Reefcourt Limited Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Proposed Residential Development at Highwood Road, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire Report Reference: Highwood Road HW-0873- Final Produced by Crestwood Environmental Ltd. April 2015 Crestwood Report Reference: Highwood Road HW-0873- Final: Issued Version Date Written / Updated by: Checked & Authorised by: Status Produced Draft v1i 13-04-2015 Katherine Webster Neil Furber Final 16-04-2015 Neil Furber Karl Jones Crestwood Environmental Ltd. Technology Centre Wolverhampton Science Park Wolverhampton West Midlands WV10 9RU Tel: 01902 824 036 Fax: 01902 824 037 Email: [email protected] Web: www.crestwoodenvironmental.co.uk This report has been prepared in good faith, with all reasonable skill, care and diligence, based on information provided or known available at the time of its preparation and within the scope of work agreement with the client. We disclaim any responsibility to the client and others in respect of any matters outside the scope of the above. The report is provided for the sole use of the named client and is confidential to them and their professional advisors. No responsibility is accepted to others. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Highwood Road, Uttoxeter- Housing Development CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 4 1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 4 1.2 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 4 2 LANDSCAPE PLANNING POLICY ................................................................................................. 6 2.1 EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION .......................................................................... 6 2.2 NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY ........................................................................................ 6 2.3 LOCAL POLICY ................................................................................................................ 6 3 LANDSCAPE BASELINE ............................................................................................................. 13 3.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 13 3.2 LANDSCAPE DESIGNATIONS .......................................................................................... 13 3.3 REGISTERED PARKS AND GARDENS ............................................................................... 13 3.4 LISTED BUILDINGS, SCHEDULED MONUMENTS AND CONSERVATION AREAS .............. 13 3.5 TREE PRESERVATION ORDERS ....................................................................................... 14 3.6 ECOLOGICAL QUALITY ................................................................................................... 14 3.7 RIGHTS OF WAY AND OPEN ACCESS LAND .................................................................... 14 3.8 NATIONAL LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ............................................................................. 16 3.9 LOCAL (DISTRICT) LANDSCAPE CHARACTER .................................................................. 18 3.10 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT IN THE FIELD ................................................... 20 3.11 LANDSCAPE VALUE ........................................................................................................ 21 3.12 LANDSCAPE SUSCEPTIBILITY .......................................................................................... 22 4 VISUAL BASELINE .................................................................................................................... 23 4.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 23 4.2 GENERAL VISIBILITY ....................................................................................................... 23 4.3 VIEWPOINTS .................................................................................................................. 23 5 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL ASSESSMENT ................................................................................... 26 5.1 ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS ................................................................................. 26 5.2 PREDICTED POTENTIAL IMPACTS .................................................................................. 26 5.3 IMPACT AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES ..................................................... 27 5.4 EFFECTS ON LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS AND CHARACTER WITHIN THE SITE ........ 27 5.5 EFFECTS ON LANDSCAPE CHARACTER OF THE LOCALITY .............................................. 29 5.6 EFFECTS ON VIEWS WITHIN THE PRIMARY ZONE OF VISIBILITY ................................... 29 5.7 EFFECTS ON VIEWS OUTSIDE THE PRIMARY ZONE OF VISIBILITY .................................. 34 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 38 6.1 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL EFFECTS ................................................................................. 38 6.2 COMPLIANCE WITH POLICY ........................................................................................... 39 LIST OF TABLES: Table 1 Landscape Value of the Landscape Character of the Site ................................................ 22 Table 2 Viewpoints (VPs) .............................................................................................................. 24 Table 3 Predicted Potential Impacts ............................................................................................. 27 Highwood Road HW-0873- Final Page 1 23/04/15 Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Highwood Road, Uttoxeter- Housing Development LIST OF PLATES: Diagram 1 Public Rights of Way in the vicinity of the Site ................................................. 15 LIST OF APPENDICES: AP 1 GLOSSARY AP 2 METHODOLOGY AP 3 DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICIES AP 4 NATIONAL LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT EXTRACTS AP 5 LOCAL LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT EXTRACTS AP 6 INDICATIVE ZONING PLAN LIST OF FIGURES: Figure 1: Wider Landscape Setting and Zone of Theoretical Visibility Figure 2: Local Landscape Context and Zone of Primary Visibility Figure 3: Viewpoint 1a View northeastwards from within Site Figure 4: Viewpoint 1b View westwards from within Site Figure 5: Viewpoint 2 View southeastwards from Highwood Road (B5017) Figure 6: Viewpoint 3 View northeastwards from Highwood Road (B5017) Figure 7: Viewpoint 4 View northeastwards from Public Footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 8 Figure 8: Viewpoint 5 View north from Public Footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 8 Figure 9: Viewpoint 5 Verified Photomontage (without mitigation) Figure 10: Viewpoint 5 Verified Photomontage (with mitigation) Figure 11: Viewpoint 6 View northeastwards from Highwood Road (B5017) Figure 12: Viewpoint 7 View northeastwards from public footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 10 near Holly Bank Farm Figure 13: Viewpoint 8 View northeastwards from the highway (B5017) Figure 14: Viewpoint 9 View southwestwards from public footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 4 and Staffordshire Way long distance route, near The Willows Figure 15: Viewpoint 9 Verified Photomontage (without mitigation) Figure 16: Viewpoint 10 View southwestwards from public footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 5 and Staffordshire Way long distance route Figure 17: Viewpoint 10 Verified Photomontage (without mitigation) Figure 18: Viewpoint 11 View southwestwards from public footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 6 near Doveridge Highwood Road HW-0873- Final Page 2 23/04/15 Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Highwood Road, Uttoxeter- Housing Development Figure 19: Viewpoint 12 View southwestwards from public footpath Ref. Uttoxeter Town 7 Figure 20: Viewpoint 13 View northwestwards from the highway (Wood Lane/Moisty Lane) Figure 21: Viewpoint 14 View westwards from the highway (Wood Lane) Figure 22: Viewpoint 14 Verified Photomontage (without mitigation) Figure 23: Viewpoint 15 View southwestwards from the highway (Wood Lane) Figure 24: Viewpoint 15 Verified Photomontage (without mitigation) Figure 25: Viewpoint 15 Verified Photomontage (with mitigation) Highwood Road HW-0873- Final Page 3 23/04/15 Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Highwood Road, Uttoxeter- Housing Development 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND 1.1.1 Crestwood Environmental Ltd (‘Crestwood’), a Registered Practice of the Landscape Institute, were commissioned by Reefcourt Limited (the ‘Client’) to undertake a landscape and visual impact assessment (LVIA) of proposed residential development (‘the Proposed Development’) on land off Highwood Road, Uttoxeter (‘the Site’) to accompany an application for outline planning permission. The Site covers an area approximately 5.4 hectares (ha) in size and is currently pastoral farmland. 1.1.2 The Site location and boundary is provided on Figure 1. The Site is located on the southeast edge of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire and lies adjacent to an established residential estate off Highwood Road to the west with scattered dwellings off Wood Lane to the north. Agricultural land is bounded by mature hedgerows with trees and woodland copses also abut the Site. Uttoxeter racecourse is located c.140m to the east of the Site. 1.1.3 Crestwood have undertaken the following key tasks: A review of the landscape planning policy context for the