The area of the Upper Thames Valley between Lechlade and Witney/Standlake is the only section of the Thames Valley between Oxford and Poole Keynes (between Cirencester and Tetbury) that has not been devastated by gravel extraction.  The existing landscape is flat, open, remote and tranquil with numerous scheduled ancient monuments.  These are qualities that are becoming increasingly scarce in the overcrowded south-eastern region of England.  This undamaged landscape should, therefore, be retained for as long as possible for its own sake and in order to remind future generations how the whole of the Upper Thames Valley landscape used to look.

The Upper Thames Valley also has high quality agricultural land.  Much of the land around Clanfield and Bampton is well suited to large-scale agriculture.  With an increasing UK and world population it is vital that as much productive land as possible is retained for as long as possible.

The topography is such that there is nowhere a quarry could be hidden, it would stand out like the proverbial ‘sore thumb’.

If excavation was to be undertaken in the Clanfield/Bampton area one of the main problems would be what to do with the large areas of excavation afterwards. RAF Brize Norton do not wish any large areas of water.  It would be impossible to ‘import’ sufficient quantities of infill and only permanent pumping would stop the formation of lakes.

Our landscape technical adviser, Martin Cobden, BSc, DipLA, MLI, writes:

“It would seem that the only large scale option available is, therefore, to     permanently pump water from the depressions in order to stop the formation of any lakes.  The depressions would probably need to be planted with Phragmites in the marshy areas and generally with scrub woodland on the remaining dryer areas.  This would result in a mundane, devastated landscape with no real function or purpose.  It would also lead to the loss of the high water table which supports many streams, ditches and wells.  Silting would occur were water to be pumped into local streams.  A real long- term concern would be ensuring responsibility for the maintenance of the low water levels in the depressions.  Given that the new landscape would not be productive there are concerns about where the resources would come from over the lifetime of RAF Brize Norton to maintain a low water table."

"Further concerns would be the continual noise of the pumping, the responsibility for servicing the pumps and where the water would be pumped to in this flooding-sensitive landscape.”