Fareham Borough Landscape Assessment

May 1996

Character Area 18

Locks Heath / Titchfield Common

Description

Locks Heath/Titchfield Common is a large suburban area defined by the A27 in the north, the Hook Valley in the south, the Brownwich Valley to the east and Holly Hill to the west. The form of Locks Heath/Titchfield Common is a result of recent sustained suburban growth which has subsumed the older parts. Although there are distinct areas within it, particularly the areas of lower density older housing, they do not have clearly defined limits. Therefore, instead of attempting to define different areas with boundaries, we have identified important activity nodes, taking the form of small groups of local shops, the local pub, community centres etc. These are as follows: * Locks Heath Centre; * Locks Road/Warsash Road/ Fleetend; * Hunts Pond Road/Church Road; * Holly Close; * Retail Park at Old Southampton Road.

The essential characteristics of Locks Heath/Titchfield Common are; * low to medium-density, semi-detached housing largely located on the main radial roads leading from Park Gate; * more recent suburban housing which has infilled between the radial 'spokes'; * low density housing with large gardens and good street trees which give parts of Locks Heath/Titchfield Common a very leafy character; * a modern local shopping/civic centre; * a fairly even distribution of open space in the form of playing fields, recreation areas and green corridors; * the nursery/horticultural area on Brook Lane and east of Hunts Pond Road; * the retail warehouses along Old Southampton Road adjacent to the Titchfield Corridor.

Enhancement Priorities

Locks Heath/Titchfield Common has few obvious environmental problems and its overall character is leafy and pleasant. The main priorities are conservation and management of this character, although there is a clear need to reinforce the local identity of its component areas and to improve the pedestrian links between the local centre and surrounding suburbs by completing and extending the network of greenways.

Priorities for enhancement are: * to reinforce local identity particularly at the local activity nodes described above; * to maintain and enhance the green character of the radial roads with more street trees; * to introduce traffic management measures at key activity nodes, not only to slow traffic down but also to create the sense of a place; * to seek opportunities to improve pedestrian and cycle connections through large housing areas as an alternative to the main radial routes; * to improve pedestrian connections to the local centre.