Tool summary

Name of the tool
Seascape Assessment

Description of the tool
Designed to assist policy formulation, decision making and project inception along the coast and in the sea, Seascape Assessment is a method for considering seascapes, using a process of visual characterisation. It draws on well-established methods for landscapes assessment in Britain and Ireland and modifies them to suit the different environment of the coastline and sea - the 'seascapes'. It does not replace existing landscape assessment methods, but provides the additional dimensions required where coastline and marine components need to be considered as well.

Assessing seascapes can be very useful when planning and designing in the coastal zone. The method shows how particular areas of sea, coastline and land can be related visually and defined as a single unit on a plan, and then be characterised as a single seascape. As with the landscape, characterisation can provide a rigorous and transparent baseline of information and analysis on which to develop spatial planning policies, scenic designations, design guidelines, impact assessments, and to inform decision-makers in development control situations.

Specific topic
The assessment of seascape

Sector/s of use

Waste	Energy	Water	Transport	Green/Blue	Building & Land use
0	1	1	1	1	1

M - main sector, 1 - sub sector and 0 - n/a

Scale of applications

Component	Building	Neighbourhood	City	Region
0	0	1	0	0