2.2.3 West Chalk Valley Systems

Key characteristic features

• Broad, branching valleys with shallow, rounded slopes and fairly flat valley floors.
• Valleys narrow and become progressively more winding towards the north.
• Lower valleys have intermittent streams and flat floodplains.
• Upper slopes are typically wooded, giving visual emphasis to the valley landform and enhancing sense of enclosure.
• Fields tend to have rectangular shapes; hedgerows form straight divisions at regular intervals along valley sides.
• Arable fields predominate with pastures on some steep slopes.
• Well populated. Settlements concentrated on valley floor or lower slopes.
• Minor communication routes follow main valleys.

Landform and context

The broad valleys of the Ems, the Lavant and their immediate side valleys have wide, flattish floors and steep indented side slopes. Also included within this landscape type is the short valley at Patching between the two areas of enclosed chalk downland which occur to the east of the Arun valley.

These wide, channel-like valleys sub-divide the enclosed west chalk uplands on a much larger scale than the minor dry valleys of the east chalk valley systems. As a result, the western chalklands have a stronger hierarchy of landform and a more undulating dip slope landscape than the more homogeneous chalkland landscape to the east.

The valley slopes are strongly indented with rounded coombes. The ridgetops are undulating, but maintain a fairly consistent height and the valleys become progressively narrower as they cut into the more elevated parts of the chalk dip slope.

The Lavant valley is one of only two valleys in the chalk landscapes which has a longitudinal alignment across the dip slope. This has occurred because the River Lavant, which was originally aligned north-south, captured the westward flowing East Dean stream. It means that this valley has a particularly even profile for much of its course as it has eroded chalk of a fairly consistent elevation.

The valleys become much wider towards the south of the dip slope, particularly where separate valley branches have coalesced to form a wider basin.

The upper course of the River Ems and the River Lavant have seasonal flow; the rivers only become permanent features to the south of the villages of West Dean and Walderton.

Middle Chalk is exposed on the lower slopes and floor of the valleys although the valley floors have river gravel deposits along the fullest extent of the river courses.

Land use and landscape pattern

The west chalk valley systems are characterised by a relatively simple landscape pattern. The valley floor and lower slopes are predominantly large arable fields with regular, rectangular shapes, while the upper slopes and ridgetops defining the valley are generally wooded. The few pastures tend to occur on the steeper lower slopes and there is a transition to a patchy mosaic of rough grazing and scrub on the abrupt, steep curving slopes of the coombes along the valley sides.

Most fields are enclosed by hedgerows which reinforce the strong rectilinear structure of the arable farmland on the floor of the valley. By contrast, the hedgerows along the lane or road, which usually follows the lowest point on the valley floor, have a sinuous form, as do many of the hedgerows on the more undulating, steeper slopes on the valley sides. Here the fields tend to be smaller and more irregular in shape; some closely reflect and emphasise the landform of the coombes. Hedgerow trees occur sporadically throughout the farmland patchwork but are concentrated around farms and villages and along the roads. They tend to occur in groups or belts; any isolated individual trees are conspicuous.

The woodlands on the upper slopes and ridgetops give the valleys a consistent, clear visual structure and provide an overall sense of enclosure. Viewed from within the valley, the skyline is almost continuously wooded. The woodlands are a diverse mix of species - beech, whitebeam, ash, field maple and yew are typical, with oak, birch and holly where there are pockets of clay on the chalk. In places small conifer plantations also form part of the mosaic. The yew forest of Kingly Vale is a particularly rare and important feature. The ridgeline woodland mosaic is at a larger-scale than the farmland landscape within the valley. The edge structure varies but woodland shapes are most impressive and attractive when they closely reflect variations in landform, with indentations at coombes and protrusions along bluffs. There are some small woodlands on the valley floor, but the overall impression is one of an open, orderly, structured landscape with long views contained within the valley.

Historic parkland landscapes, such as those at West Dean and Watergate, are distinctive features. The carefully sited, individual clumps of specimen trees, stone walls and avenues contrast with the repetitive geometric pattern of the surrounding farmland and the visual influence of these parkland landscapes often extends far beyond the immediate confines of the English Heritage registered historic landscape.

