Landscape Character Assessment is an approach to understanding the differences between landscapes. It is a way of understanding how the landscape and its particular elements contribute to a sense of place, and can serve as a framework for decision making that respects local distinctiveness.

There are two Landscape Character Assessments produced by Essex County Council which should be used as part of any context appraisal:

• The Essex Landscape Character Assessment contains information about the whole county.
• The Landscape Character Assessment of the Essex Coast is a far larger document which focuses on the coastline of Essex, its uniqueness and its history.

Landscape Character Assessments support work to maintain and conserve the landscape and its features. Communities, developers, farmers and land managers, landscape and planning professionals and others all have a role in identifying the characteristics that make a particular landscape unique. Using this understanding they can plan and manage landscape change.