Fareham Borough Landscape Assessment

May 1996

Landscape Character Area 7

Fareham / Stubbington Gap

Summary Description

The Fareham/Stubbington Gap comprises the major part of a strategic wedge of open landscape which separates the urban areas of Fareham to the north, Stubbington to the south and Gosport to the east. It excludes the built area of HMS Collingwood (included within an urban area) and also the corridor of the Alver Valley to the east which has a different character.

The essential characteristics of the Fareham/Stubbington Gap are: * level or gently undulating landform which physically forms part of the coastal plain but which has become isolated from the coast by the development of Stubbington; * open, predominantly arable farmland and horticulture with a weak hedgerow structure and few trees and a relatively homogenous character; * a somewhat degraded, 'fringe' character as a result of the intrusion of the urban edges of Fareham, Stubbington, HMS Collingwood and HMS Daedalus which are visible across much of the area; * a few scattered farmsteads/horticultural holdings with a few limited north-south access routes and little or no east-west access, reinforcing the sense of a true gap between the built-up areas of Fareham and Stubbington; * activity associated with airfield; * a mosaic of small fragments of open farmland and horse-grazed pastures sandwiched between large-scale non-agricultural, but predominantly unbuilt, land uses of the HMS Daedalus airfield and the Peel Common Waste Water Treatment Works.

Enhancement Priorities

The priority for this area must be to maintain its function in separating the urban areas. However, emphasis should also be given to landscape enhancement, in particular the strengthening of landscape structure through planting of hedgerows and woodland, to improve landscape and ecological diversity and reduce the impact of intrusive urban edges and features.

The priorities for enhancement are: * to maintain the rural character of the area and the separate identity of the settlements; * to encourage planting of hedgerows, shelterbelts and copses to provide diversity, shelter, visual enclosure and wildlife habitat and to reduce the impact of urban development on the fringes of the area.