ESPH SB Landscape Evidence Base Studies (ESPH444 LM) - AWARD

Wealden District Council (the Council) sought to appoint a suitably experienced and qualified landscape consultancy to undertake a number of landscape evidence base studies to inform the new Local Plan, including to assist in decisions on the allocation of specific areas and/or sites for development. This assessment work shall also inform the Sustainability Appraisal of the Local Plan; Development Management decisions on planning applications and assist in the production of Neighbourhood Plans. The work to be undertaken from this commission is in the form of five inter-related projects:

• oProject 1: An up-to-date Landscape Character Assessment for Wealden;
• oProject 2: A Landscape Sensitivity Assessment for Residential and Employment Development in Wealden;
• oProject 3: A Landscape and Visual Assessment of Areas for new settlements and large urban extensions in Wealden;
• oProject 4: A Landscape Sensitivity Assessment for Wind Turbine and Solar Photovoltaics (PV) Development in Wealden.
• oProject 5: A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment of proposed allocation sites within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The Council seeking to adopt this Local Plan by the end of 2023 in line with the Government's timetable for all local authorities to have an up-to-date adopted Local Plan. The new Local Plan is to be a single plan, containing both strategic and non-strategic policies, so requires planning policies on landscape and renewable energy, as well as information to inform area / site allocations and provide the basis for further site specific assessments. The Council has a strong landscape evidence base, however it will be necessary to review and update this to support the production of the new Local Plan.

Full information is available in the document pack from the South East Shared Services Portal.