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INTEGRATED LVIA FOR WALES
OUR SERVICES
Integrated LVIA, heritage setting assessment and Net Benefit for Biodiversity strategies across six specialist service areas.
Welsh protected landscape planning demands more than technical competence in individual disciplines.
Eryri, Llŷn, Anglesey, and the Clwydian Range operate under Planning Policy Wales — not the NPPF. Net Benefit for Biodiversity is assessed through the qualitative DECCA framework — not England's Metric 4.0.
Heritage assets are assessed against Cadw guidance — not Historic England.
Getting the framework right is the baseline. Getting all four frameworks to work together in a single coordinated evidence bundle is what secures consent.
Eryri Landscape Architecture provides integrated LVIA, Heritage Setting Assessment, and NBB Landscape Strategy — coordinated from RIBA Stage 0-1 so that landscape, heritage, and biodiversity objectives shape design from inception rather than competing at planning stage.
The Welsh Compliance Matrix:
Four Overlapping Frameworks
Projects in Eryri, Llŷn, and Anglesey face stringent requirements across four distinct planning frameworks simultaneously.
Understanding each framework individually is merely the baseline — the real challenge is satisfying all four through a single, coherent evidence bundle.
1.
Natural Character
Section 62 statutory duty requiring landscape impact assessment against special landscape qualities (LVIA).
2.
Heritage Setting
CADW guidance for evaluating impacts upon the setting of Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Historic Parks.
3.
Mandatory Biodiversity
Net Benefit for Biodiversity (NBB) required for Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 12, using the DECCA framework.
4.
Tree Protection
Retention of mature trees and woodland
edges, critical to both landscape character and ecological networks.
Getting all four wrong means refusal.
Getting all four right means consent.
The difference is how they are coordinated from inception.
Why Early Engagement Wins:
The Earlier We Engage, the More Value We Add
Appointing landscape, heritage, and biodiversity expertise at RIBA Stage 0-1 allows constraints to shape concept design before costly commitments are made. Appointing us at planning stage means we are documenting a fixed proposal rather than shaping it — and risks discovering issues that require expensive redesign.
Ideal Engagement Zone
RIBA
Stage 0
Ability to shape design & add value
Project Timeline
Planning Submission
Cost of Redesign
& Refusal Risk
The crossover point is where design flexibility meets rising cost of change.
Early engagement keeps you on the right side of that line.
Call us at RIBA Stage O -1 to inform site selection & layout.
Call us at the planning stage, and you are paying to retrofit biodiversity into a fixed design - a costly coordination effort.
How We Join The Dots
Integration is not just a coordination principle — it is a design methodology. A single native hedgerow buffer, properly designed and positioned, can simultaneously satisfy landscape screening requirements under GLVIA3, restore historic field patterns under Cadw setting guidance, and deliver mandatory habitat connectivity under the DECCA framework.
LVIA:
Provides crucial visual amenity screening from
public viewpoints.
Heritage:
Restores historic field patterns, respecting CADW setting guidelines.
NBB:
Delivers mandatory
habitat connectivity
& DECCA compliance.
This is what landscape-led coordination delivers — mitigation strategies that reinforce each other rather than compete.
Planning officers receive a coherent narrative where every design decision serves all three frameworks simultaneously.
One Physical Intervention.
Three Checked Boxes.
Zero Policy Conflicts
NBB: Designed In Vs Retrofitted
The cost and difficulty of delivering NBB compliance rises exponentially the later it is introduced into the design process.
Early Stage: Green infrastructure acts as a foundational site structure. High value, low cost.
RIBA
Stage 0-1 Concept
NBB Designed In
RIBA
Stage 2-3 Design
RIBA
Stage 4 Planning
Cost & Difficulty
Late Stage: Retrofitting biodiversity into fixed layouts requires costly redesigns & delays.
NBB Retrofitted
Cost of Redesign
& Refusal Risk
Planning Submission
When NBB is designed into the spatial layout from inception, Green Infrastructure becomes foundational site structure — not an afterthought bolted onto a fixed design at planning stage.
PPW Edition 12 requires Green Infrastructure Statements for all applications.
Maintaining existing biodiversity is not sufficient;
enhancement is mandatory.
Where All Four Frameworks Align
-The Consent Zone
Planning consent in Welsh protected landscapes sits at the intersection of four overlapping frameworks. Landscape character, heritage setting, Net Benefit for Biodiversity, and tree protection must all be addressed simultaneously — not sequentially, not in isolation.
LVIA
PLANNING
CONSENT
Heritage
Setting
NBB
Strategy
Tree
Protection
The Integration Advantage
Getting all four wrong means refusal. Getting all four right means consent.
The difference is landscape-led integration from inception.
Our Services
Twenty-five years navigating protected landscape planning across the UK has taught me where the pitfalls lie — and how to build around them from day one. That experience is the foundation of the six specialist services below, each structured to address landscape, heritage, and biodiversity requirements as one integrated whole rather than three separate exercises.
01.
🏘️
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
Integrated LVIA, heritage and NBB for
National Park and AONB schemes.
CORE SERVICES:
-
LVIA for residential schemes in National Park, AONB contexts
-
Heritage setting assessments for development near Listed Buildings
-
Strategic landscape frameworks for multi-unit developments
-
Net Benefit for Biodiversity compliance: Green Infrastructure Statements, DECCA assessment, LEMP
-
Integrated mitigation addressing landscape, heritage, AND biodiversity
-
Landscape Condition Discharge Package
02.
