Gillespies wins coveted Landscape Institute Award for Planning and Assessment

We are thrilled to have scooped the Landscape Planning and Assessment award at this year’s Landscape Institute Awards for our ‘Shropshire Landscape and Visual Sensitivity Assessment’ project.

The awards, which this year celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Landscape Institute, recognise the transformative role the landscape profession has played in the UK and beyond, as well as the innovative ways in which landscape projects connect people, place and nature.

Shropshire’s landscape forms an integral part of the county’s economy, not only because of the farming industries it sustains but also because of the residents, tourists and investors it attracts. The importance of the County’s landscape is recognised as being part of the area’s special appeal, with the Shropshire Hills formally designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

To ensure that new housing and employment land development is directed to the most appropriate locations, Shropshire Council commissioned Gillespies to deliver a study to help ensure that future landscape changes were managed sustainably and in a way that's sympathetic to the landscape, allowing it to be maintained for future generations to enjoy.

Using a systemic assessment framework, our all women team delivered an evidence-based technical assessment that examined the sensitivity of the landscape and identified the areas which could potentially accommodate different thresholds of development without impacting key landscape and visual character and qualities. This study demonstrates how landscape professionals can help resolve strategic land use and planning questions, and contribute to resolving climate change issues.

A huge congratulations to our client Shropshire Council on this significant industry endorsement.