Landscape Character Assessment SPD
Landscape character assessments describe the landscape based on areas with similar characteristics and identify ways to help conserve and enhance them. This involves identification of those features or combinations of elements that contribute to the character of the landscape, thereby enabling the special character and qualities of an area to be understood.
This information allows reasoned consideration of those issues affecting the landscape to develop appropriate recommendations for its future conservation and management. The assessment explores the historical and contemporary influences that have shaped the district’s development and will shape its future.
Landscape character assessment make a valuable contribution to the formation of planning policies, to the allocation of land for development, to development control activities, and to processes such as environmental assessment. This assessment was adopted by Cabinet on 9 March 2022 as a Supplementary Planning Document, which is a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
The assessment has two sections:
- the main report (pdf, 39.3mb)
- appendices (pdf, 1.4mb)
This Assessment should be read in conjunction with the national character areas and Hampshire integrated landscape assessment. It only covers the part of the district that is outside of the South Downs National Park (SDNP). Areas that lie within the SDNP should refer to the Park’s Landscape Character Assessment. A pdf map can also be downloaded here (png, 57.3mb) showing all the parishes outside/partially outside of the SDNP and which Landscape Character Areas they fall under. Links to all these documents are available from this webpage.
If you require the mapping shapefiles for use with ArcGIS please email gis@winchester.gov.uk to request them. An end user agreement licence will also need to be completed.