Local Landscape Designations

Category: Conservation Areas

Delivered by: Scottish Natural Heritage

Local landscape designations are a well-established and valued approach to protecting and guiding change in areas of particular landscape importance in Scotland. They can also play an important role at the local level in developing understanding and awareness of the landscape features and qualities that make particular areas distinctive and give communities a sense of place.

Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotland have now jointly published guidance to assist local authorities to refresh their approach to landscape designations. This guidance has been developed from a review of local landscape designations initiated in 2003. This review was supported by a working group comprising representatives from the Scottish Executive and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), together with a number of staff from a range of both rural and urban local authorities.