Communities across the North-east are being asked for their views about special local landscapes which are important to them and which should be protected.
Aberdeenshire Council has launched a consultation on a new landscape designation for the Local Development Plan called “Special Landscape Areas”.
People can now have their say on areas that have been assessed as being amongst the most valuable in the area, and should be protected and enhanced by proposed development.
These include the landscape of Bennachie, the majority of Aberdeenshire’s coastline and the Deveron, Don and Dee valleys.
Landscape is about more than just a view – it is about the relationship between people, place and nature that provides an ever-changing backdrop to our daily lives.
It is shaped by the interaction of the natural and cultural components of our environment, with a focus on how these are perceived and experienced by people.
People value landscape for different reasons, but it is possible to identify landscapes in Aberdeenshire which are greatly valued and need particular protection.
This can be due to a range of factors including scenic qualities, cultural associations and opportunities for enjoyment.
Aberdeenshire Council thinks these areas should have protection to conserve and enhance their special qualities and so maintain our most special landscapes.
Using a set of 12 criteria, and following on from three separate discussions with Community Councils and other interested parties, expert landscape consultants identified 10 specific areas in Aberdeenshire which could be identified as Special Landscape Areas.
These range from the hill landscapes of the Mounth and Bennachie, to the valley landscapes of the Deveron, upper Don and Dee, and coastal landscapes of cliffs and beaches.
Each candidate area represents an example of the “best” of Aberdeenshire’s landscape at a local scale.
The Cairngorms National Park is excluded from this designation due to the national recognition of its importance.
Members of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee recently noted the value of this work, and the importance of these landscapes in helping define the overall character and sense of place associated with Aberdeenshire.
Full details of the way in which these landscapes were identified is available on the council’s Local Development Plan web pages. (URL: www.Aberdeenshire.gov.uk/LDP )
There are also detailed maps of the proposed Special Landscape Areas and a full description of the “special characteristics” which make them particularly important.
Aberdeenshire Council has taken the advice of landscape consultants and developed Supplementary Guidance to the Local Development Plan for each of these areas.
This draft guidance details those things which development in these areas has to consider so as not to erode the special nature of the area.
This includes the need to protect the setting and context of specific landmarks and vistas, and commentary on the design characteristics that should be employed by developers to enhance the special nature of these areas.
Consultation on the areas to be included as Special Landscape Areas, the characteristics of these areas, and the prescriptions to be applied to new development is open for public comment until May 13.
Aberdeenshire Council will consider all feedback given and will decide on the final form of the Supplementary Guidance this autumn, to coincide with the expected date of adoption of the Local Development Plan 2016.
Further details are available from the council’s planning policy team on (01224) 664421 or by email: ldp@aberdeenshire.gov.uk