Skye and Lochalsh LCA.Pdf

No 71 Skye and Lochalsh landscape assessment Caroline Stanton 1996 Caroline Stanton, Landscape Architect, 23 Tor View, Contin, Strathpeffer , Ross-shire IV14 9E F Nominated Officer: Francis Thi n Report date : 1996 Report to: Scottish Natural Heritage Contract No: NW/S/001/95 This report should be cited as follows: Stanton, C. 1996. Skye and Lochalsh landscape assessment. Scottish Natural Heritage Review. No 71 . Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Natural Heritage Publications Section Research and Advisory Services Directorat e Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PHI 3EW 2 Anderson Place, Edinburgh EH6 5N P UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDO M ISSN 1350-311 1 ISBN 1 85397 277 0 A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library Skye and Lochals h landscape assessmen t a report by Caroline Stanton fo r Scottish Natural Heritag e February 1996 Preface This report forms part of the National Programme of Landscape Character Assessment, whic h is being carried out by Scottish Natural Heritage, in partnership with local authorities and othe r agencies. The National Programme aims to improve our knowledge and understanding of th e contribution that landscape makes to the natural heritage of Scotland . This study provides a detailed assessment of the landscape character of Skye and Lochalsh , considers the likely pressures and opportunities for change in the landscape, assesses th e sensitivity of the landscape to change and includes guidelines indicating how landscap e character may be conserved, enhanced or restructured as appropriate . The report will be of interest to all those concerned with land management and landscap e change. More specifically, it is intended to provide the landscape context for SNH staff responding to planning and land use related casework . SNH also hopes that the information it contains will be of use to the Council in the production of its local and structure plans . The assessment was commissioned by SNH in May 1995 and the appointed contractor, Caroline Stanton, practised under the direction of a Steering Group comprising the following : Frances Thin, project officer, SNH NW Regio n "l Russell Turner, SNH NW Region Nigel Buchan, SNH Research and Advisory Services Lesley Cranna, SNH Skye and Lochalsh Mike Greaves, Highland Regional Council (HRC) Local Pla n Alan Ogilvie, HRC Local Plan Jenny Crawford, HRC Structure Plan Andrew Prendergast, Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise (SALE) Bryce Reynard, Forestry Authority, Dingwall The contractor wishes to acknowledge the guidance and assistance given by the abov e Steering Group . Thanks are also due to the following consultants, students and residents o f Skye and Lochalsh : Sarah Hutcheon, SNH Skye and Lochalsh Vanessa Halhead, SNH NW Region Duncan Stone, SNH NW Region Colin Wishart, HRC Nicholas Shepherd, Forestry Authority (Scotland) Jim Hunter Cailean MacLean Roger Meiket Mrs Robertson and geography pupils of Portree High Schoo l MLA landscape architecture students, Edinburgh Universit y The views contained within this report represent those of the contractor, Caroline Stanton an d do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the sponsors . D D Contents page numbe r 1 Introduction 1 2 The Skye and Lochalsh landscape 5 3 Landscape character types, forces for change 22 and design guidance 4 The importance of place! 156 Bibliography Appendice s a Flow diagram of study metho d b Summary of design principle s c Geology map of Skye and Lochals h d Map of natural heritage designations within Skye and Lochals h e Glossary of common terms odu Introductio n 1 Introduction Skye and Lochalsh district is located on the wes t coast of Highland Scotland ; it covers an area o f 270,656 hectares and has a population of som e 12,000. It forms one of the eight administrative districts that constitute Highland Region . 1 .1 Aim of study This study forms part of the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) national programme t o provide information on landscape character throughout Scotland . The specific aim of this study is to enable a greater understanding of the Skye and Lochalsh landscape , particularly the range and type of landscape character and the nature of changes whic h may affect it, both now and in the future . This information will help SNH staff to advise on the strategic and local implications o f development and change within Skye and Lochalsh . It will also help SNH and other organisations to develop landscape related policies and, as such, is important in contributing to the current updating of the Skye and Lochalsh Local Plan by th e Highland Council . The guidance contained within this study does not state where, or in what form, landscape development and change should take place. Rather, it highlights the ke y landscape issues which should be considered when assessing the potential effects o f development or /and use change, to ensure that this relates to those qualities whic h make the Skye and Lochalsh landscape unique and special . 