Property-by-property assessment of the effects of solar, battery storage, wind and other large schemes on nearby homes, in line with Landscape Institute Technical Guidance Note 2/19.
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Where a large scheme is proposed close to homes, the council needs to know how it would affect the people who live there. A Residential Visual Amenity Assessment (RVAA) answers that question property by property, following the Landscape Institute’s Technical Guidance Note 2/19. Every assessment is prepared by a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute with over 20 years of experience in the UK planning system.
An RVAA is distinct from the visual assessment in an LVIA. The planning system does not protect private views as such; the RVAA tests whether the effect on a home would be so great that it reaches the Residential Visual Amenity Threshold, the point at which it becomes a matter of public interest.
We define a study area proportionate to the scale and nature of the scheme and identify every property within it.
For each property, we record the existing views from the house, its garden and its approach, with photography from the site visit.
We assess how the scheme would appear from each property: its distance, extent, scale and position in the view, with and without mitigation.
A clear, reasoned conclusion for each property on whether the Residential Visual Amenity Threshold would be reached.
Layout changes, stand-offs and planting that reduce effects on the most affected homes, shown on figures and, where helpful, visualisations.
An RVAA report with a property-by-property assessment, location plan and photographs, ready to submit with the LVIA.
We’ll review your site and provide a clear fee and timescale. No obligation.
Your site location, layout and any consultee comments asking for an RVAA.
We agree the study area and the properties to be assessed, with a fixed fee and timescale.
A clear, property-by-property assessment in line with LI Technical Guidance Note 2/19.
Fixed fees based on the number of properties and the scale of the scheme.
Where an RVAA is prepared alongside our LVIA, we quote a combined fee. See our pricing.
An RVAA looks at the effects of a proposal on the views and visual amenity experienced from individual homes and their gardens. It follows the Landscape Institute’s Technical Guidance Note 2/19, Residential Visual Amenity Assessment, and asks whether the change would be so great that a property would become an unattractive place to live, a point the guidance calls the Residential Visual Amenity Threshold.
An LVIA assesses visual effects on groups of people, such as residents of a village or users of a footpath. An RVAA goes further for the closest properties, assessing each one individually. The planning system does not protect private views as such, so the RVAA focuses on whether effects on living conditions reach a level that becomes a matter of public interest.
Councils and inspectors commonly ask for an RVAA where large-scale development is proposed close to homes: solar farms, battery energy storage, wind turbines, substations and overhead lines, quarries and large agricultural or commercial buildings. It is often requested at pre-application stage or by consultees once the LVIA has identified close-range residential receptors.
Our Residential Visual Amenity Assessments start from £1,950 + VAT. The fee depends mainly on the number of properties in the study area and whether access to them is available. Where the RVAA is prepared alongside our LVIA, we quote a combined fee.
Not always. Where owners agree, we assess views from inside the property and its garden. Where access is not possible, we assess from the nearest public locations and aerial imagery, and say so clearly in the report, as the guidance allows.
Landscape and residential visual amenity work for energy schemes close to homes.
Landscape and visual assessment for a battery energy storage scheme and switchyard on farmland.
An LVIA and landscape masterplan for a solar farm. Read the case study.
A Residential Visual Amenity Assessment for homes near a proposed battery storage site.
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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