AN ANCIENT water meadow is set to put Eastleigh on the heritage map after being named as part of a government pilot project aimed at taking a fresh look at the way the nation protects important historical sites.

The Itchen Valley water meadow has been included as one of 15 test sites across the country and will rub shoulders with the likes of Kenilworth Castle, York's Roman walls and the Centre Point office block in London.

The site on the banks of the River Itchen at Itchen Valley Country Park is extremely rare and dates back to the Middle Ages.

Just four per cent of the original area - which features a series of sluices and channels to ensure grass plains are flooded to create rich grazing land - remains intact and many visitors to the country park are oblivious of the importance of the site.

The pilot scheme is a bid by English Heritage to simplify the way national treasures such as ancient monuments, battlefields, historic parks and buildings are classified and managed.

Under the current system there is a confusing overlap where buildings on one site may be classed as both a listed and a scheduled structure. But the surrounding landscape may be ignored.

The new system will have one unified list, so archaeological, architectural and landscape elements on the same site will be treated as one entity. English Heritage says the single list will also make it easier for the public to follow.

Chief executive Simon Thurley said: "The new system is based on understanding not just what makes the site important enough to be listed but of how it needs to be managed. This is entirely lacking in the present system."

Eastleigh council's countryside and recreation chief, Phil Lomax, is hoping the project will help to provide a much clearer understanding of the water meadow's landscape.

He said: "The pilot will give us an understanding of the practical management measures required to maintain and enhance this fascinating landscape for the enjoyment and education of future generations."

Meanwhile, Itchen Valley Country Park senior ranger Peter Hodges has welcomed being part of the pilot project.

He said: "We look forward to working with English Heritage to bring the historical aspect of the park into focus."

The English Heritage pilot may also help to increase the profile of the water meadows.

When the Daily Echo quizzed visitors to the park, many were unaware that the water meadows existed.

Mary Smith, 44, of Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh, said: "I walk on the nature trails most weeks but I had no idea that I was passing by an ancient water meadow."