You have been appointed as a
freelance environmental consultant by Dorset County Council to undertake a preliminary
investigation into the possibility of developing a new country park in the Isle of
Purbeck, Dorset. The Isle of Purbeck is an unspoilt region of attractive coastal and
inland scenery on the south coast of England with a wide range of landscapes reflecting
the variety of underlying rock types. It contains substantial areas of open chalk and
limestone downland which possess floral and faunal characteristics of great scientific
value. Dorset County Council are seeking to develop a country park in one of these areas
in order to contribute to the task of wildlife conservation and also to provide a
recreational facility for visitors to the area. Your brief is to use GIS techniques to
identify a suitable location study region for this country park.
The park will include a protected conservation zone with restricted
access, a picnic area and view point, signed walk and cycle tracks, a small interpretative
area with a refreshment kiosk and an incorporated sports facility This latter element will
include a mountain bike hire service an orienteering course and a dry ski slope. These
services have been included in the proposal in order to generate revenue to support the
other aspects of the country park initiative. Because of the inclusion of a dry ski slope
the park needs to be developed on land that includes slopes in excess of 20 degrees. A
total area of at least 30000 square metres in size will be required for all the elements
in the plan.
A further consideration is that the site nears to be near to a major
road in order to reduce the costs and environmental damage that would be associated with
any new road construction. A maximum distance of 1km to an existing road has been set as a
constraint by the County Council.
In summary, you must identify those parts of the Isle of Purbeck which
meet the following criteria:
1. The site must be underlain by chalk or
limestone bed-rock.
2. The site must possess a slope angle of at least 20 degrees.
3. The site must be open land (i.e. not currently used as woodland).
4. The site must be within one kilometre of a major road.
5. The site must be at less 30000 square meters in size.
