The Environment
- Introduction
- Landscape
- the Water Environment
- Agriculture
- Forestry
- Extractive Industry
- Waste Management
- Built Environment
- Open Space & Recreation
- Conservation, Heritage & Culture
4.1 Policy on Landscape
The Guidelines for Landscape Character Assessment (2000) require a new approach to dealing with landscape. The guidelines allow us to view landscape for its capacity to accommodate development types and specific proposals based on a thorough understanding of the character of the receiving landscape.
The Council will therefore complete a County Landscape Character Assessment (CLCA) that establishes a range of character areas across the County. Schedule 9 and Map 5 of the Tipperary N.R. County Development Plan 1998 identified a number of areas of high amenity value/areas of scenic importance in the County. The CLCA will subdivide the county into landscape character types and these new classifications will identify, categorise and assign values to all landscapes according to five sensitivity classes:
- Class 1 - Low sensitivity
- Class 2 - Moderate sensitivity
- Class 3 - High Sensitivity
- Class 4 - Special
- Class 5 - Unique
It is intended that a value assessment and sensitivity assessment will be carried out on each character area in order to:
- Preserve identified sensitive landscapes; and
- Identify suitable working landscapes where there is potential to accommodate development.
The Council recognises that the landscape will alter rapidly as the result of changes in land use, in particular the continued development of agriculture, quarries, afforestation, urbanisation, etc. Agricultural reforms may lead to intensive farming and hedgerow removal particularly in farming areas where the uptake of REPS is not widespread. Landscape change through afforestation, currently at 20% of the land of the County, will be substantial but will differ from previous changes. More planting will take place on the lowland, wet, mineral soils than the blanket peat of the uplands. There will be substantially more planting of broadleaf species on the better soils.
The County Landscape Character Assessment will provide a basis for resolving conflict between proposals for economic activity in sensitive rural areas.
Key Landscape aims include:
- To sustain, conserve and enhance the landscape diversity, character and quality of the County;
- To protect sensitive areas from development that would detract from or be injurious to the amenity of the area;
- To provide for development and change that would benefit the rural economy while protecting and enhancing the landscape.
Policy ENV 1: Landscape Protection
It is the policy of the Council in assessing applications for development that would impact on landscape to balance the need to protect landscape character against the requirement for socio-economic development in accordance with value assessment and sensitivity as identified in the County Landscape Character Assessment (when completed).
This policy is designed to enable development to proceed that would integrate and contribute to the wider landscape. It recognises that some landscapes may change over the plan period, and this change must take place in a way that does not sacrifice the 'Quality' of the landscape.
4.1.1 Protecting Vulnerable Landscapes
Policy ENV 2 Vulnerable Landscapes
It is the policy of the Council to resist development that would:
- interfere with the view of the water/mountains from any point within a visually vulnerable area; or
- detract from the view from the lake or lakeshore;
- break the skyline or
- materially impact upon the character, integrity or uniformity of a vulnerable landscape or scenic area when viewed from scenic routes and the environs of archaeological or historic sites.
Applications for new development in areas of landscape vulnerability will be required to prepare a visual impact assessment to include photo montages, on-site height poles and impact statement setting out the alternative sites that were considered.
The Council proposes to designate certain areas of the county as vulnerable landscape and areas of scenic importance that will include:
- the banks of rivers
- the shoreline of the lake
- upland area particularly the skyline
- parklands and historic landscapes
Developments in these areas must demonstrate that they will not cause harm to the character or appearance of these areas when viewed from the surroundings.
4.1.2 Preserving Important Views
Policy ENV 3: Views and Prospects
It is the policy of the Council to protect views and prospects of special amenity value or special interest, as set out in Appendix 6 and the Designations map.
It is the aim of the Council to:
- prevent development which would interfere or detract from a view which is designated;
- impose conditions on planning permissions where minor modifications may render an otherwise negative development acceptable.
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