Boffa Miskell Ltd | Waihi North Project | Landscape and Visual Effects | 13 PART B: Landscape and Visual Effects 5.0 Introduction Landscape, natural character and visual assessments are separate, although linked, procedures. The existing landscape and its existing natural character and visual context all contribute to the existing ‘baseline’ for these assessments and include an understanding of the permitted development anticipated by the District Plan. The assessment of potential effects on landscape is carried out as an effect on an environmental resource, i.e. effects on physical landscape features and effects on landscape character. Effects on natural character consider any changes in existing condition. Visual effects are assessed as one of the interrelated effects on people. The nature of effects can be summarised as follows: • Landscape Effects: Changes in a landscape’s physical attributes and implications of changes on the landscape’s values. • Natural Character Effects: Derived from changes to biophysical condition of existing waterbodies and how these are experienced. • Visual Effects: Relating to the changes that arise in the composition of available views as a result of changes to the landscape values and to the overall effects with respect to visual amenity. The landscape, natural character and visual assessments have been undertaken concurrently during the design of the project. The findings from these assessments has therefore influenced the nature and form of the proposed landscape mitigation and its subsequent rehabilitation to avoid, remedy or mitigate potential adverse effects. In short, this assessment considers the actual and potential landscape effects of the project in terms of the existing site characteristics and wider landscape and natural character context, together with visual effects that are likely to be experienced from people living, working or moving through surrounding areas. 5.1 Assessment of Effects The findings of this assessment are set out in Sections 6.0 to 11.0 with a full methodology describing the natural character, landscape and visual assessment method set out in Appendix 1. The findings of this assessment adopt the seven-point scale between Very Low and Very High as endorsed by the NZILA to determine the overall level of effect: 5.1.1 Landscape Effects To assess the level and nature of physical effects associated with the project, the assessment has considered the values and sensitivity of the physical landscape features undergoing change together with the magnitude of change proposed. For this project, this may include changes to the landform and vegetation disrupted by mining activity, as well as associated changes to existing landscape characteristics and identified values. Assessing landscape character effects provides judgement of the level and nature of changes to the existing landscape character and values. This includes consideration of the specific landscape attributes encompassing biophysical, sensory and associative dimensions, depending on the location of the development proposed and the extent to which this will
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