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)
What is taken into account for sensitivity and landform types?
(increasing rank from lower to higher sensitivity)
- An area of extensive lowland flat landscape or elevated plateau, often a larger scale landform
- a simple gently rolling landscape, likely to be a medium-large scale landform
- a landscape with distinct convex hills, perhaps also incised by valleys, likely to be a medium scale landform
- a landscape with distinct landform features, and/or irregular in topographic appearance (which may be large in scale) or a smaller scale landform
- a landscape with a rugged landform or dramatic landform features (which may be large in scale) or a small scale landform.
What is taken into account for change/ enhancement potential?
How much will the development change the landscape (does it introduce new elements, or reduce/ eliminate others)
Does the development improve the landscape quality?
What does visual analysis take into account?
- Identify all the potential landscape and visual impacts
- Predict and estimate their magnitude
- Receptors may include the following:
> viewers of the landscape- e.g. residents and tourists
> Specific landscapes elements e.g. coastline hilltops
> other cultural interests or valued landscapes- e.g. Historic Gardens and Landscapes., National Scenic Areas and Local protection areas - Areas of distinctive landscape character
What are the common methods of Impact description?
- Plans/ maps of zone of visual intrusion
- Plans/ maps of impact from different areas
- Photos from key viewpoints
- Virtual Environments
- Sketch of development in situ
- Sketch of alternative locations
How is significance judged?
- The sensitivity and importance of the affected landscape and visual resources
- Impact magnitude
- Determination of whether impacts are adverse of beneficial
- Professional judgement
- The views expressed through consultation
What was the visual assessment of Dibden (methodology)?
- Identify areas of visual intrusion and viewpoints
- Generate photomontages
- Use of balloon tests to verify heights
- Assess impacts and significance against established guidelines (see Dibden Terminal ES, p177)
What are the visual intrusion areas?
1) new forest core (Lyndhurst 11km
4) Dibden golf course (2Km)
5) hythe marina (1.5km)
6) town quay (1km)
What were the landscape mitigation measures for Dibden terminal?
Landscaping and nature conservation (e.g.):
-A mound between the terminal and the creek
- Tree planting along perimeter road, plus broad belts of woodland
- Creek to recreate a shoreline and buffer the impact on Hythe
-Raising of the Hythe bund
from 3-9 m to 12m, with an acoustic fence and woodland planting on upper slopes
What were the conclusions from the Dibden landscape assessment?
- Slight effect on the New Forest, but visible over a large area
- “The proposals reinstate the transition from the Forest to the shore”
- The Terminal should be viewed in the wider estuarine setting of the existing docks and the City
- Impacts from Hythe Marina would be limited by the mitigation
What is the lighting and light pollution?
- 24 hour operation
- Designs to minimise light pollution
- The landscape and nature conservation proposals, including the creek, will be dark areas at night-time.
- Generally it will add to existing light pollution or ‘sky glow’
- From a few individual locations close to the operational area there will be a substantially adverse impact (residential houses, golf course).
What are general conclusions?
- Digital technology has revolutionised this discipline
- The subject retains a high degree of subjectivity
- Landscape evaluation interacts with other elements of cultural heritage, and other environmental elements
