Contextual map of LCT 13 - View map full screen

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Component Landscape Character Areas

• LCA 13A: Ock Lower Vale
• LCA 13B: Abingdon-Didcot Lower Vale
• LCA 13C: East Thames Lower Vale
• LCA 13D: South Thames Lower Vale

LCA 13A flat fields with solar farm in background

LCA 13D Open fields with electricity pylon and views to wider North Wessex Downs

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Assessment of landscape sensitivity to renewable energy development

Landscape sensitivity assessment

Landform and scale (including sense of openness/ enclosure)

• A flat, low-lying floodplain landform with little topographic variation. The River Ock and its floodplain are found in LCA 13A, and the River Thames and its tributaries in LCAs 13B,13C and 13D. Cholsey Hill (within LCA 13D), at 74 metres AOD, is a distinctive rounded hill.
• Fields are generally large-scale and irregular in shape. Smaller-scale fields lie adjacent to the watercourses, as floodplain grazing. Field boundaries are often open, formed by drainage ditches and watercourses. Where hedgerows exist, they are often low in height.
• Small angular or linear woodland copses, riparian vegetation, small settlements and farm buildings provide human-scale features.

Landcover (including field and settlement patterns)

• Fields are often large-scale and in arable use, although smaller-scale fields adjacent to watercourses are in use for pasture.
• Existing solar farms are present in LCAs 13A and 13C.
• Semi-natural landcover is concentrated along the watercourses, with riparian vegetation, priority habitat floodplain grazing marsh, lowland meadows and lowland fens widespread.
• Tree cover is found in woodland belts along major transport corridors, and in small copses of scattered deciduous woodlands. Some woodlands are of ancient origin.
• Modern human activities including current and former gravel extraction influence the landscape. Former gravel pits are often now flooded, creating large lakes.
• Limited settlement within the floodplain, with villages set on slightly higher ground. Urban influence from adjacent urban areas including Abdingdon, Wallingford and Didcot. Busy A-roads and the Great Western Mainline railway run through the LCT, creating some urban influence.

Historic landscape character

• Villages are often covered by Conservation Areas, including Drayton and Dorchester, and contain clusters of Listed Buildings.
• Small manor houses and parklands are a feature of the landscape, including Grade II Sutton Courtney Manor Registered Park and Garden (LCA 13B).
• A number of former settlement sites are recorded, showing the long history of settlement on the floodplain. Many are now designated as Scheduled Monuments.
• The rivers and streams have been important navigation routes throughout history. A number of weirs and bridges cross the watercourses, many of which are Listed Buildings.
• Historic Landscape Characterisation shows that although some areas retain a Medieval field pattern, which enhances time-depth, the majority of field patterns are formed by 20th century field amalgamation.

Visual character (including skylines)

• The open, flat landform and limited field boundaries allow for long views to surrounding higher ground, including the North Wessex Downs National Landscape and Corallian Limestone Ridge to the north. There is intervisibility with the National Landscapes, which often form a backdrop to this LCT, e.g. at LCA 13A.
• In other areas with more settlement and woodland, particularly LCA 13B, views are obscured. The open skyline is not prominent, with electricity pylon routes the most prominent features on the skyline.

Perceptual and scenic qualities

• Some sense of tranquillity and remoteness in areas of limited settlement and public access, and along the river corridors. However, major transport corridors including A roads and railway and on-going gravel extraction are audible and visible detractors. The edges of adjacent settlements and employment areas, such as Abingdon, Didcot and Milton Park Estate as well as existing solar farms in LCAs 13A and 13C are modern elements in the landscape.
• Some areas of the LCT lie within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape and a small area within the Chilterns National Landscape. Special qualities of these National Landscapes represented in this landscape include chalk grasslands, arable habitats, Medieval and post-Medieval settlements with historic buildings, extensive public rights of way and panoramic views towards the chalk escarpment.
• The LCT features a good network of PRoW, including the Vale Way, Thames Path National Trail and Oxford Greenbelt Way.

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Overall assessment of landscape sensitivity to solar PV developments

Summary of overall statement on landscape sensitivity of Lower Vale LCT 13

This is a low-lying landscape, with generally modern fields which reduces sensitivity. However, the often open field boundaries increase sensitivity as there is less opportunity for screening. The mixture of arable and pasture fields, limited settlement and semi-natural landcover concentrated along the watercourses (including floodplain grazing marsh and lowland meadow) increases the sensitivity to solar PV development. However, the current and former gravel extraction, and proximity to adjacent urban areas reduces the rural character and decreases sensitivity. The rivers and floodplain have a long history of navigation and settlement, which combined with historic buildings and small parklands, create a strong sense of time-depth and increase sensitivity to solar PV development. The flat landform and open field boundaries allow for long views to surrounding higher ground, including to the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. The skylines are open but not prominent, with the skyline of adjacent higher ground more prominent, which reduces sensitivity. The landscape has some rural character, although this is impacted by proximity to adjacent urban areas, electricity pylon routes, major transport corridors and on-going gravel extraction, which reduce sensitivity. A number of public rights of way run through this landscape, and are sensitive receptors.

