V.D.S. - 3 Landscape Parish Council
Figure 2 - Lickey Hills Country Park
The landscape is a major feature in the parish and it is of over-riding importance to the residents -it is central to the rural nature of the area. The Lickey Hills Country Park dominates the northern part of the parish. It has Landscape Protection Area status (which extends slightly along Old Birmingham Road). Ever since the Birmingham Society for the Preservation of Open Spaces helped create the Country Park, it has been tremendously important as a place of rest, relaxation and beauty. In good weather visitors are plentiful! The area has been a 'green lung', a 'breathing land', for over a hundred years and people of the parish feel strongly that it is held in trust for future generations and should be protected at all costs.
	Figure 3 -Tobogganing on Lickey Hills
The Country Park is very important for wildlife. A survey by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust found that it was unexpectedly rich in bird-life. A list from the Rangers has 72 different birds, including interesting species such as fieldfare, hobby, redwing, blackcap and buzzard. There is a rich variety of insect-life. The flora is varied. The higher sandier ground is noted for the bilberries, while the damper soil of Pinfields Wood has unusual bog-loving plants. A botanical survey shows that there are 9 very rare species, 51 rare species and 49 uncommon species (these categories do not include planted species).
In our parish we have -Beacon Hill and Warren Lane that lie on a ridge, and Pinfields Wood, which is in a valley. The higher areas were once heath-land but Victorian planting by the Earl of Plymouth created the basis of the woodland that we see today. Pinfields Wood is much older. It has been designated an Ancient Serni-Natural Woodland by English Nature. This means there has been a wood on this site for at least 400 years. Its oldest tree is a yew, said to be around 800 years old. Building near the Country Park, especially Pinfields Wood, can cause problems. Houses on the boundaries can be visually intrusive and damage the roots of nearby trees. This may eventually kill a tree. Recently tree branches were removed to accommodate the shape of new houses and fencing! Housing near the Park can result in the dumping of garden refuse. This is visually unpleasant, prevents the natural flora from growing and garden species may be inappropriately introduced into the Park. It may also be detrimental to the wildlife.
	Figure 4 -Pinfields Wood's bluebells reflect its ancient status. The wood lies within the country paek and is next to the cricket ground and residential development. The fields allocated as Areas of Development Restraint on Twatling Road sit on its western boundary.
The Lickey Hills are an important watershed. The R. Arrow rises on Beacon Hill and flows south to the R. Avon. The Battlefield Brook rises close to the Arrow but flows west through Catshill and into Bromsgrove to join the Spadesboume. The Spadesbourne's source is in Mearse Lane and it flows south to Bromsgrove. The Spadesbourne then joins the River Salwarpe which enters the River Severn near Worcester and then onto the Bristol Channel. The Rea River flows north into the R. Trent and ultimately the North Sea. Lickey, Blackwell and Marlbrook have grown up within the Hills and are surrounded by green belt land. This includes six Special Wildlife Sites, which have flora or fauna special to Worcestershire. These are identified on the Parish Map. There are small areas of farmland and pastureland. Farming in the parish is not large scale but cattle and sheep can be found grazing. Many of the smaller fields are used for horses. Wildlife does not seem perturbed by being in close proximity to housing. Foxes are seen regularly and it is known that there are badger setts at several sites. There are around 8 miles of public footpaths, which are all well used and link residential areas to the countryside. There are also many miles of paths over the Lickeys.
Figure 5 -One of the many paths covering the Lickey Hills Country Park, which can be reached directly from the residential areas via numerous points throughout the parish.
	Figure 6 -Towards Catshill from Spirehouse Lane open skyline and distant views typical of the area.
The landscape has a very green and rural character with woods, copses, hedges, fields, hills, valleys, distant view points, beauty spots, open skylines and plenty of space. As shown in the section on settlement, these characteristics are also evident in the heart of the residential areas so that seem continuous with the landscape.
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Last Updated 27/06/2005