Landscape and visual assessment Flashcards
What is aesthetic perception?
- Visual
- Sound
- Smell
- Tactility
Why is landscape important?
- an essential part of our natural resource base;
- a reservoir of archaeological and historical evidence;
- an environment for plants and animals (including humans);
- a resource that evokes sensual, cultural and spiritual responses and contributes to our urban and rural quality of life;
- a valuable recreation resource.
Define landscape impacts
- Impacts on landscape elements, local distinctiveness, regional context, special interests
- Landscape Impacts: “Changes in the fabric, character, and quality of the landscape as a result of a development”.
- Direct impact upon specific landscape elements
- Subtler effects upon the overall patterns of elements that give rise to landscape character and regional and local distinctiveness.
- Impacts upon acknowledged special interests or values such as designated landscapes, conservation sites and cultural associations
Define Visual impacts
- Views, viewers, visual amenity
Visual Impacts: “Relate solely to changes in available views of the landscape, and the effect of those changes on people”:
The direct impacts of the development upon views of the landscape through intrusion or obstruction.
The overall impact on visual amenity, be it degradation or enhancement.
The reaction of viewers who may be affected.
What factors contribute to the landscape?
- Physical
- Geology
- Landform
- Drainage
- Soils
- Ecology
- Climate
- Human
- Archaeology
- Landscape
- Land use/ Management
- Buildings and settlements
- Aesthetic
What factors contribute to visual factors?
- History
- Other senses:
Sounds
Smells
Tastes
Touch
Associations
Cultural
Historical
Aspect of the environment: define element
The individual elements that make up the landscape, including prominent or eye-catching features such as hills, valleys, woods, trees and hedges, ponds, buildings and roads. They are generally quantifiable and can be easily described.
Define Characteristics
Elements or combinations of elements that make a particular contribution to the character of an area, including experiential characteristics such as tranquillity and wildness.
Define character
The distinct and recognisable pattern of elements that occurs consistently in a particular type of landscape, and how this is perceived by people.
E.g.: combinations of geology, landform, soils, vegetation, land use and human settlement. It creates the particular sense of place of different areas of the landscape. Character is identified through the process of characterisation, which classifies, maps and describes areas of similar character.
Describe the elements, characteristics and character of the lake district.
Elements:
Small fields, stone walls, trees in lowlands; bare rock and open uplands, lakes, farms and small villages
Characteristics:
Remoteness, open space, low population
Character: combination of elements as above; cultural associations
How do you assess the baseline of landscape?
With a desk study.
- the planning authority will provide the basis of information for this part of the study
- Sources of info will include: local spatial plans, informal planning documents, ecology, construction designations and rights of way
- Useful data should be sought from bodies such as historic england such as the national heritage list
- Local groups
The desk study will provide the basis for the field survey.
- field surveys should be carried out on site and by more than one person to gain a consensus opinion
What are some landscape designations?
AONB (40 in england and wales- 18% of the land area designated by natural Engliand- formely by countryside agency)
- national parks (14 in the UK)
- World heritage sites (designated by Unesco- 27 in the UK)
POLICY CONTEXT
How do you assess visual impact?
- Should include landscape elements and features that will be directly affected by the development
- Landscape features include- topography, geology, drainage, vegetation and cultural features
- Visual receptors include types and numbers of viewers affected, duration and seasonal screening
factors to include:
- Scale and character
- Condition and importance
- Sensitivity
- Change/ enhancement potential
- Visual analysis- following the field survey it will be necessary to present on a plan the extent to which the development will be visible from surrounding areas and viewpoints (or zone of visual intrusion).
What is taken into account for scale and character?
Landscapes with medieval strip fields and enclosures are of more important character than those with large modern fields
What is taken into account for condition and importance?
- condition might relate to, for example land management, grazing, erosion etc…
- importance might be associated with a designation
e. g. AONB (national)
-Areas of great landscape value (AGLVs) and coastal preservation areas (CPAs) (local)
