Landscape Character Assessment - Chelmsford Borough Council

175enclosed meadows within river valleys and a considerable degree of co-axiality within fields (on alocal-scale, usually relating directly to the immediate topography. Overall, this character area hasrelatively high sensitivity to change.Proposed Landscape Strategy ObjectivesConserve - seek to protect and enhance positive features that are essential in contributing to localdistinctiveness and sense of place through effective planning and positive land management measures.Enhance - seek to improve the integrity of the landscape, and reinforce its character, by introducingnew and/or enhanced elements where distinctive features or characteristics are absent.Suggested Landscape Planning Guidelines Conserve the mostly rural character of the area. Ensure that any new development responds to historic settlement pattern and uses materials whichare appropriate to the local landscape character; such development should be well integrated intothe surrounding landscape. Ensure that new farm buildings are sensitively designed and located within the landscape to accordwith existing characterSuggested Land Management Guidelines Conserve and restore existing hedgerow network where gappy and depleted especially on propertyboundaries or on field margins. Conserve, manage and enhance areas of semi natural and ancient woodland as important heritage,nature conservation and landscape features. Conserve historic lanes and unimproved roadside verges. Introduce arable field margins as a means to ensure that mature trees within hedgerows are notdisturbed by ploughing. Introduce a planting management programme to ensure future trees within field hedgerowboundaries will succeed mature trees. Safeguard Woodham Walter Common SSSI.11100101R Final LCAs_09-06Section 5.0 – Landscape Character of Chelmsford Borough