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LANDSCAPE PLANNING
Redbay Design works with landowners, developers, planning consultants, local authorities, architects, engineers and energy providers to support projects through the planning process. Our landscape planning work helps identify the opportunities, constraints and sensitivities of a site early, giving clients a clearer route forward before designs become fixed.
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OUR
APPROACH
Good landscape planning starts with understanding the site. Redbay looks closely at the landform, views, character, boundaries, planning context and wider setting before shaping advice or assessment work. This allows potential risks to be identified early and gives the wider project team a stronger foundation for design and decision making.
The aim is always to provide practical, constructive and evidence based advice. Rather than treating landscape assessment as a tick box exercise, Redbay uses the process to help shape better project outcomes, reduce planning risk and support designs that respond more clearly to place.
FEASIBILITY
& EARLY STAGE ADVICE
Early landscape advice can help identify potential constraints, opportunities and risks before a project moves too far into design or planning. This is especially useful for sensitive sites, rural development, large scale infrastructure and projects where landscape impact may influence the planning route.
Redbay works with clients at the earliest stages of a project to understand the landscape context, planning sensitivities and likely challenges that may arise as proposals develop. Site visits, desktop review and an understanding of local planning policy can help establish whether a proposal is likely to be acceptable in principle, what level of assessment may be required and where design changes could reduce future planning risk. By identifying key issues early, clients can make more informed decisions about investment, design direction and project viability.
LANDSCAPE
& VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Redbay prepares Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments for development projects where the potential effects on landscape character and views need to be properly understood. These assessments can be produced as standalone reports or as part of wider planning and environmental submissions.
Each assessment is tailored to the scale and complexity of the proposal and follows recognised industry guidance. The process considers both the effects on the landscape itself and the visual effects experienced by people living, working or travelling through the area. Redbay works closely with architects, engineers and planning consultants to ensure assessments are robust, proportionate and clearly communicated, helping decision makers understand the likely effects of a proposal and the measures that can be taken to reduce them.
LANDSCAPE
& VISUAL APRAISAL
For smaller or more contained projects, a Landscape and Visual Appraisal can provide a proportionate assessment of the site, surrounding context and likely visual effects. This gives planning teams, consultants and clients a clearer understanding of how a proposal may sit within its landscape setting.
Landscape and Visual Appraisals are often used to accompany planning applications where a full LVIA would be disproportionate but where landscape considerations remain important. The appraisal can identify key viewpoints, assess local character, review visibility and provide practical recommendations for design development. This approach helps clients demonstrate that landscape issues have been properly considered while keeping the level of assessment appropriate to the scale of the project.
LANDSCAPE
CHARACTER ASSESSMENT
Understanding the character of a place is essential to shaping a suitable design or planning response. Redbay assesses landform, settlement pattern, vegetation, views, local character and wider context to help proposals respond more carefully to the landscape around them.
Landscape character assessment provides a structured understanding of what makes a place distinctive and how new development may influence that character. Redbay draws on national, regional and local character studies alongside detailed site analysis to identify the defining qualities of a landscape. This information can guide design decisions, inform planning strategies and help ensure that proposals reinforce rather than undermine the qualities that make an area unique.
ZTV
MAPPING
Redbay uses mapping, Zone of Theoretical Visibility work and visualisation to help communicate the potential visibility and impact of a proposal. These tools are especially useful for planning applications, public consultation, appeal work and projects in visually sensitive settings.
Accurate visual information can play a vital role in helping clients, planning authorities and local communities understand a proposal. Redbay prepares ZTV mapping, viewpoint analysis, wireframes and visual representations that clearly illustrate how a development may appear within its surroundings. These outputs support evidence based decision making and can be particularly valuable for renewable energy projects, infrastructure schemes and development within prominent or protected landscapes where visibility is often a key consideration.
PLANNING
SUPPORT & APPEALS
Redbay provides landscape advice for planning applications, planning conditions, appeal work and negotiations with planning officers. This can help clients respond clearly to landscape concerns, strengthen submissions and move projects through the planning process with greater confidence.
Landscape issues can often become a central part of planning discussions, particularly in rural and environmentally sensitive locations. Redbay works as part of the wider consultant team to review proposals, prepare supporting information and respond to comments from planning officers, consultees and stakeholders. Where concerns are raised, practical and evidence based advice can help refine proposals, address objections and improve the likelihood of a successful outcome.
EXPERT
WITNESS
For planning appeals, hearings and public inquiries, Redbay can provide robust landscape evidence and professional representation. This work supports clients where landscape character, visual impact or the acceptability of a proposal is a key planning issue.
Expert witness work requires clear analysis, sound professional judgement and the ability to communicate complex landscape matters effectively. Redbay prepares detailed evidence, proofs of evidence and appeal documentation, presenting landscape considerations in a clear and balanced manner. Experience across a wide range of development types allows Redbay to support clients through formal planning processes where landscape evidence may be subject to detailed scrutiny.
PARA 84
& RURAL PLANNING SUPPORT
Redbay has experience supporting exceptional rural homes and sensitive countryside development, where landscape response is central to the planning case. This includes early advice, landscape appraisal, strategic design input and support for proposals that need to demonstrate a clear and careful relationship with their setting.
Projects seeking consent under Paragraph 84 require a particularly strong relationship between architecture, landscape and place. Redbay works closely with architects and planning consultants to ensure that proposals are grounded in a thorough understanding of the site and its wider context. This can include landscape appraisal, site analysis, design strategy, visual assessment and long-term landscape enhancement proposals. The aim is to create schemes that not only meet planning requirements but also contribute positively to the character, ecology and quality of the countryside setting.
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