Planning and development control in an area susceptible to landslides

Abstract

There is an increasing desire amongst those concerned in the planning process for the availability of adequate information on potential geological constraints to development. The potential for landsliding is a hazard of relevance to many areas of the United Kingdom, including South Wales, where the Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office have sponsored a research project to produce a methodology for the preparation of ‘Landslip Potential Planning Maps’. This paper describes the methodologies used to reduce hazards through planning in various parts of the world and outlines the proposed implementation of the pilot scheme in the Rhondda Valleys.

Thematic geological mapping as an essential tool in land-use planning

“…Whilst policies and criteria can be developed to take account of geological factors in planning (Siddle et al 1987), this is seldom done, possibly because relatively few planners are aware of the significance of geological factors in their day to day tasks. This is partly due to insufficient efforts in the past to draw attention to important relationships, to present information in such a way that its relevance can be readily appreciated or to acquire the necessary basic data in a systematic manner.…”