Somerset Landscape Character Assessment

Glossary and Data Sources

Glossary

Term	Definition
AOD	Above Ordnance Datum (sea level).
Agricultural Land Classification	The classification of agricultural land in England and Wales.
Ancient trees and veteran trees	Individual trees or groups of trees with wood pastures, historic parkland, hedgerows, orchards, park, and other areas. They are often found outside ancient woodlands. irreplaceable habitats with some or all of the following characteristics: Ancient trees: An ancient tree is exceptionably valuable. Attributes can include its great age, size, condition, biodiversity value (as a result of significant wood decay and the habitat created from the ageing process), cultural and heritage value. Veteran trees: A veteran tree may or may not be very old, but it has decay features, such as branch death and hollowing. These features contribute to its biodiversity, cultural and heritage value.
Ancient woodland	Woodland evidenced to have had continuous woodland cover since at least 1600 AD and has only been cleared for underwood or timber production. It is an extremely valuable ecological resource, with an exceptionally high diversity of flora and fauna.
Arable	Land used for growing crops.
Assessment parcel	Areas around settlements that have been selected to assess their sensitivity to residential and commercial development
Barrows	A large mound of earth or stones that are associated with the burial of human remains. Barrows can date back to the Neolithic period and are often surrounded by a ditch.
Biodiversity	The measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems.
Characteristic	A distinctive element of the landscape that contributes to landscape character for instance a particular hedgerow pattern or sense of tranquillity.
Coalescence	The loss of physical and visual separation of settlements (which contributes to individual settlement character and sense of place). It is important to note that the term coalescence used in this study does not relate to Green Belt which is a separate planning consideration.
Combe	A narrow valley or a small valley or hollow on the side of a hill.
Common/ common land	An area of open land for public use.
Condition	A judgement on the intactness and condition of the elements of the landscape.
Conservation Area	A designated area of special architectural or historic interest.
Coppice	An area of woodland in which the trees or shrubs are periodically cut back to ground level to stimulate growth and provide firewood or timber.
Copse	A small group of trees.
Dip slope	A topographic (geomorphic) surface which slopes in the same direction, and often by the same amount, as the true dip or apparent dip of the underlying strata.
Enclosure	The placing in private hands of land to which there was previously common rights; the merging of strip fields to form a block surrounded by hedges.
Goyle	A steep narrow valley, ravine or other depression.
Grassland	Land used for grazing. Grassland can be improved (by management practices) semi-improved (modified by management practices and have a range of species less diverse than unimproved grasslands), or unimproved (not treated with fertiliser, herbicide or intensively grazed and consequently species diversity is high).
Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC)	Historic Landscape Characterisation is a method of identification and interpretation of the varying historic character within an area that looks beyond individual heritage assets as it brigades understanding of the whole landscape and townscape into repeating HLC Types.
Holloway	An ancient type of sunken path or lane, often found in rural landscapes.
IBA	Important Bird Area.
Landscape	The European Landscape Convention (a Council of Europe not EU instrument) defines landscapes as: 'an area perceived by people whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors'
Landscape character	A distinct pattern or combination of elements that occurs consistently in a particular landscape.
Landscape character area (LCA)	A unique geographic area with a consistent character and identity, which forms part of a landscape character type.
Landscape character type (LCT)	A generic term for landscape with a consistent, homogeneous character. Landscape character types may occur in different parts of the county, but wherever they occur, they will share common combinations of geology, topography, vegetation, or human influences.
Listed Building	A building, object or structure that has been judged to be of national importance in terms of architectural or historic interest.
LNR	Local Nature Reserve.
LWS	Local Wildlife Site
Lynchet	Ancient field patterns comprising earth terraces sloping agricultural land, arising from long term agricultural use. Also known as strip lynchets.
Medieval	Relating to the Middle Ages
Mitigation	Measures which are proposed to prevent, reduce or offset adverse effects.
National Character Area (NCA)	National Character Area - defined within the National Character Area Study, Natural England (2013) - NCAs divide England into 159 distinct natural areas. Each is defined by a unique combination of landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity, history, and cultural and economic activity.
NCN	National Cycle Network.
NNR	National Nature Reserve.
Pastoral	Land used for grazing livestock, typically sheep or cattle.
PRoW	Public Right of Way.
Ramsar Site	A wetland that has been designated as being of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Rhines/Rhynes	Drainage ditches typically found in wetland areas an early method of draining wet, marshy land in order to use it for pasture.
Riparian	Relating to the wetlands and banks adjacent to rivers and streams.
RPG	Registered Park and Garden.
SAC	Special Area of Conservation (EC Directive 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive).
Scheduled Monument	Nationally important archaeological sites or historic buildings, given protection against unauthorised change.
Sensitivity	A judgement of how sensitive or vulnerable a landscape component is to change.
SPA	Special Protection Area (EC Directive 2009/147/EC on the Conservation of Wild Birds).
SSSI	Site of Special Scientific Interest.
SUDs	Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems. Systems which manage stormwater by mimicking natural drainage.
Swaling	Planned and controlled heather burning undertaken in winter.
Time depth	The time period expressed in the landscape, or the extent to which the landscape reflects a certain time period (a landscape with greater time depth will comprise older elements than a landscape with lesser time depth).
Topography	Combinations of slope and elevation that produce the shape and form of the land surface.
Vale	A vale is a type of valley; a low-lying area between hills that often contains a river.
Vernacular	Buildings constructed in the local style, from local materials. Concerned with ordinary rather than monumental buildings.
Visually prominent	Conspicuous or readily noticeable
Withy beds	An area where willow is grown for coppicing.
Term	Definition

