How to avoid and minimise landscape and visual impacts from developments
Site Selection
Site selection is crucial to avoiding and minimising visual impacts to landscapes from developments.
Harm to landscapes can be avoided by selecting an appropriate site at the outset.
A Landscape Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) should not be carried out to justify locating a development in an unsuitable site.
A landscape professional should be engaged at the site selection stage, prior to planning, to provide guidance on how potential adverse landscape and visual impacts can be reduced and minimised or avoided altogether.
Choosing the wrong site can lead to harm which cannot be mitigated. Making changes to a large-scale project to avoid and reduce harm is extremely difficult when an inappropriate location has been selected.
Developments in National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs)
National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs) are collectively known in Wales as Designated Landscapes in accordance with Planning Policy Wales. Proposals in these areas must conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area.
Conserving and enhancing natural beauty means going beyond avoiding adverse effects.
All proposals within Designated Landscapes and their visible settings should conserve and enhance the natural beauty and special qualities of the designated area.
The special qualities of each National Park and National Landscape (AONB) are set out in their Management Plans.
Developers should also take account of the Landscape Character Assessments of each of the National Parks and National Landscapes (AONB).
Management Plans and Landscape Character Assessments can be found on Designated Landscapes’ respective websites.
Developers should avoid harm to the characteristics and features that contribute to natural beauty and special qualities of the area.
Developers should take account of detailed landscape evidence provided in LANDMAP, our all-Wales landscape resource, to inform their proposals and avoid harm to Designated Landscapes.
Find out about the planning advice we offer to developers
Proposals within the visible settings of National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs)
Developments outside of the National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs), but within the visible setting can impact the natural beauty and special qualities of the designated landscape.
View our map of the Visible Settings of Designated Landscapes.
The visible settings data, including the ‘height object becomes visible’ provides an understanding of whether onshore development proposals lie within the visible setting of a designated landscape.
For offshore developments, harm to Designated Landscapes can be avoided or minimised by locating a development at a sufficient distance offshore.
The appropriate distance will depend on the proposed scale of the development. You should take account of the following 3 reports when selecting a site for an offshore wind farm:
Read our Stage 2 report for offshore wind farm siting and design guidelines in relation to seascapes
Developments likely to need assessment
Large scale developments with wide-ranging effects upon landscape character, seascape character and visual amenity, are likely to require an LVIA/SLVIA as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment. Effects could include impacts on dark skies or tranquillity within Designated Landscape or in the surrounding area.
Small scale developments in particularly sensitive locations within the National Park or National Landscape (AONB) are likely to require an LVA (for example, developments affecting an area of notable scenic quality, character, integrity, rarity or importance).
Developments that are novel in character and conflict with an area’s character are likely to require LVIA/SLVIA or LVA, depending on scale.
Developments that have a combined impact with other similar developments (cumulative effects) are likely to require a CLVIA/CSLVIA.
How developments can impact natural beauty and special qualities
A development is likely to impact natural beauty and special qualities where
- The form, scale, and character of the development conflicts with the scenic qualities of the existing landscape and built environment and/or is visually intrusive.
- Developments have characteristics of movement, noise and lighting that can erode perceptual qualities such as tranquillity (visual and sound), wildness or dark skies.
- Developments are in sensitive visual settings, for example, on skylines, cliff and hill tops, ridges, elevated slopes, are overlooked by higher ground, are in an open landscape.
- Developments in sensitive natural settings, for example, broadleaved woodland, marshland, beaches, coastal cliffs, open moorland, mountain tops, rivers, coastal waters.
- Developments are on or close to culturally important features. For example, waterfalls, rock outcrops, caves, historic buildings and structures, historic parks and gardens, veteran trees hedgerows, or affect important views.
Assessing Seascape, Landscape and Visual Impacts
A Landscape assessment should not be carried out to justify locating a development in an unsuitable site. Relevant UK, national and local policy and guidance should be referred to and relevant points considered in relation to the proposal.
Once a site has been selected, a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) is required for developments needing Environmental Impact Assessments, where significant landscape and visual effects are likely.
LVIAs, SLVIAs and landscape and visual appraisals should:
- specifically demonstrate how impacts on any designated landscape’s special qualities have been assessed.
- assess the effects upon natural beauty in the locality.
- include information on siting, design, materials, colour, and lighting, where appropriate and details of the integration of development in response to landscape character and views.
It is recommended that LVIAs follow the Landscape Institute and Institute of Environmental Assessment’s Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment.
Where relevant, a Seascape Assessment (SLVIA) and a Cumulative Assessment are expected to be included.
For smaller schemes, where Environmental Impact Assessments do not apply, a Landscape and Visual Appraisal (LVA), using the same principles as LVIA is sufficient.
NatureScot’s Visual Representation of Wind Farms Guidance is recognised best practice.
Local landscape and seascape character assessments are expected to be used to inform assessments.
Read our guidance on using LANDMAP with Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment GN046, which provides suggested distances for LVIA search and study areas for proposals involving onshore wind turbines and vertical structures.
For developments outside National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs):
Read the Landscape Institute’s TGN02-21 Assessing landscape value outside national designations.
Landscapes and Renewable Energy
Large-scale wind and solar developments are not permitted in National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs).
More information on where large-scale wind and solar developments may and may not be permitted is provided in policies 17 and 18 of Future Wales 2040.
Pre-assessed areas where large scale wind energy development is acceptable in principle can be found on page 94.
Download ‘Future Wales The National Plan’ from Gov.wales
Proposals within pre-assessed areas still require detailed landscape and visual assessment.
Wind energy developments proposed outside the pre-assessed areas identified in Future Wales, and proposals involving all other large-scale renewable energy technologies should not have an unacceptable adverse impact on the surrounding landscape, particularly on the setting of National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs).
For guidance on designing renewable energy developments:
Read Design Commission for Wales’s ‘Guidance on Designing Renewable Energy Developments in Wales’.
For detailed siting and design of wind farms:
Read NatureScot’s ‘Siting and designing wind farms in the landscape-version 3a’.
Developers should check the relevant Local Planning Authority’s ‘Development Plan’ for supporting evidence on renewable energy developments, such as sensitivity assessments, landscape and seascape assessments, Special Landscape Areas.
Design principles
The design of developments should be considered at the outset and be informed by any existing local Design Guides and Development/Design Briefs.
You should use an LVIA to inform the design principles.
Allow sufficient space for mitigation and green infrastructure at the outset to avoid conflicting demands for space within the site.
Read our ‘Guidance on green infrastructure’
You should set out the long-term management requirements for landscape schemes and management proposals in a landscape plan or landscape and ecological management plan.
Provide restoration plans, for example for minerals developments or decommissioning schemes where required.
Carefully consider the use of colour or types of materials and finishes to effectively reflect landscape character and/or mitigate the impacts of buildings and structures in the landscape.
Consider the impacts of light pollution on the landscape, particularly where the development is within an International Dark Skies Reserve and where dark skies are a special quality of a Designated Landscape.
and
View the Welsh Government’s Dark skies: planning guidance on GOV.WALES
Welsh Government’s ‘Technical Advice Note (TAN12: Design)’ provides useful guidance on design
Download ‘Technical Advice Note 12: Design’ from gov.wales
Design Commission for Wales provide several useful documents including ‘Placemaking Guide’, ‘Places for Life2’ and ‘Design and Access Statements in Wales: Why, What and How.’
Visit the Design Commission for Wales website
We provide specific guidance for certain types of development
Read our guidance on siting and design of telecommunications masts
Read our guidance on planning electricity grid infrastructure
Further advice from us: