Landscape Character Assessment for Carmarthenshire approved for consultation by Cabinet

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet have today, 31 March 2025, approved a draft Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) Landscape Character Assessment for Carmarthenshire for formal public consultation.

The consultation will last for a minimum of 6 weeks and will give residents an opportunity to comment on its content.

The Landscape Character Assessment, for the first time, identifies the importance and special qualities of all landscapes across Carmarthenshire.  The Assessment, once adopted, will support the use of the policies of the emerging Revised Local Development Plan 2018-2033 in seeking to recognise, protect and enhance characteristics and visual sensitivities of the County’s high-quality landscapes as well as the importance of our built historic and natural environments. 

Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Community Cohesion and Planning Policy - Cllr Carys Jones said:

Through the Landscape Character Assessment, our intention as a County Council is to conserve and enhance the diverse and distinct landscapes and seascapes of Carmarthenshire and protect our valued landscapes from inappropriate developments.

Valued Landscape can apply to both designated and non-designated landscapes and, in this respect, this Landscape Character Assessment does not replace or remove existing statutory designations, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

It is our intention that future developments should seek to avoid or mitigate any adverse impacts on our landscape. This guidance can, therefore, be used to consider landscape character when considering any type of change - whether in the planning context or other policy areas such as land management, climate change, biodiversity and tourism.

I encourage all Carmarthenshire residents and businesses to have they say on the up-coming consultation in order for us to consider their views on the draft supplementary guidance.”

The publication of the draft SPG public consultation will be communicated by Carmarthenshire County Council in due course.