We take on 2 new clients per month. Enquire now to secure your August slot.

Wiltshire  |  Hampshire  |  Dorset

Landscape advice that tells you what you need, not what makes us the most money.

For developers, architects, planning consultants, local authorities and landowners who want clear, proportionate guidance before committing budget to landscape reports.

Personally led by Kevin Harrington CMLI MIEEM.

Fixed fees  ·  Straight answers  ·  No surprises

Request a scoping review
Currently scheduling August projects.
Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute · Full Member of CIEEM · 25+ years’ experience in landscape management and planning

Most planning projects don’t need more paperwork. They need better judgement.

A lot of time and money gets lost in the early stages of planning, usually because the level of landscape input hasn’t been properly scoped.

  • Sometimes a full Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment is the right answer.
  • Sometimes a lighter appraisal will do the job.
  • Sometimes the most useful outcome is simply knowing you don’t need to commission anything yet.

Our job is to give you that information early, so decisions are made on proportion, not assumption.

Kevin and Nicola Harrington

Landscape advice from someone who has been on both sides of the table.

Kevin Harrington has spent more than 25 years working across landscape management, planning and development.

That experience shapes a very practical approach to advice. Not just how reports are written, but how planning decisions are actually made, what local authorities are looking for, and where unnecessary work can be avoided.

Every project is personally led from first conversation through to final output. There are no handovers, no junior teams managing your project in the background, and no uncertainty about who is responsible.

Who we work with

We work with people who need clear advice, not complexity.

  • Developers
  • Planning consultants
  • Architects
  • Landowners
  • Local authorities

They come to us when they need a clear view on what’s required to move a project forward. Whether testing a site, preparing an application or responding to planning feedback, we focus on recommending the right level of input, nothing more and nothing less.

Our services

Our work is built around a simple principle: give the right advice at the right time, so planning decisions can be made with confidence.

We provide:

  • Landscape & Visual Impact Assessments (LVIAs)
  • Landscape Visual Appraisals
  • Technical Notes
  • Landscape advice for planning applications
  • LVIA chapters for Environmental Statements

Every piece of work is produced with the same intent. To help clients make better, earlier decisions about their sites.

Why clients choose Chalke & Bourne

We tell you what you need

Not what we would like to sell. If there is a simpler, more proportionate route, we will tell you.

Personally led

Every project is led by Kevin, from the first conversation onwards. No handovers.

Fixed fees from the outset

You know exactly what is included before any work begins. No ambiguity later.

Clear throughout

The focus stays the same from first call to final output. Clear advice, without unnecessary complication.

Contact

Let’s talk about your site.

If you are unsure what level of landscape assessment your project requires, that is exactly the point where we add value. Share the details of your site and we will review them before recommending the most appropriate next step.

We respond within one working day. Where a proposal is required, we provide a fixed fee within three working days.

PDF, JPG or PNG. Max 10MB per file.

Enquiry received.

Thanks for getting in touch. We’ll be back to you within one working day.

Prefer to get in touch directly?

✉ hello@chalkeandbourne.co.uk
∘ Wiltshire, Hampshire & Dorset

Already a client?

Log in to the Client Portal to upload documents, access reports and communicate securely.

Log in to Client Portal →
Services

Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment

Understanding what landscape means for your planning application

An LVIA is required where landscape and visual effects are likely to be a material consideration in planning decision-making, including where Environmental Impact Assessment is triggered under the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations.

Its purpose is not to describe change in isolation, but to provide structured, proportionate professional judgement of landscape and visual effects in line with GLVIA3.

The value lies in clarity and defensibility: what is affected, how it is affected, and whether those effects are significant in planning terms.

When an LVIA is appropriate

An LVIA is typically required where proposals may give rise to landscape or visual effects that need structured assessment, including:

  • Schemes requiring Environmental Impact Assessment
  • Development within or close to designated landscapes
  • Proposals affecting sensitive views or recognised visual receptors
  • Residential, commercial or mixed-use development extending into rural or undeveloped land
  • Renewable energy and infrastructure proposals with wider visual influence
  • Outline applications where landscape parameters need to be defined and tested

Where requirements are unclear, we provide early advice on the appropriate level of assessment before commission, so scope is proportionate from the outset.

How we work

Every commission is personally led by Kevin Harrington CMLI MIEEM.

With over 25 years’ professional experience across landscape planning, development control and landscape management, the focus is on producing assessments that are proportionate, robust, and capable of withstanding planning scrutiny.

Work typically includes:

  • Site appraisal and field survey
  • Landscape character and baseline analysis
  • Viewpoint identification and visual receptor assessment
  • Assessment of landscape and visual sensitivity
  • Assessment of magnitude of change and significance of effects
  • Structured reporting in accordance with GLVIA3 principles

Scope, methodology and fee are confirmed in advance, with clear alignment to planning or EIA requirements.

What an LVIA delivers

A well-prepared LVIA should do three things clearly:

  • Establish a robust understanding of the existing landscape and visual baseline
  • Identify and describe the nature of change arising from the proposal
  • Provide a reasoned and transparent judgement of significance in planning terms

The emphasis is on structured reasoning rather than description, ensuring conclusions are traceable, proportionate and defensible.

Service levels

Technical Note

A focused, proportionate assessment of landscape and visual sensitivity to support early-stage discussions or minor development proposals.

