Green Belt Housing and Strategic Landscape Protection – Appeal Ref: PPA-390-2083
The appeal regarding land at Blairforkie Drive, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, was dismissed on 16 October 2024. This case demonstrates the critical role of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) in safeguarding the Green Belt and maintaining strategic landscape integrity against residential development pressures.
The proposal sought permission to construct 46 dwellings on a greenfield site within the Western Ochils Local Landscape Area and just outside the settlement boundary of Bridge of Allan. The key issues involved whether the proposal could be justified within the Green Belt and its visual impact on the protected landscape. The LVIA findings illustrated that the development would introduce a level of urbanisation that conflicted with the area’s open and rural characteristics, qualities that Green Belt policies aim to preserve.
The Inspector’s decision underscored that the development, comprising both private and affordable housing, would disrupt the natural landscape patterns and visual cohesion of the Western Ochils. The LVIA demonstrated that the increased density of built structures would compromise views from public spaces, impacting the visual experience of the Local Landscape Area. The proposed landscaping measures, including boundary treatments, were deemed insufficient to mitigate the visual encroachment.
The LVIA’s assessment also highlighted that the Green Belt’s core function—to prevent urban sprawl and support compact town growth—would be undermined by this expansion. The Inspector found that the landscape’s open character would be permanently altered, setting a precedent for further intrusions into undeveloped areas around Stirling.
This case underscores the importance of LVIA in evaluating the visual and strategic impacts of development within Green Belt regions, guiding planning authorities to uphold landscape protection principles and prioritise compact urban growth over peripheral expansion.
