Landscape and mineral extraction
Mineral workings can cause major landscape and visual impacts, but policy and guidance help to minimise effects on Scotland’s landscapes.
Planning authorities and operators must address the potential impact of mineral workings at the planning application stage. This must consider the effects on both the local environmental setting and the wider landscape.
It may be possible that topography and vegetation can screen a proposed development, and help to absorb it into the landscape.
You can also view guidance for planners and developers on geology and minerals.
Guidance
Controlling the environmental effects of surface mineral workings: Planning Advice Note 50
Opencast Coal Development and the Natural Heritage: Policy Summary
Minerals and the Natural Heritage in Scotland’s Midland Valley
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