitable for use as a footpath, although it is an extension of the Lea Valley footpath. There are several lateral footpaths linking to the settlements on the plateau above.

COMMUNITY VIEWS

This area is hardly remarked upon (E).

LANDSCAPE RELATED DESIGNATIONS

Landscape Conservation Area

 

CONDITION
Land cover change:	extensive but localised
Age structure of tree cover:	mature
Extent of semi-natural habitat survival:	fragmented
Management of semi-natural habitat:	not obvious
Survival of cultural pattern:	declining
Impact of built development:	low
Impact of land-use change:	high
ROBUSTNESS
Impact of landform:	apparent
Impact of land cover:	prominent
Impact of historic pattern:	interrupted
Visibility from outside:	widely visible
Sense of enclosure:	partial
Visual unity:	incoherent/interrupted
Distinctiveness/rarity:	frequent

guidelines

STRATEGY AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING CHANGE: IMPROVE AND CONSERVE

• no development that would result in permanent damage to the historic landscape fabric of this area will be permitted. This applies particularly to ancient woodland and parkland
• encourage landowners to safeguard existing hedges, increase hedged field boundaries, create permanent grass strips around field margins and prevent spray drift, using financial incentives as available
• ensure that any future proposals for mineral extraction include restoration proposals that reflect local landscape character, especially in terms of their scale. Restoration could be to grassland or arable, but efforts should be made to re-create the historic hedgerow and woodland pattern
• ensure that the brooks are managed in such a way as to maintain their ecological interest and biodiversity, i.e. that they are not taken into arable cultivation or mineral extraction
• ensure that proposed improvements to the landscape within Landscape Conservation Areas will reinforce and contribute to the distinctiveness of the local landscape character, by reflecting the scale and land use of the area
• golf courses should only be permitted within historic parklands where:
• i) the original layout and features of the grounds are retained;
• ii) existing trees are retained and adequate provision is made for their maintenance and management;
• iii) fairways and greens are designed to complement the historic designed landscape with regard to their location and extent;
• iv) all new tree and shrub planting either uses species already present within the parkland, in similar designs, proportions and mixes, or uses locally native species where these would be more appropriate;
• v) a high proportion of the total area should be dedicated to and managed as wildlife habitat, building upon established areas of wildlife interest already present;
• vi) all new waterbodies should be designed to be either naturalistic or in keeping with historic waterbodies already present;
• vii) all (and only) necessary buildings and structures are designed to be in keeping with the primary age of the remaining historic character of the site;
• viii) a long-term management plan should be submitted with the planning application and adhered to. Plans to be reviewed periodically via meetings of interested parties (liaison groups).

Bedwell Park golf course (P. Shears)