Settlement

The valleys are well populated with a series of small, clustered villages linked by spinal valley roads. The villages occur at regular intervals, but become much smaller in the upper valleys where the river courses are non-existent or mostly dry.

Farms occur within the villages, along the valley roads or in more remote but sheltered sites towards the outer edge of the valley floor. Farm buildings and isolated barns are often a visual focus within this relatively open landscape.

Traditional materials are chalk flint, especially in the upper valleys. There are some brick and rendered buildings in the larger villages of the lower valleys, but chalk flint still predominates.

Subjective response

These broad valleys have a bold, clearly legible landscape structure but relatively few special landmarks. There is a strong linear, rhythmic quality which provides a welcome, reassuring contrast to the maze-like, rather disorientating landscape of the surrounding chalk dip slope landscape.

The consistent, repetitive landscape structure gives an overall sense of harmony, order and tranquillity. In places, particularly where hedgerows have been removed and in the wider lower valleys, the landscape seems rather bland but changes in the valley alignment, even if quite subtle, add interest and create new sequences of views.

The valley landscapes become more secluded and enclosed as the valley narrows, although the strong linear, directional quality remains and the changing rhythmic sequences of views along the valleys are one of their most attractive characteristics.

Sensitivity to change

These broad chalk valleys are particularly sensitive to landscape change since their relatively open character and simple landscape pattern would be easily disrupted by inappropriate development or changing land uses and because the entire landscape of the valleys is highly visible in views from the adjacent enclosing ridge tops.

There is some potential for screen planting which would help to accommodate small-scale change while at the same time strengthening the existing visual structure and identity of the landscape, particularly near villages on the valley floor where pressures for incremental changes such as ‘horsiculture’ or road improvements are likely to be relatively high. Views from the ridge tops enclosing the valleys should be taken into account in planning any changes to landscape patterns within the valleys.

Changing land use patterns are also potentially important. The most vulnerable elements within the valley landscapes are the skylines of the enclosing ridge tops, the small-scale, irregular field patterns along the valley sides, the hedgerow structure of the farmland within the valley and the hedgerows, trees, banks and verges associated with the central valley roads, particularly at entry points to villages.

As in the principal chalk valleys, changes in the landscape should respect the linear sequences of views and relationships along the valleys. Any changes resulting in forms which disrupt the rhythm of this linear grain should be strongly discouraged.

Key issues for landscape management

Farmland mosaic

• Maintain the relatively open, structured character of these valley landscapes in contrast to the more irregular, fragmented patchwork of farmland and woodlands found elsewhere in the western chalklands.
• Encourage continued use of valley pastures for grazing and protect against agricultural intensification. Convert arable farmland to pasture wherever possible along the valley floor to create a wider diversity of land use, while maintaining and enhancing the simple scenic composition and linear qualities of the valley landscape pattern.
• Conserve irregularly shaped fields towards the edges of the valley, particularly those which emphasise the rounded shapes of coombe bottoms, emphasising minor variations in landform along the valley sides.
• Scrub should be managed in all situations, unless it is considered an appropriate area to be allowed to tumble down to secondary woodland.
• Conservation and restoration of chalk grassland should be a priority on south-facing slopes of coombes, where these habitats are likely to be particularly rich in species, and on sites of archaeological importance. Scrub clearance or thinning and appropriate grazing regimes as necessary. Encourage reversion of adjoining areas to create unified blocks of open grazed grassland.
• Established scrub should be managed by a combination of coppicing and removal to provide scrub of mixed age structure and species where and as appropriate for wildlife and visual purposes. Scrub clearance or thinning should be carried out in irregularly shaped patches to avoid hard edges and to maintain the visual character of the random, patchy scrub/grassland mosaic on prominent slopes. Areas of relatively stable, uninvasive scrub such as gorse, should be retained for its visual and nature conservation value, subject to archaeological considerations.
• Discourage further enlargement of arable fields.
• Limit the number and extent of horse paddocks.
• Panoramic views from the valley ridges should be considered in planning changes to landscape patterns within the valley landscapes. e.g.. new tree planting or felling schemes; changes to field boundaries.

