landscape character assessment

Our experienced landscape team offer comprehensive and professional landscape character assessment services. We categorise and describe existing landscapes, record how they are evolving, and provide guidance on planning, conserving and managing future landscapes Our methodologies follow good practice and nationally accepted guidelines whilst working closely with our clients to achieve their aims.

Landscape Character Area Plan

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The European Landscape Convention recognises the importance of all landscapes as a cultural, economic and environmental resource. This European lesgislation requires that landscape should be a central consideration when planning changes to the environment at all scales. Landscape character assessment defines the key features and attributes of an area and how these interact to create the landscapes that we experience every day.

Landscape character assessment is also a tool for understanding the process of landscape change and for making judgements and informing decisions on how those changes should be planned and sustainably managed. Our landscape character assessments can be used to inform a wide range of strategies, policies and site specific projects relating to the landscape including the following:

• Planning strategies, policies and plans including Local Development Frameworks (LDFs)
• Land management initiatives and agri-environment schemes
• Economic, tourism, cultural heritage, community, and forestry strategies
• Landscape and visual impact assessments
• Landscape design and development proposals

We have extensive experience of completing landscape character assessments at both regional and local authority scales. We have also carried out more detailed landscape character assessments for specific sites or project areas. We welcome the involvement of stakeholders and communities throughout the assessment process to help us understand how the local landscapes are evolving and are valued.

We can provide additional services to enhance our basic landscape character assessments which include:

• Landscape sensitivity and capacity assessment
• Landscape design guidelines
• Landscape management strategies
• Toolkits to explain how landscape character assessment can be used in policy and decision making.

Our services are available individually or as part of an integrated package. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and the different service options we can provide.