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Chartered Landscape Architecture
our practice
Robinson CLA is a chartered landscape architecture practice specializing in the intersection where protected landscapes meet cultural heritage.
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Based on the boundary of the Peak District National Park, we've spent 25 years navigating the most challenging planning environments in England—where projects face overlapping scrutiny across landscape character, heritage significance, and biodiversity requirements.
We don't just document impacts. We coordinate evidence across three planning frameworks—LVIA, heritage setting assessment, and Biodiversity Net Gain—ensuring landscape mitigation addresses all three simultaneously.
Our clients choose us when planning success depends on integrated assessment, not disconnected consultancy.
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Chartered Member Landscape Institute (CMLI)
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+25years Experience
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Peak District National Park Expertise
where the work matters most
The intersection of natural grandeur and cultural depth—that's where landscape and heritage expertise makes the greatest difference.
Robinson CLA exists to serve projects at that intersection.
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Contemporary dwellings in National Parks requiring Para 79 landscape strategies. Listed Building conversions where heritage setting meets habitat creation. Residential schemes in Conservation Areas needing coordinated LVIA and BNG evidence.
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Projects where getting landscape right unlocks planning consent—and getting it wrong means refusal.
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We established the practice in 2011 after progressing through design-focused studios, national infrastructure projects, and multi-disciplinary environmental planning where we cut our teeth on LVIA and Environmental Impact Assessment.
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25 years working across diverse practice types—sole practitioners with strong design ethos, national architectural practices delivering PFI infrastructure, multi-disciplinary environments collaborating with ecologists and arborists on major masterplans—gave us the breadth to integrate landscape design, heritage assessment, and biodiversity strategy as one coordinated approach.
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The practice naturally gravitated toward protected landscapes and heritage contexts. Our Peak District location meant projects found us—developments requiring rigorous LVIA in National Park settings, Listed Buildings needing heritage-sensitive landscape strategies, schemes where landscape and cultural significance intersected.
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I reached a realization: the work that mattered most, the projects where landscape and heritage expertise made the greatest difference, sat at the precise intersection of natural grandeur and cultural depth.
our approach
Early Engagement, Not Retrofitting
We're appointed at RIBA Stage 0-1 to shape design from inception. Landscape character, heritage setting significance, and biodiversity inform concept design before costly commitments are made.
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Appointing us after design is fixed means we're documenting rather than shaping—and risks discovering issues requiring costly redesign.
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Landscape-Led Integration
As landscape architects, we're uniquely positioned to coordinate evidence across LVIA, heritage, and BNG. Our landscape design work naturally connects visual impact, heritage setting, and habitat creation.
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Working alongside your heritage specialist, ecologist, and arborist, we ensure mitigation strategies reinforce rather than conflict. Planning officers receive coordinated evidence, not disconnected reports they must reconcile.
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Protected Landscape Specialism
Practice based on the Peak District boundary means we understand National Park special qualities, Section 62 statutory duty, and how heightened scrutiny shapes assessment requirements.
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✅ 25+ years navigating National Park and heritage planning taught us what planning officers expect: assessment that responds to the intrinsic landscape special qualities, not generic methodology applied everywhere.
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Evidence That Withstands Scrutiny
Our submissions are structured for planning officer confidence and statutory consultee review. Clear impact conclusions. Coordinated mitigation. Evidence that supports consent recommendations.
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LVIA methodology aligned with GLVIA3. Heritage assessment following Historic England guidance. BNG plans that demonstrate measurable enhancement through Metric 4.0.
our experience
Core Expertise
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Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment
25+ years navigating National Park and AONB planning. Viewpoint methodology, landscape character assessment, cumulative impact analysis. LVIA for residential, tourism, commercial, and renewable energy projects.
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Heritage Setting Assessment
Coordinated assessment showing how development affects Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Registered Parks & Gardens. Heritage-sensitive design informed by significance evaluation.
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Biodiversity Net Gain
Habitat creation strategies, BNG plans coordinated with ecologists, 30-year Landscape & Ecological Management Plans. Metric 4.0 understanding ensuring landscape design delivers measurable enhancement.
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Para 79 Country Houses
Experience with Para 79 applications in protected landscapes and heritage contexts. Landscape strategies demonstrating exceptional design quality and setting enhancement.
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Condition Discharge
Detailed landscape masterplans, planting specifications, LEMP discharge, hard landscape detailing. Ensuring approved mitigation translates to on-ground delivery.
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Sector Experience
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Residential Development: Single dwellings to major housing schemes requiring integrated LVIA, heritage, and BNG assessment
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Heritage Assets: Listed Building conversions, historic estates, Conservation Area development
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Tourism & Recreation: Visitor centres, holiday accommodation, outdoor recreation facilities in National Parks
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Commercial & Energy: Renewable energy projects, commercial schemes requiring EIA landscape chapters
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Garden Design: Country house gardens, historic parkland restoration, estate grounds
Professional Practice
Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute since 2011. Professional indemnity insurance. Extensive experience working within multi-disciplinary teams—architects, engineers, planners, ecologists, arborists, main contractors. Design & Build consultancy. Masterplanning and strategic landscape frameworks.
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✅ Established track record securing planning consents in protected landscapes, heritage contexts, and challenging planning environments.
our commitment
Quality Without Apology
We produce evidence that withstands scrutiny. LVIA methodology that satisfies Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (GLVIA3). Heritage assessment aligned with Historic England guidance. BNG plans that planning officers can confidently condition.
No generic templates. No boilerplate impact descriptions. Every assessment responds to the specific landscape, heritage context, and ecological baseline.
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Integration, Not Separation
Planning officers expect coordinated evidence across landscape, heritage, and biodiversity frameworks. We ensure your submission demonstrates how mitigation addresses all three simultaneously—not three separate compliance exercises.
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This integrated approach is what makes complex protected landscape applications succeed.
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Sole Practitioner, Deep Expertise
Robinson CLA is a sole practitioner practice. You work directly with a Chartered Landscape Architect with 25 years' experience across diverse practice environments—not a junior team member requiring supervision.
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Personal involvement in every project.
Hands-on site walkovers. Direct engagement with planning officers at pre-application meetings. Evidence prepared by someone who understands what protected landscape planning demands.
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Value Through Integration
Our integrated approach often costs less than appointing three separate consultants (landscape, heritage, ecology) while delivering better outcomes and lower planning risk.
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Coordinated evidence. Fewer consultant coordination meetings. Single point of contact for landscape, heritage setting, and BNG landscape strategy. Planning officer confidence through integrated submissions.
why Robinson CLA ?
When landscape expertise determines planning success—Para 79 applications, Listed Building settings, National Park developments—clients need coordinated assessment, not generic LVIA.
When heritage and biodiversity complicate landscape strategy—sites where historic field patterns, veteran trees, and ecological networks constrain layout—clients need integration, not separated consultancy.
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When projects face heightened scrutiny—National Park applications attracting Natural England and Historic England objections—clients need evidence that withstands statutory consultee review.
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That's when developers choose Robinson CLA.
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That's our specialism.
That's why we're here.
