Manor Farm, Yarlington

The Newt in Somerset needed to replace outdated farm buildings with a modern agricultural facility whilst maintaining landscape character and delivering biodiversity improvements. Nicholas Pearson Associates was commissioned to provide comprehensive environmental design services including landscape architecture, ecology and visualisation expertise to help the client achieve planning consent for this sensitive rural development.

Working alongside Invisible Studio, Simon Bastone Associates, and AZ Urban Studio, we provided multi-disciplinary environmental design input from pre-application through planning approval. The project involved replacing unfit agricultural buildings with a new modern facility on an 8-hectare site, whilst delivering landscape restoration and +10% biodiversity net gain.

Landscape and Visual Sensitivity Challenges

A particular challenge for the project was integrating contemporary agricultural requirements within a sensitive landscape dominated by the prominent Yarlington Sleights scarp slope. The question of how to integrate modern farming infrastructure with this sensitive topographical setting, where multiple public footpaths, including the Monarch’s Way recreational route, provide views across the site toward distant Cadbury Castle, required an holistic environmental design approach.

The site’s location presented multiple environmental constraints requiring careful design consideration. Existing trees and a watercourse added complexity to the layout planning, whilst the proximity to public rights of way meant visual impact assessment was important  for stakeholder understanding of the effects of the proposals. We needed to demonstrate how the new facility would successfully integrate with the established landscape character.

Our Integrated Environmental Design Approach

We supported the project team from project inception with a comprehensive suite of services combining landscape architecture, ecological assessment, and visual impact analysis. Important, early inputs informed design decisions that would determine the project’s planning success. This early involvement included providing advice on landscape and visual matters to guide the site layout, Detailed ecological surveys and habitat assessment enabled an understanding of existing site biodiversity and identified opportunities for enhancement. This ecological baseline informed both site layout decisions and the landscape proposals for the project.

We undertook preliminary cut and fill calculations to guide decisions for landform proposals . The landscape design proposals incorporated the reuse of excavated materials, demonstrating sustainable construction practices while creating sensitive landforms that provided landscape and visual integration.

What emerged through this process was the importance of multi-functional green infrastructure design. Our ecological expertise enabled landscape proposals that served both visual mitigation and biodiversity enhancement purposes, delivering measurable environmental benefits alongside agricultural functionality.

Environmental Design Solutions for Agricultural Development

Our landscape and visual impact assessment provided the technical foundation for demonstrating that landscape and visual effects had been considered and mitigated , including with respect to views from public viewpoints. These effects were evidenced through our verified view montages showing how the proposed development would appear to users of the public rights of way, including views toward the prominent scarp slope feature.

The landscape design methodology focused on creating context-sensitive proposals that reflected the site’s rural landscape character whilst enhancing ecological value. We specified native plant species and habitat creation measures that would deliver the required biodiversity net gain whilst integrating the new buildings within the established field pattern and hedgerow structure.

We prepared a Landscape and Ecological Management Plan setting out long-term management requirements for both the landscape restoration areas and biodiversity enhancement features. This technical document demonstrated how the environmental benefits would be maintained and monitored over time, providing planning officers with confidence in the project’s environmental credentials.

The integration of landscape, ecological and visual assessment expertise enabled design solutions that addressed multiple environmental objectives simultaneously, creating development proposals that positively contributed to both agricultural productivity and natural ecosystem health.

Stakeholder Engagement Through Visual Communication

Our verified view montages were a valuable tool for pre-application consultation with Somerset Council, enabling constructive and productive discussions about preliminary proposals. The visual materials helped planning officers understand how design modifications had minimised adverse visual effects whilst maintaining operational requirements for modern agricultural practice.

Public consultation with local residents and parish council benefited from clear visual communication of the proposed changes. The montages demonstrated how landscape restoration of the existing building areas would improve the overall site appearance, whilst showing how the new facility would integrate sensitively with the landscape.

Somerset Council’s positive pre-application feedback reflected confidence in our technical approach and evidence of the visual effects. The combination of professional landscape and visual impact assessment methodology with accessible visual communication materials facilitated informed decision-making by Somerset Council.

Existing View and Proposed VVM Illustrating the Proposed Landscape Restoration

Successful Planning Consent Through Environmental Excellence

The comprehensive environmental design approach contributed directly to successful planning consent for this agricultural development. Our integrated landscape, ecological and visualisation expertise enabled a sensitive approach to the design proposals that will provide for a an improved livestock management facility well integrated into the landscape.

The planning consent validates our multi-disciplinary approach to rural development projects, demonstrating how early environmental design input can identify opportunities and constraints that inform iterative design improvement. The achievement of +10% biodiversity net gain alongside visual impact mitigation shows how environmental design can deliver multiple benefits.

This project demonstrates how collaborative environmental design expertise can secure planning approval for necessary agricultural infrastructure whilst positively contributing to landscape character and biodiversity.

Please contact us to discuss how our team can help you with your next project.