🏰
HERITAGE ASSETS & CONSERVATION AREAS
Cadw-aligned heritage setting assessment coordinated with landscape and biodiversity.
CORE SERVICES:
-
Heritage setting assessment for Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments
-
Conservation Area character appraisal and impact assessment
-
Design guidance for heritage-sensitive development
-
Landscape & biodiversity integration ensuring heritage design incorporates ecological enhancement
-
Historic landscape restoration balancing conservation with NBB requirements
03.
🏕️
TOURISM, HERITAGE & RECREATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Landscape-led evidence ensuring visitor development enhances Welsh protected landscapes.
CORE SERVICES:
-
LVIA for tourism developments and visitor centres in National Parks
-
Heritage setting assessment for tourism projects near cultural assets
-
Landscape design for outdoor recreation facilities and trails
-
NBB compliance for visitor infrastructure ensuring tourism enhances ecological resilience
-
Balancing visitor experience with landscape, heritage, and biodiversity protection
04.
⚡
COMMERCIAL & RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
Robust EIA landscape chapters and NBB strategies for large-scale Welsh applications.
CORE SERVICES:
-
LVIA for commercial and renewable energy projects in protected landscapes
-
Heritage setting assessment for large-scale infrastructure
-
Cumulative impact assessment for multiple developments
-
NBB strategies showing how large sites deliver significant ecological enhancement
-
EIA landscape chapters and Environmental Statements
05.
🌿
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE & NET BENEFIT FOR BIODIVERSITY
Welsh NBB via DECCA framework — not England's BNG Metric 4.0.
CORE SERVICES:
-
Green Infrastructure strategies for masterplans and development frameworks
-
NBB Landscape Strategies coordinated with ecologist's DECCA assessment (Wales)
-
Green Infrastructure Statements (mandatory for all Welsh planning applications)
-
Landscape & Ecological Management Plans (LEMP) for 20-30 year stewardship
-
Soft landscape proposals integrating biodiversity requirements
06.
🏡
GARDEN DESIGN & TAN 6 EXCEPTIONAL DWELLING (equivalent to Para 79 NPPF)
Landscape strategy for exceptional dwellings — Wales' equivalent to
Paragraph 79.
CORE SERVICES:
-
Comprehensive landscape design for country houses and estate grounds
-
TAN 6 Exceptional Dwelling landscape strategy, LVIA, and heritage setting assessment
-
Detailed planting design and hard landscape detailing
-
Landscape Condition Discharge Package
-
NBB strategies demonstrating biodiversity enhancement through native planting and habitat creation
Our Integrated Planning Process
Four-phase approach ensuring landscape, heritage, and biodiversity compliance is designed in from inception, not retrofitted at planning stage.
1.
Strategic Assessment & Early Engagement
WHAT WE DELIVER:
-
Baseline landscape character assessment
-
Heritage asset identification and significance evaluation
-
Ecological appraisal and DECCA baseline
-
Desktop study of LPA Green Infrastructure Assessments
-
Integrated constraints and opportunities analysis
-
Design principles addressing all three frameworks
KEY ACTIVITIES:
-
Site walkovers with landscape architect AND ecologist
-
LVIA/heritage/NBB workshop with design team
-
Pre-application meeting with LPA
OUTCOME
Design brief ensuring NBB, landscape character, and heritage significance shape concept from inception.
2.
Integrated Design & Evidence Building
WHAT WE DELIVER:
-
LVIA methodology and viewpoint assessment
-
Heritage setting assessment and impact evaluation
-
Habitat creation strategy and Green Infrastructure design
-
Evolving spatial plans demonstrating integration
-
Draft Green Infrastructure Statement
-
Planting specifications emphasizing native species
KEY ACTIVITIES:
-
Design workshops using landscape, heritage, AND biodiversity as drivers
-
Viewpoint photography alongside heritage setting analysis
-
Ecological network mapping informing GI layout
OUTCOME
Coordinated mitigation addressing all three frameworks simultaneously, with officer confidence in integrated evidence.
3.
Planning Submission to Support Consent
WHAT WE DELIVER:
-
Final LVIA demonstrating landscape policy compliance
-
Heritage setting assessment showing impact on significance
-
Completed Green Infrastructure Statement (mandatory under PPW Edition 12)
-
Landscape & Ecological Management Plan (LEMP) with 20-30 year strategy
-
Detailed landscape masterplan
-
Planting plans and specifications
KEY ACTIVITIES:
-
Planning application submission with integrated evidence
-
Responding to consultee comments
-
Planning committee presentation if required
OUTCOME
Planning consent with robust evidence bundle. LEMP providing 20-30 year roadmap for habitat management.
4.
Condition Discharge & Implementation Support
WHAT WE DELIVER:
-
Detailed landscape masterplan discharge
-
Planting plans and specifications discharge
-
Completed LEMP discharge (if conditioned)
-
Hard landscape material specifications
-
Surface water drainage/SUDs landscape integration
-
Implementation monitoring and site visits
KEY ACTIVITIES:
-
Discharge application submission with integrated evidence
-
Compliance checking against approved LVIA mitigation
-
Ensuring NBB commitments translate to on-ground delivery
-
Responding to LPA/consultee queries during discharge
OUTCOME
Conditions discharged, development can commence, LEMP implementation ensures long-term habitat management for your NBB strategy.
