Notes on a Landscape-led
Development
At its most basic level, a landscape-led approach to development is one in which development is compatible with and ideally makes a positive contribution to the Site and its setting.
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Promoting involvement of landscape architects early on allows consideration of key constraints associated with a Site and identifies potential opportunities to both guide and structure new development.
Landscape led starts with visiting Site to establish landscape condition, character and visual amenity. This is followed up with a desk based analysis of published landscape character assessments and relevant landscape policy. Combined these elements help build a picture of the state of the Site, its relationship with the surrounding landscape and its capacity to accommodate a particular type of development. In addition, it also considers views into or across the Site and what constraints these would have in terms of built form.
Through both primary and secondary mitigation measures, proposals will have a focus on providing landscape repair and assimilating proposed built form into its surroundings. Primary mitigation focusses on scale, massing and placement of built form, while secondary mitigation is concerned with any residual effects that cannot be mitigated through primary measures and generally comprise strategic planting measures that are consistent with the prevailing characteristics of the landscape in which the Site is located.
While landscape led development is starting to gain popularity as a means to start a projects lifecycle (and is also a positive approach that reflects well with local planning authorities), it remains good practice and is not a requirement on how to go about development. That is, however, only when National Landscapes are not involved. For National Landscapes such as the Cotswolds, landscape led development is a pre-requisite for progressing a scheme through the planning process. To this end, they have produced a Landscape Led Position Statement to help guide development and ensure that it both conserves and enhances the natural beauty of the area, in line with Policy CC1 of the Cotswolds AONB Management Plan.
HLA are well versed in supporting new development through a landscape led approach, helping to input into pre application discussion, developing design strategies and supporting subsequent applications with the necessary landscape and visual appraisals and external design measures.