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landscape and Impact Assessments (LVIA)

The purpose of an LVIA is to consider the feasibility of a proposed development in terms of landscape and visual effects. An LVIA addresses both the effects on the landscape as a resource and the effects on visual amenities resulting from the proposed development in question and separately assesses the landscape and visual effects by first considering the baseline to identify published or defined landscape characters and relevant visual receptors. Value, Susceptibility, Sensitivity and Magnitude of effects are evaluated to then provide combined judgement on the overall level of effects or significance of effects in regards to relevant landscape character and visual receptors. The LVIA would also recommend embedded mitigation and enhancement measures to help minimise residual effects and suggest ways to improve the condition and character of the site, immediate setting, and surrounding wider setting.

Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments can be produced as standalone reports or as a chapter for an EIA report in line with current guidance including Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment - Third Edition (GLVIA3), (2013) published by The Landscape Institute (LI) and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).

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The production of an LVIA report generally involves:

Desk-based research

Production of supporting A3 baseline figures and purchasing of OS mapping

Visit to site and surrounding viewpoint locations (travel costs included) to take panoramic photography and GPS readings

Writing up the landscape and visual baseline

Writing up separate assessments of the effects on landscape character/ resource and visual amenity. The assessments will cover sensitivity (value + susceptibility), the magnitude of effects, the level of overall effects or significance of effects, mitigation and enhancement measures

Production of ‘Type 1’ Annotated Viewpoint Panoramic Photography based on the Landscape Institute Technical Guidance Note 06/19

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For more information on LVIA, or to discuss a specific project, contact our office on 0845 463 4404.

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