Somerset Landscape Character Assessment

Classification is concerned with dividing the landscape into areas of distinct, recognisable, and consistent common character and grouping areas of similar character together.

Landscape Character Types (LCTs) share broadly similar patterns of geology, topography, vegetation, and human influences in each area in which they occur. Although not identical they share a common pattern of elements. Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) divide LCTs into geographically specific character areas. These share generic characteristics with other areas of the same type but may have their own particular identity or ‘sense of place’.

The classification has been undertaken at a scale of 1:50,000. It nests broadly within the National Character Areas (NCAs), but is at a local scale and mapped to a finer level of detail. Mapped information was overlaid in GIS to identify areas of common character. In particular, information about geology, soils, landform, hydrology, land cover, land use, field patterns, settlement pattern, time depth and existing character assessments (including within adjoining local authority areas) informed the classification. It is important to note that boundaries between one LCT (or LCA) and the next are transitional and there is rarely a clear-cut change ‘on the ground’.

The Landscape Character Assessment comprises 26 LCTs, of which 15 are further divided into geographically specific LCAs. The classification is set out in the table below and their boundaries are shown on the Interactive Map.