National projects on seascape and related visual effects have been key themes in the past year or so. Our guidance on seascape sensitivity has just been issued by the Marine Management Organisation. This applies to England’s Marine plan areas and it is hoped it will be applied by assessors for both strategic and site-specific assessments. This followed our seascape sensitivity assessment for offshore wind in Wales for Natural Resources Wales which was published in spring 2019. This included a ready reckoner for visual buffers for wind turbines, guidance on location and design and an assessment of 15 zones around the Welsh coast.
We are currently working on an update to an offshore energy strategic environmental assessment relating to visual buffers for wind farms for both England and Wales (for larger schemes). Combined with the extensive local seascape character assessments which we have carried out in Wales in recent years some may think there is a case to consider us the leading seascape sensitivity consultant at national, regional and local scales.