Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment

These good practice guidelines provide advice on assessing the landscape and the visual impacts of development projects. Issues covered by the guidelines include integration of landscape and visual issues into the development process; the need for a transparent approach to landscape and visual impact assessment; describing the baseline conditions; determining the magnitude and significance of impacts; and reviewing the landscape and visual components of an EIS. The guidelines will enable developers and decision makers to be aware of the issues to be addressed by this type of assessment as well as providing environmental consultants with a framework for good practice.