Do you need winter photography for your development?

Last August, the Landscape Institute issued advice regarding winter photography “Regarding seasonal constraints, it is within the competence of a landscape professional to be able to describe how the landscape and views would vary with the seasons, and to take account of these changes in their assessment.”

And whilst local authorities may no longer insist on winter photography, we may still recommend that this is undertaken in order to build a robust evidence base.

Essentially, the GLVIA3 says you have to assess ‘worst case’ scenario, which means getting winter photography if project timeframes allow. Not including it leaves developers open to huge criticism and makes the LVIA weak and easier to dismiss.

Savvy developers instruct us to take winter photography before the project kicks off. We know we might not get all the viewpoints (the Council might raise more later) but it’s much better than nothing. Ideally, it needs to be done before the end of Feb, but in some cases, you can still get results until the end of March depending on the latitude

Winter photography guarantees the worst-case scenario and is assessed from the most sensitive locations, in keeping with Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (GLVIA3)–which establishes best practice with completed Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIAs).

Changing outdoor elements can vastly impact the impression of a development scheme. What may seem harmonious during summer, where greenery can alter lighting (and provide natural cover), may raise complaints in the harsh light of winter, as trees are stripped of their leaves – exposing more of the development.

Winter photography ensures the strongest case for your site. Without it, it’s difficult to know how your development will impact the views.

Winter photography is often required to support technical and complicated reports such as Landscape Visual Impact Assessments (LVIA), Appraisals, and Environment Impact Assessments (EIA). These assessments help decision-makers determine the effects of a proposal and whether to accept or reject any applications.

In some cases, winter photography is requested by the Council, to make the worst-case visual scenarios for the site more apparent.

It’s also possible to complete winter photography for upcoming projects before most of the work begins. Having the images on file allows for fewer disruptions once works are underway.

Best-practice winter photography should:

• Tell a story and capture the full extent of the site, clearly showing the effect the development will have on the view. Sometimes, it might be worth including additional photographs that don’t show the site, giving context by displaying the surrounding features, like intervening cover on a footpath.
• Ensure the foreground doesn’t block the site unless it’s to demonstrate context.
• Meet the technical guidance, Landscape Institute TGN 06/19 Visual Representation of Development Proposals.

Your chosen photographer should also have used public viewpoint locations in line with GLVIA3, as well as public viewpoints on private land, such as National Trust locations and Scheduled Ancient Monuments.