ECUS Landscape is committed the sustainable regeneration of greenspaces, providing practical, innovative, inspiring solutions to create attractive and popular spaces.  We offer the design and creation of high quality, successful landscapes that are locally distinct and will be well used.

Through our professional staff and with links to expertise in new and traditional design fields our team has particular skills in;

• Hard works design – surfacing, access, boundary and lighting improvements
• Soft landscape design – landform creation, native and ornamental planting schemes
• Project and funding application management
• Playgrounds and school grounds improvements
• Access for All improvements
• Planting design for colour, wildlife and security
• Active play and sports improvements
• Artworks working with artists and local people
• Signage and interpretation

ECUS are experienced in partnership working with clients, stakeholders and communities with a wide range of needs. We are committed to ensuring excellent communication and work closely with clients to ensure a clear understanding of project requirements from the earliest stages of a scheme.

We value community involvement and engagement to maximise public support for projects and incorporate consultations, workshops and practical events into creation programmes when required.

Our project support services include;

• Site survey and background research
• Partnership working to ensure stakeholder engagement
• Audience and access development
• Funding bid development support
• Community engagement and participation
• Project phasing and prioritisation
• Long term management planning

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.

HERITAGE LANDSCAPE RESTORATION

ECUS landscape team ensure that the most appropriate landscape design, restoration and management solutions are found for client and sites. Working on a site with heritage significance requires a careful combination of traditional, contemporary, innovative approaches to work effectively with clients to ensure a high quality, appropriate solution. 

Through extensive research and working closely with our expert historic landscape associate consultants the ECUS team work with clients to identify the most appropriate approach to use for a site.  

Designing for long term sustainability and achievable future management of a site is a key aspect of our design philosophy and we work to achieve this through thoughtful design, sensitive implementation and development of effective long-term management plans.

Our services include;

• Site survey and background research
• Detailed historic research
• Landscape Appraisals of Heritage Landscapes
• Sensitive landscape design for soft and hard works
• Statutory consultations
• Landscape Conservation Management Plans
• Contract Management

ECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN & HABITAT CREATION

ECUS landscape team have particular experience and keen interest in the design and project management for habitat creation projects. 

In association with ECUS ecology we have a wide range of skills and experience and are involved with schemes on national, regional, local and site specific scales.

We can provide clients with a range of services tailored to ensure that project approaches and methodologies are effective and excellent value.

Our services include:

• Landscape management plans integrating;
  • Landscape character assessments
  • Site surveys and audits
  • Heritage significance schedules
  • Audience and access development plans
  • GIS data base development
• SUDS (sustainable urban drainage systems) creation
• Greenroof planting design and advice
• Native tree, woodland and hedgerow planting designs
• Creating colourful, wildlife friendly planting schemes

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

ECUS Landscape is committed to enabling communities to improve their environment.  We value community involvement and engagement to maximise public support for projects and incorporate consultations, workshops and practical events into creation programmes when required.

We work with community groups and individuals to develop imaginative, innovative designs which are achievable and affordable.  We recognise that through well developed community participation, environments become valued, well used elements of a community’s daily life.

ECUS has wide experience of working with communities and understands the issues and challenges involved in regenerating local environments.  Engaging people in a meaningful way and establishing clear lines of communication between parties involved is key to developing a successful scheme.  ECUS works with clients to identify stakeholders and establishes how best to engage with them – often through workshops and practical events.

ECUS ensures that consultations are designed to gain an understanding of how an area is used and valued by the local community, problems both real and perceived, and people’s aspirations – using this information to develop design ideas which are consulted on further to gain consensus before being finalised. 

We provide the following services maximising community involvement;

• Feasibility studies
• Site survey and background research
• Partnership working to ensure stakeholder engagement
• Community consultation – questionnaires and on-site methods
• Audience and access development
• Community engagement and participation programmes
• Developing funding applications
• Site surveys, analysis and assessment
• Vision statement development
• Masterplanning, project phasing and prioritisation
• Visualisation of schemes through illustration and presentations
• Detailed design
• Contract management and implementation
• Long term site management planning

ECUS works in a flexible way producing information tailored to suit the specific needs of our clients.  We have valuable experience of working to specific funding requirements, limited budgets, tight timescales, local and national policies and future maintenance constraints.

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.

LANDSCAPE & VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Landscape and visual impact assessment is a further specialism which ECUS provides as an integral part of a design project or for environmental impact assessments.
We are preparing a guidance document on methods for carrying out landscape and visual impact assessments of coastal defences for the Countryside Council for Wales.

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT

ECUS is one of the leading environmental consultancies in the field of landscape character assessment both at a regional scale, through its involvement in the Countryside Commission Countryside Character Programme and at a district scale with the production of the Barnsley Borough Landscape Assessment.
Further work has included assessment of the capacity of landscapes to accommodate development, including housing in Barnsley Borough, and windfarms in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire for Scottish Natural Heritage.