03 Delivering Fitting Landscapes
03 Delivering Fitting Landscapes
Transport projects cover a wide range of sizes, types and complexities and require good communications to support design coordination and the delivery of effective solutions. Early engagement of design teams and external stakeholders is vital in establishing from the outset a process of partnership between the relevant parties.
Lessons learnt from past experience highlight that the best and most sustainable solutions involve collaborative inputs across disciplines:
- The design of transport corridors should promote close, multi-disciplinary working based on balanced decision-making and clear objectives;
- As well as delivering environmental and landscape mitigation, landscape architects have a key role in creating places that represent high quality integrated design: this requires considered input at all stages of planning, design and implementation.
Continuous improvement can be ensured by embracing best practice, the adoption of lessons learnt and better design team communication. The following considerations are important in this regard:
- all members of the design team are to be involved in setting land requirements and making recommendations on Compulsory Purchase Order and Land Made Available boundaries;
- active travel opportunities and facilitating connections of path, cycleway and other non-motorised user provision is considered and committed to early in the design process;
- landscape design shall inform the planning and design of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) and drainage outfalls to secure integrated solutions;
- design integration is required around the planning and detailing of structures and other built elements to ensure successful projects;
- green and blue infrastructure development needs to be addressed through consultation and shall incorporate relevant national and local biodiversity targets.
Promoting engagement and consultation
Statutory consultees and other specialist organisations have a key role in contributing to and informing the design process. Quality design is best secured through an informed process that openly addresses a breadth of issues and secures balanced solutions. The following considerations are important in this regard:
- a consultation strategy is established at the outset of the design process for engagement with all consultees;
- design team engages with statutory and relevant non-statutory consultees on project specific and detailed objectives early in the process;
- design teams are encouraged to take full advantage of the best practice expertise and local officer knowledge to inform the design process;
- designing to reflect end users' needs and interests can only be understood through effective consultation.
Strengthening the integration of maintenance and management
The policy gives the same importance to maintenance and management as to design and implementation. Sustainable design requires collaboration between design professionals, route operators and maintenance managers. An informed process will help to clarify established management regimes and the scope for developing design solutions that accommodate practical and effective future maintenance and management regimes.
The following considerations are important in this regard:
- landscape plans specifically shall include landscape and habitat protection measures defining restricted work areas and measures to safeguard landscape features, habitats and trees;
- innovation takes account of future maintenance requirements to ensure sustainable measures are agreed with maintenance bodies;
- early consultation with management officers to clarify current regimes and future management arrangements;
- The use of geographical information systems to enable efficient, targeted maintenance and management operations.
Guidance on project implementation
An active approach to design, engagement and management at all stages of a project, including monitoring, should be encouraged. Good design should be an inclusive, iterative and informed process with opportunity taken at every stage to create bespoke solutions that address the policy aims and project specific objectives. Consultation is an important element of the process.
There are several important stages in the development of transport landscapes. These were identified in the original policy document and are set out in the following project stages.
1. Understand the context and set objectives
2. Develop conceptual solutions
3. Detailed design and specification
4. Project implementation
5. Maintenance and management
It should be noted that not all stages may apply to a specific transport project.
19 A1 Expressway, River Tyne Crossing: a bridge and landscape design responding to its context
Fitting Landscapes strongly promotes the role of design in securing more sustainable outcomes
1. Understand the context and set objectives
It is critical to fully understand the landscape setting and environmental context of the project, as well as understand its purpose and functional requirements, to establish potential constraints and opportunities and help set out project specific objectives
Project requirements should be considered through understanding of the site and the project's key functional objectives, including how the site has developed; the current character of its setting; how and why it may change in future. This includes:
- Past history, present development context and potential for future changes;
- Stakeholder consultation and engagement to gain better understanding of context and issues affecting design information and requirements in setting objectives;
- Survey information including existing topography, geology, soils, ecology, landscape elements, features, character and condition;
- Information on legal and planning obligations, protected areas and species and other potential sensitivities including potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts;
- Review of the project including key objectives, functional requirements, potential physical, safety and legal constraints and potential opportunities for fulfilling the key policy aims.
The specific landscape objectives for a project should 'adapt' the four key policy aims (ensure high quality of design and place; enhance and protect natural heritage; use resources wisely and build in adaptability to change) to the specific characteristics of the site.
2. Develop conceptual solutions
The key foundation for design is to develop a clear and strong landscape vision for the project which captures the spirit and intent of the proposals, bringing together and communicating the main project objectives and options.
The development of conceptual solutions is an important creative stage and key opportunity to capture ideas and influence other members of the design team. It is also the point at which many potential adverse impacts can be identified and addressed, with the opportunity to integrate different design elements, secure balanced solutions and avoid impacts at source. Conceptual solutions should be developed and alternatives tested against the landscape, environmental and functional objectives of the project. Those which best fulfil the objectives are taken forward to the detailed design stage.
