Milton Keynes Landscape Character Assessment
The Milton Keynes Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) is a revision of the draft assessment published by the Council in 2007. The LCA provides a detailed review of the landscape character of the Borough and describes and evaluates Landscape Character Types (LCTs) and Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) within the Borough.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires that Local Plans should, amongst other things, include strategic policies to deliver climate change mitigation and adaptation, conservation and enhancement of the natural and historic environment, including landscape (NPPF para 156).
The 2016 LCA was undertaken by landscape consultants Gillespies in partnership with Milton Keynes Council. Also, as a background technical document for Plan:MK the consultants prepared an Assessment of the Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine and Solar PV Development (LSWT&PVD)
The Assessments were the subject of an eight week public consultation from September to November 2015. The consultation responses were reviewed and taken into consideration for preparation of final Assessments.
The final documents are available:
Landscape Character Assessment
Landscape sensitivity to Wind Turbines and Solar PV
A Briefing Note on the LCA and the Assessment of the Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine and Solar PV Development is available:
Draft Landscape Character Assessment
A Draft Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) and an Assessment of the Landscape Sensitivity to Wind Turbine and Solar PV Development were commissioned by Milton Keynes Council (MKC) as background technical documents for Plan:MK. These evidence base documents will help MKC to address the requirement of paragraph 97 of the National Planning Policy Framework which advises local planning authorities to design their policies to maximise renewable and low carbon energy development while ensuring that adverse impacts are addressed satisfactorily, including cumulative landscape and visual impacts.
The LCA provides a detailed review of the landscape character of the Borough and describes and evaluates Landscape Character Types (LCTs) and Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) within the Borough. It builds on the work undertaken for the draft assessment published by the Council in 2007. The 2007 LCA remained in its draft form mainly because it did not include views of the local residents and other stakeholders on the Borough’s landscape.
The Assessment of the Landscape Sensitivity looks at the sensitivity of each LCT within the Borough to wind turbine and solar photovoltaic development and identifies where particular areas may have greater or less capacity to accommodate such development.