1 .2 Method of study To achieve the aim outlined above, this study involved a number of stages of landscap e assessment (illustrated within appendix a), the order of which, is iterative . There was an initial stage of background research and familiarisation, forming an introduction to th e district, and comprising a preliminary broad based survey of the entire study area . Then followed a comprehensive assessment of the district's key landscape characteristics. This involved a survey of the entire study area by car, boat, and on foot through th e less accessible parts of the district . At first, merely what the characteristics were, an d their relative dominance was recorded. An understanding of why these occur was sometimes clearly evident within the landscape, but at the other times required furthe r background research and consultation . Within this study, this included cross referencin g to geological and topographical maps, land ownership plans, aerial photographs, fores t distribution maps and detailed 1 :25,000 and 1 :10,000 Ordnance Survey plans, as wel l as a series of personal interviews . Once the various processes and relationship s between landscape characteristics were fully understood, the relevant pressures, o r 'forces for change', acting upon them were identified, and design guidance related t o these, proposed . The consistent occurrence of landscape characteristics and forces for change enabled a number of distinct landscape character types to be identified ; these were mapped on a 1 :100,000 base plan . I Introduction The way in which the landscape of Skye and Lochalsh is experienced, and the importance of that to people, both visitors and locals, was an important consideration o f this study, and one which underlies much of its analysis and formation of guidance . This aspect of the assessment involved observation, contact and conversations with a wide range of people throughout the study period . 1 .3 Landscape characte r The landscape character types identified and described within this report indicate area s of consistent and recognisable landscape character, as a distinct composite of physical , cultural, and visual characteristics, and how these are experienced by people . Although each of these key characteristics tends to be recorded and described separately withi n this report, in reality they interrelate to form the overall character of a particula r landscape type. The classification of landscape character types and their related guidance is not value laden or based on any existing landscape designations, it is merely conditioned by wha t the character of a landscape is, and the processes acting within it . Within Skye and Lochalsh, the dominant characteristics which tend to differentiate between character types are landform and the relationship between this and the sea , and land use and human activity . The pattern of landscape character types varie s greatly; some types are extensive in area but only occur in a few locations, whils t others are small in area and occur in many locations . The boundary lines drawn between these landscape character types are only indicative in representing the broa d extent of these areas . The actual juxtaposition of character types is rarely so sharp a s to form a discernible line on the ground, even when coinciding with a distinct edge suc h as the coastline . There is typically a transition zone betwee n adjacent landscape character types, with a gradual change i n the relative dominance of characteristics between neighbouring areas, also occasionally incorporating a number of outliers. Transitions between the characteristics whic h influence our experience of landscape tend to be particularly indistinct, for example views and sounds within one character type often originate from another . This means that when studying any proposal, but especially when along, or adjacent to, a boundary, the characteristics of neighbouring Vii:.::;: ~:,:?ir:•:;:' landscape character types should be considered . 1 .4 Structure of the report This report is arranged into 4 chapters . The first 2 of these act as an introduction : Chapter 1 as a background to the study and report, and chapter 2 as an introduction t o the Skye and Lochalsh landscape . The main bulk and emphasis of information within this report is contained within chapte r 3, which provides a description of the 16 landscape character types identified within Skye and Lochalsh . For each character type, the key landscape characteristics an d forces for change are described, in addition to the related design guidance . The locatio n of these landscape character types are indicated upon a map which can be found at th e end of this document . 2 Introduction The appendices of this report contain additional background information, including a brief summary of design principles and a short glossary, the former being particularly useful to those unfamiliar with landscape design. Further sources of information are also listed within a bibliography .

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