North Devon and Torridge Joint Landscape Character Assessment 2023

Status: Finalised Evidence

Author: Land Use Consultants

Introduction

A Joint Landscape Character Assessment (2023) has been prepared for North Devon Council and Torridge District Council. It supersedes the previous Landscape Character Assessment which was adopted by both Councils in 2011.

The Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) provides an understanding of how landscapes are changing and how they can be strengthened to become resilient to future pressures, including climate change. The assessment includes detail about local character, sense of place, dark skies and drivers for landscape change, and can be used to help inform decisions on matters including planning for development, land management, habitat and nature recovery and improvement.

The Joint LCA will help guide strategic planning and development management decisions and provide guidelines for the conservation and enhancement of the areas special landscape qualities. The Assessment will form part of the evidence base for the North Devon and Torridge Local Development Framework and enable identified landscapes to be considered in the determination of planning applications.

Landscape Character Types (LCTs) are each described and evaluated to identify the special qualities in an area while highlighting the key characteristics and valued landscape attributes. Each LCT provides a set of management guidelines to protect, manage and plan for a variety of factors relevant to the specific landscape.

Devon Character Areas (DCAs) provide a summary description which sets out the character of the area with the distinctive features and characteristics identified for each area. Past, current and future forces for change and their landscape implications are detailed and each DCA provides a set of guidelines to protect, manage and plan for the area.

The LCTs and the DCAs should be used together as the LCTs highlight smaller areas each fitting into the wider, geographically unique, DCAs which each comprise of distinct Devon landscapes.

Interactive Map

An interactive map for the Landscape Character Assessment shows the Landscape Character Types and Devon Character Areas across North Devon and Torridge.