KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CURRENT APPROACH
Four key principles are central to the understanding and appropriate use of Landscape Character Assessment. They are:

the emphasis placed on landscape character;

the division between the process of characterisation and the making of
judgements to inform decisions;

the roles for both objectivity and subjectivity in the process;

the potential for application at different scales.

Emphasis on landscape character
Landscape Character Assessment is concerned primarily with landscape character, rather than with landscape quality or value. These latter factors are nevertheless still relevant when a Landscape Character Assessment is used to inform decisions, when judgements must be made about the implications of an assessment. An understanding of the concept of character is therefore vital. Landscape character (see Box 2.1 for relationship to other terms) is defined as a distinct and recognisable pattern of elements that occur consistently in a particular type of landscape. Particular combinations of geology, landform, soils, vegetation, land use, field patterns and human settlement create character. Character makes each part of the landscape distinct, and gives each its particular sense of place. Whether we value certain landscapes for their distinctiveness, or for other reasons, is a separate question.

Exploring and understanding the landscape character of any area requires systematic investigation of the many different factors that have helped to create and influence that location. They include geology and landform, the natural attributes of soils and the vegetation associated with them, and both the historical and current influences of human land use and settlement. The interactions between all these factors create the character of the landscape.