Hedgerows

• Conserve and manage all existing hedgerows; encourage traditional hedgerow management to enhance the ‘managed’ character of the landscape. Avoid over-flailing of hedgerows.
• There is considerable evidence of hedgerow removal. Field hedgerows should be replanted along traditional field boundaries where they have been lost or degraded and existing hedgerows should be gapped up. Hedgerows should have sinuous forms where they occur along valley roads or towards the outer edges of the farmland patchwork, but should be generally straight elsewhere.
• Train up and replant hedgerow trees to maintain specific landscape character. Generally, hedgerow tree planting should be concentrated near villages and farms, along lanes. Such linear planting could enhance the sense of scale and distance along the valley by improving sequences of views, but without detracting from the overall open character of the landscape.

Trees and woodlands

• Maintain ridgetop woodlands to preserve the overall sense of enclosure and the valley setting. Skylines should generally be wooded, but with gaps drawing attention to points where the landform is more interesting. Avoid fragmented skylines and treat their replanting following storm damage as a priority.
• Elsewhere in the valley small woodlands should closely relate to the relatively geometric structure of the hedgerows defining the farmland patchwork.
• There is scope to improve the lower edges of the ridgetop woodlands at a detailed scale so that the relationship with landform and with the valley farmland patchwork is improved, For instance, woodland should not encroach into the steep rounded coombes on the valley sides but should frame views to these features, Similarly, woodland edges should be indented or extended to reflect and emphasise the undulating character of the valley side slopes. Avoid hard, straight edges, particularly across or up and down steep valley sides.
• At intervals the ridgetop woodlands could be extended along the bluffs which sometimes extend from the ridges into the main valley. Such planting could create carefully planned ‘pinchpoints’ in the sequence of views along the valley and heighten the sense of drama and linearity.
• Aim to reduce overall percentage of pure conifer stands, progressively, over a number of years.
• Any new large-scale woodland planting should be concentrated on the upper slopes of valleys and designed to have visual continuity with existing ridgetop woodlands.
• Individual farm buildings, or features such as isolated tree clumps, are often highly visible in views across this relatively open valley landscape and their quality in visual terms is, therefore, very important. Carefully designed tree planting would in some cases improve the appearance and setting of farm buildings in the wider landscape. There is also scope to create positive new focal points in areas where the valley landscape seems too bland or simple in structure.

Watercourses

• Protect from abstraction and pollution.
• Protect river banks and preserve natural streamside vegetation; encourage conversion of arable farmland to permanent grassland alongside river banks to create a buffer zone and provide improved ecological habitats.
• Recent trends towards the canalisation and dredging of watercourses should be resisted and traditional stream management encouraged. In particular it is important to allow the rivers to adopt their natural course and seasonal flow and erosion patterns.
• Allow natural regeneration of willow and alder alongside watercourses. Plant new/replacement riverside trees for visual impact at key locations and where the riverbed follows a sinuous course to enhance the existing landscape pattern.

Roads and settlements

• Some villages would benefit from specific, carefully sited tree planting schemes to improve their identity, particularly at points of entry along the linear valley roads.
• The valley lanes and roads are important visual elements within the valley landscape, not least because their sinuous form provides some contrast with the strong geometric forms of the arable field patchwork. They also define and give visual emphasis to the overall alignment of the valley. There is scope to upgrade the roadside landscape to enhance views both from and to the road. Hedgerow restoration and well sited hedgerow tree planting schemes along valley roads should be priority.
• Roadside verges and banks should be managed for chalk grassland and wildflower interest wherever possible.

Priorities for action

• Hedgerow restoration
• Encourage conservation of existing chalk grassland and reversion of arable fields to grassland within coombes along valley sides.
• Improve valley roadscapes.
• Encourage the seasonal rivers to follow their natural course and pattern of erosion.
• Encourage careful design of forest felling and replanting to enhance landform.

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