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23. Tees Lowlands
• A broad lowlying plain of gently undulating, predominantly arable farmland, with some pasture, and wide views to distant hills.
• Meandering, slow moving river Tees flows through the heart of the area, dividing the lowlands to north and south.
• Contrast of quiet rural areas with extensive urban and industrial development, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Tees, the estuary and coast.
• Large scale chemical and oil refining works, dock facilities and other heavy plants along the Tees estuary form a distinctive skyline both by day and by night.
• Overhead transmission lines and pylons, motorway corridors, railway lines and other infrastructure elements are widespread features.
• Woodland cover is generally sparse, but with local variation such as at Skerne Carr, on steep banks of the middle reaches of the Tees, and to parkland and managed estates.
• Distinctive areas of peaty fenland flatts and carrs within the Skerne lowlands, and extensive areas of mud flats, saltmarsh wetlands and dunes at mouth of the river Tees, which support valuable wildlife habitats.
• Minor valleys and linear strips of open land extend as "green corridors" from rural farmland into the heart of the Teesside conurbation.
For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.
