Southampton Docks, Southampton, Hampshire

HED was appointed to provide the Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment for the Environmental Statement prepared by Associated British Ports (ABP) for the Proposed Expansion of the Port of Southampton. The study area was a 15km square zone centred on the new quay wall works to the deepened berths and the installation of 8 new cranes.

The visual influence of the Port extends beyond the Site as the quayside cranes of the Container Terminal are visible in the wider landscape. Beyond the Site the study area was a complex landscape and townscape surrounded by the New Forest National Park to the south and west, and the wider conurbation of Southampton to the north and east.

The New Forest is a nationally significant landscape protected for its natural beauty, whilst much of Southampton’s character and importance is derived from the nationally significant Port.