Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment in Essex

Essex is often thought of as flat, but its landscapes are subtle and sensitive to change: open estuary marshes where a single building can be seen for miles, gently rolling claylands with ancient lanes and hedges, and a Green Belt that covers much of the south and west. We prepare LVIAs, Landscape and Visual Appraisals and Technical Notes across the county, including Green Belt and grey belt work.

The landscapes of Essex

The Northern Thames Basin (NCA 111) covers much of central and southern Essex: a gently undulating landscape of London Clay with arable fields, hedgerows, ancient woodland and wooded ridges such as those around Brentwood and Danbury. Views from the ridges are often long, and the relationship between towns and the countryside around them is the main issue for most schemes.

In the north, the South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland (NCA 86) is a rolling landscape of irregular fields, green lanes, moated farmsteads and small valleys, and the East Anglian Chalk (NCA 87) reaches the north-west corner. Along the coast, the Greater Thames Estuary (NCA 81) is a landscape of grazing marsh, sea walls, creeks and big skies, where openness itself is the defining quality.

County-wide evidence comes from the Essex Landscape Character Assessment (2003), supplemented by district landscape character and Green Belt studies.

Designated landscapes

Essex has one National Landscape, Dedham Vale, on the Stour valley shared with Suffolk. Most Essex sites are therefore assessed on their own landscape character and on the local designations and policies of each district, which can include special landscape areas, coastal protection belts and protected lanes.

The coast and estuaries are internationally important for birds. The Crouch and Roach, Blackwater, Colne and Dengie, among others, are protected as Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites, and their open, undeveloped character is closely tied to their wildlife value.

Planning policy and constraints

The Metropolitan Green Belt covers the south and west of the county. Since the revised NPPF of August 2026, more Green Belt sites can be put forward as grey belt. Whether a site qualifies depends on how strongly it contributes to the Green Belt purposes, which is as much a landscape and visual question as a planning one: how open the site looks, how it relates to the settlement edge, and whether it reads as countryside. Our Green Belt and grey belt appraisals set out that evidence.

New homes within the zone of influence of the Essex coast contribute to the Essex Coast Recreational disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS), revised in 2026. Sites near the estuaries may also need to consider coastal protection policies and the effect on open views across the marshes.

What this means for your application

• Do not underestimate flat land. On the estuaries and marshes, buildings are seen against the sky over long distances, and viewpoint selection matters.
• Show the settlement edge. For housing on the edge of towns and villages, how the scheme completes or extends the edge is often the deciding issue.
• Make the Green Belt case visually. For grey belt sites, openness and containment need clear evidence, with photography and, where useful, visualisations.
• Respect the historic lanes and hedges. In the claylands, access and visibility splays can do more harm than the buildings themselves.

Our experience in Essex

• A Landscape and Visual Appraisal for housing on land overlooking the Crouch estuary.
• A Landscape and Visual Appraisal for a Green Belt site on the edge of Brentwood.

See also our Hertfordshire page and our projects.

Our Essex services

• Landscape Technical Notes: desktop assessment for pre-application or householder schemes, from £750 + VAT
• Landscape and Visual Appraisals for proportionate assessment of less sensitive schemes, from £1,950 + VAT
• Full Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIAs) to GLVIA3, from £2,950 + VAT
• Green Belt and grey belt appraisals
• Assessments for estuary and coastal sites
• 3D wireframes and photomontages prepared in-house (see visualisations)
• Responses to landscape officer comments and appeal support
• Landscape mitigation and planting plans to accompany our assessments

Frequently asked questions

• Do I need an LVIA for a planning application in Essex?
  It depends on the scale of the scheme and how visible and sensitive the site is. Councils in Essex will usually expect landscape evidence for development in the Metropolitan Green Belt, on the coast and estuaries, in or near Dedham Vale National Landscape, and for larger housing, solar and battery storage schemes. For smaller schemes a Landscape and Visual Appraisal or Technical Note is often proportionate. We can advise on the right level once we know your site.
• Can a Green Belt site in Essex be grey belt?
  It can, depending on how strongly the site contributes to the Green Belt purposes. That turns on openness, containment and the relationship with the settlement edge, which we assess through site visits, photography and visualisations.
• Why do coastal sites in Essex need careful assessment?
  Because the estuaries are open and low-lying, development can be seen across the water and the marshes from a long way off. The coast is also protected for its birds, and the openness of the landscape is part of that value.
• Do I have to pay the Essex Coast RAMS contribution?
  If your scheme creates new homes within the zone of influence, yes. It is secured through a planning obligation. It is an ecological requirement rather than a landscape one, but it is worth knowing about at the start.
• How much does an LVIA cost in Essex?
  Our fees start at £750 + VAT for a desktop Landscape Technical Note, £1,950 + VAT for a Landscape and Visual Appraisal and £2,950 + VAT for a full LVIA. Wireframes and photomontages are quoted alongside the assessment. We give a fixed fee after reviewing your site. See our pricing page.

Sources and further reading: Brentwood Local Plan, Essex Coast RAMS, Dedham Vale National Landscape, Natural England National Character Area profiles. Information checked October 2026.