Proportionate, GLVIA3-based Landscape and Visual Appraisals by Chartered Landscape Architects, for planning applications across England, Scotland and Wales.
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A Landscape and Visual Appraisal (LVA) gives the council the landscape and visual evidence it needs, at a scale proportionate to your scheme. Every appraisal is prepared by a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute with over 20 years of experience in the UK planning system, following the principles of GLVIA3.
LVAs suit proposals such as a few new homes, barn conversions, replacement dwellings, agricultural and equestrian buildings, and small commercial schemes, where a full Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment would be more than the application needs. Need a full LVIA? We will tell you honestly which level your site calls for.
A landscape and visual appraisal (LVA) is a proportionate assessment of how a proposed development would affect the character of the landscape and the views people experience. It follows the same principles as a full landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA), set out in the Landscape Institute and IEMA Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, third edition (GLVIA3), but at a level of detail matched to the scheme and its setting. It is also often called a landscape appraisal or a landscape visual assessment.
Councils often ask for a landscape visual assessment of this kind where a site is on the edge of a settlement, in open countryside or close to a designated landscape, but where the scale of change does not call for a formal assessment of the significance of effects. You may also see it described as a landscape and visual impact appraisal; the purpose is the same. An LVA report gives the officer clear, professional evidence on landscape and visual matters, and shows how the design responds to its setting.
The right choice depends on the sensitivity of the site, the scale of the proposal, and what the council or its validation checklist asks for. As a general guide:
We will tell you honestly which level your site calls for before you instruct us. Our article LVA vs LVIA: the difference and when each is needed explains the distinction in more detail.
Every LVA we prepare is based on a site visit by a Chartered Landscape Architect and covers:
An LVA does not include National Character Area studies, a Zone of Theoretical Visibility or a formal assessment of the significance of effects. Where those are needed, the scheme calls for a full LVIA. See how the two compare on our pricing page.
Many applications in the countryside or on village edges are refused, or delayed, because the landscape and visual case has not been made. A well-prepared LVA addresses the questions an officer will ask: how visible the site is, what makes the local landscape distinctive, and whether the scheme respects that character. It also gives your architect early guidance on siting, height, materials and planting, so the design is stronger before it is submitted.
Where officers need to see the proposal, we can add visualisations prepared in-house, from 3D wirelines to photomontages. We can also prepare the accompanying landscape plan, so the mitigation described in the appraisal is shown on a drawing the council can condition.
Existing constraints and designations, regional and local landscape or townscape character studies, and a detailed site-level character analysis.
A visual envelope analysis and a site visit by a Chartered Landscape Architect, with representative viewpoint photography.
A clear note on the potential landscape and visual effects of the proposal, and the design and planting measures that would help it fit its setting.
Where a scheme needs National Character Area studies, a Zone of Theoretical Visibility or a formal assessment of the significance of effects, a full LVIA is the right tool. See how the two compare on our pricing page.
We’ll review your site and provide a clear fee and timescale. No obligation.
Provide your site location and any available drawings or plans.
We confirm whether an LVA is the right level, and the fee and timescale.
A clear, GLVIA3-based appraisal prepared by a Chartered Landscape Architect.
Fixed fees based on the scale and sensitivity of your site.
All quotes are fixed-fee and tailored to your site. See our full pricing.
A landscape and visual appraisal (LVA) is a proportionate assessment of how a proposed development would affect landscape character and views. It follows GLVIA3 principles at a level of detail matched to the scheme, ending with a clear note on potential landscape and visual effects and mitigation.
An LVA is usually proportionate for less sensitive schemes, such as a few dwellings, a barn conversion or an agricultural building, where the council needs to understand the landscape and visual effects but not a formal assessment of their significance. A full LVIA is usually needed for larger schemes, sites in or near National Landscapes or National Parks, Green Belt sites and EIA development.
Our LVAs review existing landscape constraints and designations, draw on regional and local landscape or townscape character studies, and provide a detailed site-level character analysis. On the visual side, they include a visual envelope analysis and a site visit with viewpoint photography, and they end with a note on potential landscape and visual effects and mitigation.
Our Landscape and Visual Appraisals start from £1,950 + VAT. The fee depends on the scale of the scheme, the sensitivity of the site and the number of viewpoints. Every quote is fixed once the scope is agreed.
We require a minimum of 15 working days from instruction to delivery of a draft report. If your programme is tight, please tell us at enquiry stage and we will do our best to accommodate it where capacity allows.
Yes. Every LVA includes a site visit by a Chartered Landscape Architect to record the site, its setting and representative views, with photography taken in line with Landscape Institute guidance.
Yes. The terms landscape and visual appraisal, landscape and visual impact appraisal and landscape visual assessment are used interchangeably by councils for a proportionate appraisal of this kind. A landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) is the fuller, formal assessment.
A snapshot of recent appraisals prepared for planning applications.
An LVA supporting a group of self-build homes in a rural setting.
An appraisal of landscape fit and visual effects for a new agricultural building in open countryside.
An LVA for new housing on a settlement edge, with mitigation planting to soften the new edge.
We work across England, Scotland and Wales from our three regional offices.
Prefer to talk it through? Call or email and we will respond the same working day where possible.
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