Updated guidelines on Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments have been introduced and now extend to townscapes and seascapes, says planning and urban design consultancy Turley Associates.
The updated guidelines, published by the Landscape Institute and Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment in April 2013, provide a detailed approach to the assessment process and are used by landscape architects, planners and architects. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments provide an opportunity to ensure that new development responds to the existing landscape or townscape character and considers the visual amenity of the people who live and move through adjacent areas. They are often necessary to secure planning permission.
Katy Neaves, Head of Visual Impact Assessments, at planning and urban design consultancy Turley Associates said: “These guidelines were last updated in 2002 and we have been waiting for revisions for some time. The new guidelines, known as the ‘Purple Book’, offer a much clearer terminology and now provide a detailed approach to the assessment process. They are most welcome.”
Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment guidelines have traditionally focused on the rural landscape where the impact of development was considered at its greatest. The new guidelines now address townscapes and seascapes, recommending that the same approach be taken when considering the characteristics of these places.
Katy adds: “This change is in part driven by changing wider European guidelines, but also in recognition that some of our best loved landscapes are by the coast and in our towns and cities.”
The new guidelines place greater importance on consultation with local stakeholders who use the landscape in different ways to better help determine the value people attach to an area. They also recommend that assessments consider the significance of the effect that a proposed development might have and its cumulative effects with emerging adjacent schemes.