This LCT generally has ‘high’ landscape sensitivity to solar energy development greater than the ‘large-scale’ development scenario. There may be opportunities to accommodate carefully sited ‘very small’, ‘small’ and ‘medium’ scale solar PV development scenarios in areas influenced by adjacent settlements, on-going gravel extraction works, or where light industrial land uses are already present, and where enclosure can be provided by existing hedgerows.

Landscape sensitivity of Lower Vale Landscape Character Areas

LCA 13A: Features which increase sensitivity to solar PV development include the open character of the landscape, with limited hedgerows or woodlands to screen any development. The centre of the LCA has a rural and remote character, and has intervisibility with the North Wessex Downs National Landscape to the south, which increases sensitivity. However, the landscape is low-lying, flat and is impacted by major transport corridors and proximity to the urban edges of adjacent settlements including Steventon and Drayton. The limited perceptual and scenic qualities reduce sensitivity to solar PV development.

LCA 13B: Features which increase sensitivity to solar PV development include the time-depth at small parklands such as the Grade II Sutton Courtney Manor Registered Park and Garden, and strong recreational access including the Thames Path National Trail and Vale Way, where there are clear views into the landscape. Features which reduce landscape sensitivity are the vegetation and settlement which provides enclosure and could be used to screen solar PV development, as well as the impact of major transport corridors and on-going gravel extraction works.

LCA 13C: The south of the LCA lies within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, which increases its sensitivity to all scales of solar PV development. Features which increase sensitivity include the strong historic character of the area, particularly around Dorchester and intervisibility with the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. Features which decrease sensitivity include the blocks of woodland which provide enclosure and potential screening, existing solar farms, flooded lakes from former gravel extraction, and modern settlement edges.

LCA 13D: The majority of this LCA lies within the North Wessex Downs and Chilterns National Landscapes, which increases its sensitivity to all scales of solar PV development. Features which increase sensitivity include Cholsey Hill, a locally prominent hill, which is visible from across the low-lying landscape, sparse woodland character leading to an open, exposed character, and the historic settlement pattern which increases time-depth. Features which reduce sensitivity include the major transport corridors and electricity pylons which negatively impact on the rural and visual character.

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Overall assessment of landscape sensitivity to wind energy developments

Summary of overall landscape sensitivity of Lower Vale LCT 13

A simple, low-lying landform, which generally reduces sensitivity to wind energy. Some human-scale features such as riparian vegetation, small settlements and farm buildings slightly increase sensitivity. The varied sizes of fields, including large-scale arable and smaller-scale pasture, and some semi-natural habitats increase sensitivity. Current and former gravel extraction, major transport corridors and proximity to adjacent urban edges reduces sensitivity locally. Historic villages, small manor houses and parklands are visible historic features of importance to character, which increases sensitivity to wind energy development. The majority of the field patterns were formed by 20th century amalgamation, which reduces sensitivity. Simple, flat skylines with few landmark features and some disturbance from electricity pylon routes recues sensitivity. However, the landscape has intervisibility with the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, which forms a backdrop to many views from within the LCT. Areas of limited settlement and public access have a good sense of tranquillity and remoteness, which increases sensitivity to wind energy development. Public rights of way through the landscape are sensitive receptors, including the Thames Path National Trail. However, much of the area is disturbed by noise from major transport corridors and proximity to the urban edges of adjacent settlements, which decreases sensitivity to wind energy development.

Sensitivity of Lower Vale Landscape Character Areas

LCA 13A: Features which increase sensitivity include the rural and remote character and intervisibility with the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, which increase sensitivity. However, this is a low-lying landscape which is impacted by major transport corridors and proximity to the urban edges of Steventon and Drayton. These reduce sensitivity to wind energy development.

LCA 13B: Features which increase sensitivity to wind energy development include the time-depth at the small estates and parklands, including Sutton Courtenay Registered Park and Garden, frequent human-scale features including settlements and woodlands, and some intervisibility with the Corallian Limestone Ridge higher ground to the north. Features which reduce sensitivity include proximity to the urban edges of Abingdon and Didcot, proximity to the industrial developments at Milton Park Estate and Didcot, major transport corridors and on-going gravel extraction works.

LCA 13C: The south of the LCA lies within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, which increases sensitivity to all scales of wind energy development. The representative features of the National Landscape include river valleys with grazed pastures, mixed field pattern and production and woodland. There is also strong intervisibility with other parts of the North Wessex Downs, especially the Wittenham Clumps to the south. Features which reduce sensitivity include former gravel extraction sites and modern settlement edges at Didcot and Benson.

LCA 13D: The LCA is partially within the North Wessex Downs and Chilterns National Landscapes, which increases its sensitivity to all scales of wind energy development. Representative features of the National Landscapes include chalk grasslands, arable habitats, Medieval and post-medieval settlements with historic buildings, extensive public rights of way and panoramic views towards the chalk escarpment. Features which decrease sensitivity include the major transport corridors and electricity pylons which decrease rurality and impact on visual amenity.