Land Use Consultants services

LUC was instrumental in developing the technique of Landscape Character Assessment, which provided the foundations for the first national guidance on the subject in 1988. We undertake landscape, townscape and seascape character assessments from the national to the local scale, which are used to identify what is important about landscapes and to advise clients on appropriate actions for responding to, managing and guiding change.We have subsequently prepared on-going updates of this guidance for England, Scotland and latterly Wales. In 2010–11 we sat on the Steering Group for the Seascape Assessment Guidance.

LUC undertakes landscape and visual impact assessments for all development types, including wind farms and other renewable energy projects, grid and transmission infrastructure, transport projects, water related infrastructure, commercial, minerals and waste, and educational, health, residential, leisure and recreational proposals. Seascape impact assessment is a growing part of our portfolio, and townscape impact assessment is required within urban areas.

LUC undertakes studies covering review, planning and management of AONBs, National Parks, National Scenic Areas, World Heritage Sites and local landscape designations. We have assessed the natural beauty of land between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, defined the special qualities of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, reviewed Fife’s and the Scottish Borders local landscape designations, produced Management Plans for the South Downs National Park and Dartmoor National Park, developed an interactive web-based Atlas for the Cornwall AONB in order to monitor change, and input to the Tower of London World Heritage Site Management Plan. We work with many of the protected landscapes of the UK and with National Governments on protected landscape policy, previously with CABE/the Design Council, with English Heritage and local authorities on the management of World Heritage Sites and with Historic Royal Palaces.