Guidance
The following pages provide existing guidance and best practice for different aspects of landscape.
The list is not exhaustive, but seeks to highlight how much high quality free guidance already exists.
This guidance should be applied as part of applications to ensure they are high quality.
Guidance is set out below per element that together make up a landscape.
General
- Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment GLVIA
- Landscape Institute LI Technical Notes
- Natural England NE – Landscape Information and National Character Areas
- Natural England Sensitivity/Capacity
- SDLCA includes guidance per character type and area
- SDNPA Technical Advice Notes and SPDs – includes ecosystem services.
Landscape Elements
Landform, Geology and Soils & Water
- CIRIA SuDS Manual Chapters 1 and 2 explain landscape-led from a water management and design point of view.
- Susdrain water management and design case studies and resources for all scales of development.
- Water, People, Places guidance for master-planning SuDS, put together by the south-east region Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs). LLFAs expect it to be used for the earliest stages of the planning and design process.
Roads, Tracks & Paths
- Roads in South Downs Working together with County Highways Teams in the design, management and maintenance of rural roads and places for the benefit of the South Downs National Park.
Settlements & Buildings
- Farmstead Assessment Framework – a simple method for guiding sensitive change to ensure sustainable changes within historic farmsteads.
- Historic England produce a vast amount of excellent guidance relating to buildings, settlements and historic landscape.
Field Patterns
- Little guidance exists for the conservation and enhancement of fieldscapes, although much is common sense. Specific guidance can be found in the SDLCA
Woodlands & Trees
- Forestry Commission & Natural England Ancient Woodland Guidance
- Woodland Management
- Ancient Trees – guidance relating to ancient trees
- Tree Preservation Orders – Government Guidance
- Tree Selection – guidance on choosing trees