Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

Landscape capacity
Landscape character
Landscape character
types
Landscape character
units
Landscape features,
characteristics or
elements
Landscape impacts
Landscape sensitivity
Landscape values
Management and
mitigation
Proponent
Scenic quality
Significance
Stakeholder
Study area
Subject land
Surrounding area
The degree to which a particular landscape character type or area is able
to accommodate change without unacceptable adverse effects on its
character. Capacity is likely to vary according to the type and nature of
change being proposed.
Landscape character is the interplay of geology, topography, vegetation,
water bodies and other natural features, combined with the effects of land
use and built development, which makes one landscape different from
another. Landscape character can also encompass social / cultural
elements.
The distinct and recognisable pattern of elements that occur consistently in
a particular type of landscape, and how it is perceived by people. It reflects
particular combination of geology, landform, soils, vegetation, land use and
human settlement. It creates a particular sense of place of different areas of
the landscape.
Landscape character units refer to areas of homogenous (similar) patterns
of visual, physical, environmental and cultural characteristics such as
landform, vegetation, water form and land use as well as individual
features.
A prominent feature in the landscape (i.e. dominant hill, watercourse,
corpse of remnant trees) or a landmark that influences the landscape
character of an area. These elements can be natural or cultural.
Changes in the character and quality of the landscape that occur as a
result of development. Impacts can either be positive (i.e. beneficial or an
improvement) or negative (i.e. adverse or detraction). Where an impact is
positive the term ‘landscape benefit’ may be used.
The extent to which a landscape can incorporate change of a particular
type and scale without unacceptable adverse effects on its character and
features.
Landscape values include the existence value of a landscape or its value to
present or future generations. Landscape values might be visual, cultural,
spiritual, environmental, based on memories and perceptions.
Understanding landscape values involves identifying essential
characteristics of the landscape and working with communities to
understand the meaning of the landscape to them.
Management and mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce or eliminate
impacts as a result of a visual impact assessment.
The individual or company proposing to develop a wind farm, the applicant
for regulatory approval.
All tasks in the Guidelines are allocated to ‘the proponent’, even though in
many instances they may be carried out by a professional consultant.
Scenic quality is the relative nature or character of landscape features
expressed as an overall impression by people after perceiving an area of
land.
The degree of harmony, contrast and variety within the landscape; the
overall impression retained after driving through, walking through or flying
over an area of land.
Significance is the weighting of the relative importance of identified values.
Landscape values that are likely to be significant are those which help
understand the past, enrich the present, and which will be of value to future
generations.
A party who has been identified as potentially having an interest in the wind
farm site and surrounding landscape. This will include local communities,
non-local communities and visitors (as well as future generations for whom
the landscape is held in trust). Some stakeholders may not be readily
identifiable as members of a community – they may be more commonly
thought of as institutions, agencies, companies and the like.
The combination of the wind farm site and surrounding area (s).
The immediate area of land in which the wind farm development is sited.
The surrounding area encompasses both the study area (immediate site)
and all landscape areas and features in the wider contextual area.
Page 110 Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010