The edges of Great Woodley contain a number of mature trees that existed before the twentieth-century houses were built. Species include oak, pine and larch.

The widest of the shelter belts of trees and shrubs separates Winchester Road from Savernake Close, Clarendon Close and Beverley Gardens. The trees have grown in ‘the Dip’ and provide a rural feature along Winchester Road, as well as screening the houses from the main road traffic

There are remains of old hedges along Braishfield Road. At the southern end, between Winchester Road and Winterbourne Road, the hedge has been removed although one or two mature trees remain. North of Winterbourne Road, the old hedgerow remains, separating the footway from the road. The back gardens of Horseshoe Drive are fenced with high wooden fences, giving their owners privacy.

Much of the eastern section of Woodley Lane that borders on Great Woodley is also lined with old mixed hedgerow. The section of the lane onto which houses face, has a hedgerow separating the footpath serving those houses from an outer footpath that is near the roadway.

Oak trees by Woodley Lane

The boundary of Great Woodley that runs behind houses in Woodley Lane is partly high fencing and partly hedging, in particular a laurel hedge. To the north of Kinver Close is an old bank, the hedge of which has grown out, leaving a line of mature oak trees.

The boundary of the school grounds does not have public access between them and the adjacent houses in Woodley Lane, but where their grounds abut Woodley Lane they are hedged, with an emergency gate on Fairview Close. The boundaries between Fairview Close and neighbouring houses associated with Winchester Road are marked by a mixture of hedges and fences, with some mature trees amongst them.

Within Great Woodley, there is a mixture of maturing trees although some are causing problems, such as shading of properties, interfering with TV reception. Some roots are causing heave resulting in damage to footways or even nearby houses. Many of these trees were planted when the first part of the area was built in the 1960s.

Trees include silver birch and pine as well as a number of smaller trees, many of which are flowering. In addition the built environment is softened by the presence of small trees in private gardens

One of many attractive Closes

Some of the communal courtyards have grass patches where trees once grew, died and were not replaced. Likewise many trees on The Green have been the victims of vandalism and those remaining are mostly small.

Courtyard surrounded by houses

Much of the area was designed as open plan. However some people have allowed tall hedges to grow around their property which changes the openness of the area and breaks up the vista.

The arrangement of houses in blocks, separated from each other by paths and roads, means that all the back gardens have high fences that are readily visible. Unlike more conventional linear street patterns, houses do not have common back garden fences. Thus the estate has many fences or walls that form part of its landscape. In places they have uniformity, but elsewhere owners have made individual replacements resulting in a variety of fencing styles and colours.

A variety of fences

The garages form a conspicuous feature of street scene with their walls adding to the effect of a utilitarian landscape, rather than one which is perceived as people-friendly. This is particularly true of Anstey Road where traffic entering the estate from Braishfield Road is faced with a series of roads turning off and garages and parking lots.

Design Recommendations

	Where trees are removed suitable trees should replace them.
	Any trees planted on the estate should be suitable to the location taking account of their shape and size once matured.