Upper Ballinderry Plateau Landscape

Key Characteristics

• Rolling farmland landscape, with numerous hedgerow trees and copses.
• Relatively large farmsteads and many estates.
• Steeper escarpment slope on the southern margin of the plateau, overlooking the Broad Lagan Valley.
• Scattered pattern of farms and houses, with nuclear villages and relatively little linear development.
• Beech avenues and dense stands of mature trees, particularly in estate landscapes.
• Large-scale developments - a prison and poultry farm - are prominent on flatter land to the north of Maghaberry.

Landscape Description

A rolling, relatively prosperous farmland landscape on the southern and western fringes of Derrykillultagh which extends to the edge of Lurgan. The area has a different landownership pattern to the upper plateau, with fewer larger farmsteads and many estates. There are consequently fewer roads and the built development has a more clustered character, with houses concentrated into nuclear villages, often with grand avenues of beech trees and prominent churches. Views are generally short or contained on the horizon lines of the many hollows by avenue, roadside or hedgerow planting.

The field pattern is quite small scale over much of the area but opens out towards the urban edge of Lurgan, where several factories have been built. There are numerous hedgerow trees and a consistent patchwork of fields and hedgerows. The field pattern varies; fields are always geometric in shape and are generally medium to large in size but there are also pockets of small-scale farmland and paddocks, particularly on the fringes of settlements. Avenues and stands of beech trees, church spires and the glimpsed views of large farmsteads and country houses are important local landmarks.

There is a steep escarpment along the southern margins of the landscape, overlooking the Lagan valley; Friars Glen, between the village of Aghalee and Soldierstown, also has a fairly steep, wooded character.

Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change

The farmland is generally in good condition, particularly in areas which are under the ownership of large estates. However, there are patches of degradation, particularly on the northern fringes of Maghaberry, where the massive prison and poultry farm developments have destroyed the farmed pattern of the landscape. The fields on the fringes of these developments are mostly derelict, with discontinuous hedgerows and derelict farm buildings. The slightly undulating nature of the land allows single buildings to have relatively little visual impact.

The areas which are most sensitive to change are on the southern margins of the plateau, particularly on the steep slopes of Friar's Glen and on the slopes to the south of Maghaberry, which overlook the Lagan Valley. However, many of the clustered villages have an attractive character and the landscape setting of each of these is sensitive to change.

Principles for Landscape Management

• The management and progressive replanting of important avenues and stands of specimen trees will conserve these important features. The work should be undertaken in conjunction with research into the history of the many designed landscapes in the area.
• The restoration of hedgerows and field access points in the farmland around the major prisons will help to restore the landscape structure. There is scope to plant the land with mass woodland, screening views to the developments, while maintaining the required open area of defensible land immediately surrounding the prison.
• The prominent derelict farm buildings to the south of the poultry farm in the Maghaberry area are eyesores which should be a priority for demolition.

Principles for Accommodating New Development

• Linear development along roads is not characteristic of the area.
• Large scale structure planting of deciduous native species close to new agricultural buildings would help to integrate them within the surrounding landscape and to restore a more sheltered landscape character.

Clustered settlements are characteristic of the area, with views to church spires and avenues of trees. It is important to ensure that new development is carefully sited to maintain the nuclear character of the settlements and to conserve the relationship between the built form of the village and neighbouring designed landscapes.