Landscape and other environmental professionals should work closely together with the engineering design team in order to fully understand the functional requirements of the project and develop integrated solutions. Design engagement and consultation is an important part of the process of developing and testing conceptual solutions. A further key requirement is an assessment of the practical, shorter and longer term environmental and operational implications of the project, including those relating to maintenance and management. This is particularly important in protecting and enhancing natural heritage interests associated with landform, geodiversity, sustainable drainage systems, boundary treatments, habitat protection measures and integration of active travel.
Conceptual solutions should capitalise on integrating project requirements and existing landscape and environmental characteristics; seek to maximise the potential for landscape and biodiversity benefits; consider ways of minimising resource use and be accommodating of potential future change.
3. Detailed design and specification
Design and specification adds practical detail to the initial conceptual solution, creating the design and/or management proposals that will ultimately be implemented.
The project outcomes are realised through development of conceptual proposals into design details and a specification that addresses the practicalities of implementation and/or maintenance and management. Designers may use established design details and specification standards but these should not stifle the potential for design innovation. This stage should fully test, and if necessary revisit, the initial conceptual solutions, and consider alternatives to their implementation. Where potential adverse impacts are unavoidable, detailed project specific design may significantly mitigate or offset the level of impact.
A detailed knowledge of the site and the project functional requirements is essential as well as an understanding of the specified materials and processes. Environmental professionals should consider the future consequences of detailed design and management decisions for landscape and natural heritage and for future maintenance and management inputs. As with the previous stage, it is important to continue with consultation and testing of ideas.
Project documentation should be sufficiently detailed to guide implementation. Nevertheless, requirements should be flexible enough to allow scope for regular and meaningful review of both design and specification, including the potential to adopt opportunities that arise during the works.
4. Project implementation
It is fundamental to the policy that implementation is carefully monitored to ensure that the aims and objectives embedded in the landscape design are realised. This includes the delivery of all committed mitigation. Unexpected issues can often arise which present problems or opportunities and may lead to improved solutions.
Discovering unexpected issues and overcoming practical problems during implementation should be used as an opportunity to maximise landscape and natural heritage benefits through the development of alternative solutions. Contractual and regulatory obligations will still be required to be satisfied but the potential for alternative, creative solutions should be promoted wherever possible.
The exploitation of opportunities requires regular monitoring of implementation by the landscape professional. This is helped by ensuring a clear understanding of the project objectives by other project professionals and supported by good communication.
5. Maintenance and management
The maintenance and management requirements of the project may be a final project consideration, or the sole consideration for an existing scheme. In all cases there are implications for sustainability, quality and environmental objectives.
Design awareness of future maintenance regimes strongly influences project success and sustainability. Impracticable and inappropriate design solutions can generate adverse consequences and early failure.
Maintenance and management activities should be reviewed and wherever possible inputs should be minimised. Design strategies and management regimes should be adapted to achieve outcomes that are as close to a self-sustaining dynamic equilibrium as possible. Consultation with the relevant operating and management team will be important and future arrangements for maintenance and management should be clearly defined and concluded early in the design process.
The developing landscape requires ongoing monitoring and assessment by the environmental professionals. Opportunities that achieve enhanced landscape and natural heritage outcomes should be exploited.
Promoting an iterative review process
Continuous review is a crucial part of a succesful process, especially one where the effects of time can have a significant impact. The review process should draw lessons from project implementation and management and introduce change where appropriate to improve future outcomes. The review process will be led by Transport Scotland and include consultation and engagement with key stakeholders as appropriate.
Illustrative objectives have been included in Section 04 and are supported by a series of suggested mechanisms. These mechanisms provide additional detail to guide project design and establish a useful basis against which to review project delivery and assess how effectively and successfully the project has been delivered.
20 A85 Loch Awe, below Ben Cruachan: decking allows the steep wooded slopes above to be reatained intact
21 A82 Lairig Eilde Bridge. Detailed design and specification was required to respond to the dramatic location.
22 A7 Auchenrivock: Use of local walling materials and integration of landforms
23 Low productivity grassland can reduce verge maintenance inputs
The implementation and delivery of the policy will be monitored and evaluated by Transport Scotland through a range of mechanisms that include regular review through the existing design and management evaluation process. All designers and managers will be required to demonstrate the application of the policy within Transport Scotland appointments and contracts. Good practice and lessons learnt will be shared with designers and managers through Transport Scotland's Landscape Unit and in joint workshops and conferences with Scottish Natural Heritage and other agencies (see section 06).
24 The Forth Replacement Crossing is a project which will provide many future lessons for the Fitting Landscapes policy.
Transport Scotland requires monitoring and evaluation of the policy implementation and encourages the sharing of lessons learned through knowledge transfer
25 Glenfinnan railway viaduct, West Highland Railway.