Data Sources

GIS Data

Mapping

Name	Source
Aerial Imagery	ESRI
Topography	ESRI
OS 25k	Somerset Council
OS 50k	Somerset Council

Administrative Boundaries

Name	Source
Local authority boundary	OS boundary line

Landscape Character and Designated Landscapes

Name	Source
National Character Areas	Natural England
National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty)	Natural England
Taunton Deane Landscape Character Assessment (2011)	Somerset Council
Sedgemoor Landscape Character Assessment (2003)	Somerset Council
Mendip District Landscape Character Assessment (2020)	Somerset Council

Natural Heritage

Name	Source
Ramsar / Proposed Ramsar	Natural England
SPA	Natural England
SAC	Natural England
SSSI	Natural England
NNR	Natural England
LNR	Natural England
Ancient woodland inventory	Natural England
Priority habitats	Natural England
National Forestry Inventory	Forestry Commission
Important Bird Areas	RSPB
Local Wildlife Sites	Somerset Council
Local Geological Sites	Somerset Council

Historic Environment

Name	Source
Listed Buildings	Historic England
Scheduled Monuments	Historic England
Registered Parks and Gardens	Historic England
Registered Battlefields	Historic England
Heritage at Risk	Historic England
Conservation Areas	Somerset Council
Somerset and Exmoor Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) (2013)	Archaeology Data Service

Access and recreation

Name	Source
National Cycle Network	Sustrans
National Trails	Natural England
Open Access Land	Natural England

Dark Skies and Tranquillity

Name	Source
Light pollution	CPRE
Tranquillity	CPRE

Planning

Name	Source
Settlement boundaries	Somerset Council
Consented and committed sites	Somerset Council

Agriculture

Name	Source
Agricultural Land Classification	Natural England
Corine landcover 2018	European Environment Agency

Water resources/hydrology

Name	Source
Flood Zones 2 and 3	Environment Agency

Other sources of information

Topography, geology and drainage

UK Soil Observatory, Soilscapes for England and Wales (National Soils Resources Institute), https://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/ukso/home.html

Existing landscape character assessments and related studies

Mendip Landscape Character Assessment (2020), Macgregor Smith.
Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme, Landscape Character Assessment (2019), Cookson & Tickner Landscape Architecture.
Taunton Deane Landscape Character Assessment (2011), Taunton Deane Borough Council.
Sedgemoor Landscape Assessment and Countryside Design Summary (2003), Sedgemoor District Council.
West Somerset Landscape Character Assessment (1999), WS Atkins.
South Somerset Landscape Character Assessment (1993), South Somerset Planning Environment Unit, South Somerset District Council.

Adjacent Landscape Character Assessments

Bath and North East Somerset Landscape Character Assessment (2021), LUC.
East Devon and Blackdown Hills Landscape Character Assessment (2019), Fiona Fyfe Associates with Countryscape & Robin Lines Landscape.
Exmoor National Park Landscape Character Assessment (2018), Fiona Fyfe Associates with Countryscape, Alison Farmer Associates and Douglas Mitcham.
Devon Landscape Character Assessment (2017), Devon County Council and DLPG.
Dorset Landscape Character Assessment (2008), Diacono Associates.
Wiltshire Landscape Character Assessment (2005), Land Use Consultants.

National Parks and National Landscapes

Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2019-2024, Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership.
Blackdown Hills National Landscape Management Plan 2025-2030 (January 2025 consultation draft), Blackdown Hills National Landscape Partnership.
Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership Plan 2019-2024, Cranborne Chase AONB Partnership.
Cranborne Chase National Landscape Management Plan 2025-2030 (January 2025 consultation draft), Cranborne Chase National Landscape Partnership.
Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2019-2024, Dorset AONB Partnership.
Exmoor National Park Partnership Plan 2018-2023, Exmoor National Park Authority.
Exmoor National Park Partnership Plan 2025-2030 (January 2025 consultation draft), Exmoor National Park Authority.
Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2019-2024, Mendip Hills AONB Partnership.
Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Plan 2019-2024, Quantock Hills Joint Advisory Committee.