A holistic approach to masterplanning which takes the existing environmental parameters as its base and delivers a scheme around this.
Mark Topping, Director of Design, Lanpro
Any new development, and particularly an energy scheme, is at its best when it works in harmony with the natural environment, and yet many new developments fail to achieve this. I believe this is partly because developers don’t understand that this is attainable and because they fail to involve landscape architects at an early stage in the planning and development process.
Those who do consult with a landscape architect, on the other hand, are frequently surprised to find just how attainable, and beneficial, a landscape-led approach can be.
Green infrastructure-led schemes are those which use best practice landscape architecture principles as a starting point. The fundamentals of the natural landscape – lines of hedgerows, mature trees, woodland, natural water courses and topography – then inspire the scheme in a way infinitely preferable to a flattened site or blank sheet of paper.
To assume that this in a non-commercial approach is quite wrong: there is ample research and example demonstrating that mature natural environments benefit the value of property in addition to expediating the planning process and supporting health and wellbeing. The recent introduction of biodiversity net gain into all planning applications considerably raises the value of the natural landscape and enables natural elements to be used strategically. For example, removing a mature copse and delivering 110% of its biodiversity value would require a significant amount of replanting, whereas retaining it comes at little cost if planned. In this case and many others like it, the landscape-led approach benefits the environment, society, the planning application and the commercial viability of the scheme both in terms of construction work and the built scheme.
Just as you wouldn’t read the first few pages of a book and jump to the middle, you need to consider the approach to the landscape as you progress through the many stages of development. Our hierarchical approach starts a high level assessment, followed by a desk-based review (a GIS-based site finding and assessment tool), a site visit, site analysis and then the formation of specific landscape proposals.
Ultimately the environmental masterplan is based on the environmental parameters plan and allows the scheme to develop taking into account the environmental constraints.
Commercial benefits include cheaper construction practices – for example removing the need to create SUDS, adapting the course of a stream, planting young shrubs or creating new habitats.
Appeals for such schemes are generally successful because it can be demonstrated that they the development will cause minimum harm to the natural landscape and visual sensitivities.
The main challenge to this approach is when a decision is taken to use it too late. The earlier the landscape-led approach is deployed, the greater the savings and the better the scheme.
As the government increasingly allows development on the Green Belt, an approach to development which shows sensitivity towards the natural environment will invariably be favoured by planners, resulting in success at all levels.
