A Manual for Evaluating the Visual Impact of Pumped Hydro Energy Storage

Landscape and Visual Impact Analysis

Inspiration

Tasmania’s landscape is highly diverse and noteworthy for its spectacular beauty. Hydro Tasmania is investigating sizable infrastructure development in some of Tasmania’s more scenic landscapes with the potential for significant visual impacts. In response, Hydro sought guidance about how to use best practice landscape analysis to inform their activities and to promote trust in the veracity of their impact assessments to the public.

Outcomes

The Manual draws on the work of Inspiring Place over 20+ years evaluating landscape character, scenic quality and the potential visual impact of development in multiple situations including highways, energy (wind and hydro), telecommunications, housing and tourism.  As part of the project, Inspiring Place conducted a two-day workshop informing Hydro staff of the science behind scenic analysis.  The workshop led to an understanding of the rigour required and the need for landscape specialists to bring their experience in a range of settings to the project.

The resulting Manual is a document that provides Hydro with a first-pass tool to evaluate the potential impact of their developments that is professionally valid, relevant to their corporate mission and replicable by others.  The Manual is clearly articulated using plain English and Tasmanian examples to explain the complex theory of landscape analysis and management. Hydro now have the tool that they need to better manage the impact of their work on Tasmania’s stunning scenery.

Recognition

2021 Award of Excellence in Landscape Planning, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (Tasmania).

The Manual “demonstrates leadership in landscape planning and visual impact assessment” and has the “significant potential for use by ... other infrastructure bodies ... across Australia”. (AILA Awards Jury).