Prepared using LVIA principles, scaled appropriately to context and likely effects.

Landscape Visual Appraisal

A proportionate landscape and visual assessment based on LVIA principles, used where full EIA-level reporting is not required.

Includes desk study, site visit, baseline analysis and reasoned professional judgement of likely effects.

LVIA (GLVIA3 Standard)

Full Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment prepared in accordance with GLVIA3 methodology, suitable for planning submission or appeal.

  • Field survey and baseline assessment
  • Landscape character and sensitivity evaluation
  • Viewpoint and visual receptor analysis
  • Magnitude of change and significance assessment

LVIA: EIA Chapter

Full LVIA prepared as part of an Environmental Statement, aligned with EIA Regulations and coordinated with the wider EIA team.

Includes cumulative effects where required and integration with multidisciplinary assessment inputs.

Example report

A standard LVIA example is available to demonstrate structure, methodology and level of detail. View the example to understand how assessments are structured and how conclusions are reached.

View example LVIA

Before you commission work

We confirm scope before any assessment begins.

If a full LVIA is not required, we will say so.

If a proportionate assessment is more appropriate, we will recommend it.

If we are not the right fit for the project, we will flag that early rather than proceed unnecessarily.

Send us your site information and we will confirm the appropriate level of landscape input and provide a fixed fee proposal.

About us

Founded on expertise.
Built on straight talking.

Kevin and Nicola Harrington

Kevin Harrington

CMLI MIEEM  ·  Chartered Landscape Architect  ·  Director

Kevin is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute and a Full Member of CIEEM, with more than 25 years’ experience in landscape planning, assessment and land management, including senior roles within local government such as Test Valley Borough Council.

That experience shapes his approach now, because it means he understands how landscape considerations actually function inside live planning systems where policy, constraint and interpretation all meet under time pressure rather than in isolation, and where decisions are ultimately tested rather than theorised.

His work spans residential development, public open space management, sports provision, SANG design, Biodiversity Net Gain and nitrate neutrality, but the common thread across all of it is not the subject matter itself. It is the consistency of judgement required to separate what is genuinely significant from what is not, and to communicate that clearly enough that it can be relied on in decision making.

He holds a Masters in Landscape Architecture with Distinction and has a published paper in the field.

LinkedIn →

Nicola Harrington

Director  ·  Operations & Client Experience

Nicola leads operations, delivery and client experience, bringing a background in programme and project management across government, national security and healthcare environments where clarity, sequencing and accountability are not optional but fundamental to how work progresses.

In practice, she ensures that projects move cleanly from first contact through to submission with the right information at the right time, and that communication remains consistent so clients always understand what stage things are at and what is needed next without having to chase or interpret.

Her role sits at the centre of delivery control, making sure technical work is supported by structure, timing and communication discipline so that nothing drifts, duplicates or loses focus along the way.

LinkedIn →

Luna, Office Mascot

Luna

Office Mascot  ·  Chief Morale Officer

Luna is responsible for morale, perimeter monitoring and informal environmental oversight.

Duties include squirrel surveillance, snack timing optimisation and site visit supervision where appropriate.

Engagement levels remain high. Formal qualifications pending.

She does not respond to emails, but may attend site visits if snacks are available.

Fees

Clear scope. Fixed fees.
No surprises.

Planning work should be understood properly before it begins rather than being discovered as it progresses, which is why all fees are fixed once scope has been agreed and confirmed, with the price quoted always representing the price paid.

How fees are set

Every project begins with a scoping review where we look at the site, understand the planning context, and confirm the appropriate level of landscape input required before any work is commissioned, so that scope, methodology and deliverables are aligned from the outset rather than adjusted mid process.

Fees are then determined by the real drivers of complexity, including the nature of the site, its sensitivity in landscape terms, the planning context, the level of assessment required, the number of viewpoints and visual receptors involved, and any programme constraints that affect delivery.

Once agreed, everything is confirmed upfront so there is no ambiguity later in the process.

Service Description Fee guide
Technical Note Landscape sensitivity appraisal for pre-application or minor development contexts where proportionate input is required From £950
Landscape Visual Appraisal Desk based and field informed assessment based on LVIA principles where full formal methodology is not required From £1,800
LVIA Full Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment prepared in accordance with GLVIA3 methodology, including structured assessment of sensitivity, magnitude and significance From £3,500
LVIA: EIA Chapter Full LVIA prepared as part of an Environmental Statement with supporting material and coordination input as required within the EIA process From £5,000

What you are paying for

You are not commissioning a report in isolation. You are commissioning professional judgement on what level of landscape assessment is appropriate for your proposal and what is genuinely required to support a planning decision in a way that is proportionate, defensible and aligned with policy expectations.

The value sits in ensuring the right amount of work is done at the right stage of the process for the right reason, so that effort is not wasted and decisions are supported rather than overcomplicated.

Before you commission work

Scope and fee are always confirmed before any work begins so expectations are clear on both sides, and if a full assessment is not required we will say so, just as we will recommend a more proportionate approach where that is appropriate, or advise early if we are not the right fit for the project so time is not spent in the wrong place.

Once we have your site information we will confirm the appropriate level of landscape input and provide a fixed fee proposal so you know exactly where things stand before anything is commissioned.