Visual amenity
The term ‘visual amenity’ refers to the views and surroundings that create the backdrop to an area.
A Residential Visual Amenity Assessment (RVAA) assesses the potential visual impact of a development on the residential amenity of property.
Guidance on the preparation of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments is available in GLVIA 3, Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, Third Edition, published by the Landscape Institute and Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment in 2013.
Additional guidance is available in Landscape Institute technical guidance note TGN 02/2019 at https://landscapewpstorage01.blob.core.windows.net/www-landscapeinstitute-org/2019/03/tgn-02-2019-rvaa.pdf
NB High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Environmental Statement, Glossary, abbreviations and references, published by the Department for Transport in 2022, defines visual amenity as: ‘The enjoyment or benefit that people derive from a particular view or area in terms of what is seen. When a landscape (or townscape) is changed in some way, the change will be seen by people - often by several different groups of people i.e. visual receptors - and this may affect their views and their visual amenity overall.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Ecological impact assessment.
- Ecological survey.
- Environmental impact assessment.
- Green belt.
- Historic Landscape Characterisation.
- Historic Land-use Assessment.
- In-combination effects.
- Landscape and Visual Appraisal.
- Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment.
- Landscape architect.
- Landscape character.
- Landscape Institute.
- Landscape officer.
- Legibility.
- Natural area.
- Strategic ecology framework SEF.
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
New Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser
Sergio Cavalaro, Professor of Infrastructure Systems at Loughborough University.
Building safety levy for England
CIAT publish estimator tool for members.
Water sector faces a growing crisis that could slow the delivery of vital infrastructure.
Undervaluing our industrial past
Heritage value changes as taste for building styles changes.
Changing expectations around competence and compliance
New information sheet from CIAT.
Grenfell investigation files passed to CPS
Angela Rayner apologises on behalf of the British state.
Electrical contractors need to understand the practical implications.
The real barrier to getting more value from digital technology.
Your guide to The Construction Reset at UKCW Birmingham.
Accommodating the Victorian and Edwardian working woman. Book review.
Rethinking passive fire protection in design
PFP demands the same level of design rigour as structure or services.
38% of Gen Zs feel safe when a fire door is wedged open.
Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.