# Aberdeenshire Council Landscape Offices, Ellon

Aberdeenshire Council's Landscape Offices in Ellon form a specialist Environment team dedicated to protecting and enhancing the region's diverse landscapes through the planning process. They serve developers, planners, local communities and council departments requiring landscape expertise for development proposals.

The team provides professional advice and opinion on planning applications with significant landscape implications, ranging from residential and commercial developments to major industrial projects such as wind energy installations. They play a crucial role in ensuring that landscape change is carefully managed to preserve Aberdeenshire's valued environmental characteristics whilst supporting sustainable development.

What distinguishes this service is their integrated approach to landscape conservation across both rural and urban settings. They contribute to landscape-related policy development, produce Environmental Impact Assessments for qualifying developments, and work on improvement strategies for open space networks across Aberdeenshire's settlements. Their expertise ensures compliance with national planning policy objectives and the Local Development Plan, whilst addressing contemporary challenges including climate change impacts and biodiversity habitat loss.

The team recognises landscapes as fundamental to quality of life and environmental value, going beyond mere aesthetic considerations to address economic and social benefits. They develop landscape-related projects and collaborate across council services to deliver holistic environmental outcomes. This specialist approach ensures that development proposals respect landscape integrity whilst enabling necessary growth and change in Aberdeenshire.