An LVIA follows a strict screening and scoping process and can be an onerous/expensive body of work, that requires a wider network of consultants and specialist coordinators to co-ordinate and compile. For the vast number of projects, an EIA is not required.

 

Formal landscape assessment work as part of an ES, is guided by the Landscape Institute’s Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (or GLVIA for short). Now in its third iteration, GLVIA3 is definitive for how landscape assessment should be carried out, is widely endorsed by a number of governing bodies and has been well tested at public inquiries and examinations.

 

“LVIA may be carried out either formally, as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), or informally, as a contribution to the ‘appraisal’ of development proposals and planning applications.”

 

Technically, for anything that is EIA development, you need a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. For everything else, there are Appraisals.

 

Where things get muddy, is that the term LVIA has now become a cure all and local planning authorities will request one ‘out of hat’ for any development that is remotely related to open countryside, and in some cases for development that isn't. This often leaves you seeking quotes for reports that are costly and far exceed what is necessary to achieve your desired goal.

 

GLVIA 3 states at paragraph 1.17 that:

 

“Judgement needs to be exercised at all stages in terms of the scale of investigation that is appropriate and proportional. This does not mean that effects should be ignored or their importance minimised but that the assessment should be tailored to the particular circumstances in each case. This applies to ‘appraisals’ of landscape and visual impacts outside the formal requirements of EIA as well as those that are part of a formal assessment.”

 

What is important to note is that while GLVIA3 was produced to support Landscape assessment as part of an EIA, the fundamentals of what the guidelines provide, is a solid template against which any scale of development can be suitably appraised and which can underpin the principles of sound design for your scheme.

 

What people don’t tell you is that any landscape planning work, be it appraisal or assessment, is that at its heart, a key component of the design process for your development. This will generally follow the following process:

 

• Site visit and desktop analysis;

• Constraints, opportunities and landscape design strategy;

• Justification of the proposals;

• Assessment/Appraisal of the potential impacts of the development and its subsequent effects.

 

In summary, any landscape planning work needs to be proportionate to the type (and scale) of development being proposed. If someone asks for an LVIA, be sure that they are clear about what they are asking for and that it's the right piece of work to suit your project. Generally:

 

• Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment - EIA development only (Schedule 1 & Schedule 2 developments).

• Landscape and Visual Impact Appraisal - large housing schemes, commercial developments and sensitive schemes within National Landscapes.

• Landscape and Visual Appraisals - Barn conversions, small housing schemes and extensions to existing commercial or agricultural sites.

 

HLA undertakes all aspects of Landscape Planning work, from visual appraisals for simple barn conversions within National Landscapes, through to formal LVIA’s (as part of an ES) for strategic housing and mixed use developments.