Galloper Wind Farm Project - National Infrastructure Planning

2842_SLVIA
Companion Guide to PPS22 (ODPM, 2004). The assessment is necessarily
iterative, with stages overlapping in parts.
Specific methodologies relevant to offshore wind farm developments are
particularly relevant and the proposed methodology for the seascape
assessment broadly follows the guidance set out in the Maritime
Ireland/Wales Interreg 1994 - 1999 Guidance 'Guide to Best Practice in
Seascape Assessment', (GSA), published in March 2001. This sets out a clear
methodology for undertaking seascape characterisation and for the
evaluation process, and subsequent judgements arising. The guidance
document is the result of joint pilot studies carried out between Wales and
Ireland and sets out a clear process for undertaking a seascape assessment. It
also provides practical guidance for undertaking field survey work and the
field study forms are utilised during site assessment work.
These methodologies commonly aim to systematically appraise the existing
landscape / seascape condition, to identify all the significant physical and
visual characteristics and assess their quality or value as well as the
perceived, visual amenity value. These then provide a baseline against which
the key Seascape/Landscape and Visual effects can be predicted and evaluated
and their magnitude and significance assessed in a logical and well reasoned
fashion.
Natural England (NE) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) jointly
commissioned LDA Design in late 2010 to prepare a new, common
methodology for seascape characterisation. This was not available at the
time that this SLVIA for GWF was carried out and it was agreed with NE that
the GSA should be followed and not the emerging methodology.
3) Methodology for Identification of Seascape Units
The Guide to Best Practice in Seascape Assessment (GSA) states clearly that:
'Seascape assessment is an extension of landscape character assessment rather than a
specialism in its own right. It does not replace the need for a thorough landscape
assessment on land (para 1.6).'
It is therefore important to recognise the interrelationship between, and
interdependency of, the sea and land. Identified seascape units will thus,
whatever their scale and extent, straddle segments of the coastline with their
character being defined by both seaward and landward elements. The GSA
then highlights that, whilst some key elements in seascape assessment are
common to landscape assessment, there are others that are noticeably
different or wholly absent from landscape character assessment work. The
key differences are identified as: