Fareham Borough Landscape Assessment

May 1996

Landscape Character Area 12

Cams / Wicor Coastal Fringe

Summary Description

This area forms a discrete parcel of open landscape contained by the coast and the urban fringes of Downend and Portchester. One of its main features is the extensive parkland and woodlands of the Cams Hall Estate but it also includes other areas of open amenity landscape, fringe pasture and coastal industry to the east.

The essential characteristics of the Cams/Wicor Coastal Fringe are: * an area of flat or gently undulating landform occupied by mixed but open land-uses, sandwiched between the urban fringes of Downend and Portchester and the shores of Fareham Lake; * strong coastal influence with wind-pruned trees and bushes and an exposed, windswept character and salty smell; * strong fringe character influenced by proximity of built form along the urban edge and non-agricultural land uses, such as the golf course, recreation ground and areas of neglected pasture; * valuable areas of open space with attractive views out across Portsmouth Harbour and to Portsdown Hill which provide an important recreational resource for nearby built areas; * Cams Hall Estate (a Conservation Area) with its important historic buildings, historic parkland and Cams Plantation. The estate is undergoing restoration and redevelopment for recreational and business use which will preserve the buildings and grounds; * small-scale coastal industry adjacent to Wicor Lake.

Enhancement Priorities

The emphasis in this area is on maintaining its predominantly open character, particularly next to the estuary and coast, and in maintaining the historic buildings and parkland features of the Cams Hall Estate. Otherwise, there is a need for enhancement of the strip of land which lies between the coast and the boundaries of new housing development at Cams Bay which provides an important open space and recreational resource but is currently of poor landscape quality.

The priorities for enhancement are: * to maintain the open, unbuilt character of the area, particularly the estuary and coastal margins; * to protect and, where possible, enhance the features of historic importance at the Cams Hall Estate as part of restoration proposals for buildings and parkland landscape; * to improve the landscape quality of areas which lie between property boundaries and the coast; * to manage areas of public open space to maximise their landscape, ecological and recreational value.