LVIA forming part of Environmental Impact Assessment
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs) is an objective study of the potential environmental impact, both positive and negative, of major development proposals.
It’s a comprehensive process, usually requested by the Local Planning Authority, whereby specialist reports and assessments are incorporated into the Environmental Statement as separate chapters.
For larger developments, which could potentially have a significant effect on the environment, and which fall under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, we can produce the LVIA chapter with the assessment of the significance of landscape and visual impacts, for inclusion within the Environmental Statement https://www.gov.uk/guidance/environmental-impact-assessment
Residential Visual Amenity Assessment (RVAA)
Although there is no right to a view, occasionally, some developments may be of such a scale and within such close-proximity to residential area that the Local Planning Authority may request that in addition to the broader LVIA, that a more specific RVAA is prepared, to assess whether there are likely to be overwhelming or overbearing changes which would render the property an unpleasant and unattractive place to live. Generally, RVAA is limited to specific close-proximity residential areas and requires permission for access to individual dwellings and gardens and therefore is not undertaken as part of the general LVIA process.