Ballygowan Drumlins Landscape

Key Characteristics

• Smooth, rolling landform.
• Drumlins support pasture with some arable fields.
• Marshy patches occupy low areas between drumlins.
• Streams and rivers wind between drumlins to the sea.
• Farms are densely scattered across rounded hills.
• Rich in historic and archaeological sites.

Landscape Description

The Ballygowan Drumlins area is underlain by ancient Silurian rocks which have been covered by glacial deposits. The smooth, rolling drumlin landforms create a dynamic landscape pattern and the eye is constantly drawn to landmarks, such as prominent houses and hilltop features. Ground levels fall gradually towards Strangford Lough and in more low-lying areas, the drumlins exhibit a relatively waterlogged character (and with amore extensive network of watercourses than amongst the drumlins of the adjacent Castlereagh Plateau). This is an open, rolling farmland landscape of large pasture and arable fields divided by low, trimmed hedgerows or wire fences. The occasional hedgerow tree stands out in silhouette against the sky.

Large farmhouses of complex architectural form, with extensions and outbuildings, are scattered across the farmland but the settlements of Ballygowan, Saintfield and Comber form clustered nuclei which are linked by fast main roads and a dense network of country roads which are aligned NE/SW. Loughs and damp woodland are found within lowland hollows between drumlins, providing an organic landscape element within a relatively regular landscape pattern. These marshy patches make a valuable contribution to the diversity of the landscape. To the south east of Dundonald, the Enler Valley has a particularly subtle, intimate landscape. The scenic, lush valley slopes provide a contrast to the wetlands and meadows of the valley floor, where the abandoned, overgrown railway embankments are a local landscape feature.

Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change

The landscape is degraded in places due to hedgerow and tree loss. The pressure for built development has resulted in a dense pattern of housing with a diverse mixture of building styles. The local river valleys, meadows, loughs and damp woodlands are the most sensitive and valuable parts of this drumlin landscape. Elsewhere, landscape sensitivity is relatively low due to the current condition of the landscape, especially in the area around Saintfield. Some shelter and potential screening for development is provided by the rolling landform.

Principles for Landscape Management

• The establishment of buffer zones along the margins of river valleys will help to minimise the impact of pesticide runoff from adjacent arable fields and to conserve the scenic and ecological value of the valley floor meadow landscapes.
• The re-planting and management of hedgerows will reinforce the landscape pattern and improve landscape condition.
• Planting of hedgerow trees will improve wildlife value, landscape texture and screening opportunities.
• Control of fly tipping between drumlins will ensure these areas are conserved for their landscape value and do not become wasteland used as a rubbish dump.

Principles for Accommodating New Development

• Siting of new housing should take account of the existing density of development in the countryside. Dwellings which are positioned too close together will create disharmony but the careful use of materials and simple vernacular architectural features may be used to unify a group.
• Views from Scrabo Hill are an important issue when considering the siting of new development in the eastern part of the character area.
• Some shelter and potential screening for development is provided by the rolling landform; development on drumlin ridge-tops will usually be prominent.
• The subtle meadow landscape of the Enler valley is particularly vulnerable to the impact of large scale development; only small groups of buildings can be accommodated here, provided they are associated with informal groups of trees and provided development site boundaries are carefully integrated with surrounding field patterns.