SOLTYS BREWSTER

Our 25th Anniversary The practice is pleased to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025, following its establishment at the beginning of the millennium in 2000. The practice has embraced a wide range of projects over the first 25 years, with a web site selection of 25 projects over 25 years, tracking the growth of Landscape and Ecology project requirements, most recently focusing on Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Requirements.     One of the first major projects in 2000 was the masterplanning of Cardiff Bay Barrage park for Cardiff City Council and taking a lead on managing the creation of the parks soils from Cardiff Parks waste materials, as an early sustainable soil creation approach, whilst delivering a landmark new park for Wales’s capital. Across the 25 years the practice has embraced most project types, including major settlement expansion, health, education, public realm, civic space, sports, leisure, transportation and major renewable projects, to name but a few, including projects with a capital value up to £1 billion.   The practice’s current portfolio of active projects remains diverse across the Landscape and Ecology teams, and we look forward to supporting our clients in the onward delivery of a wide range of projects in the coming years.   Carbon Neutral since 2009. ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 certified. A Registered Practice with the Landscape Institute and the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management.

Improving Public Open Space   We have been appointed to prepare a series of parks and green spaces management plans, under separate commissions to the Vale of Glamorgan and Torfaen Councils, with landscape concept improvement designs for up to seven major Torfaen Public Open Spaces. The scope of works includes baseline survey and consultation with parks departments to understand existing conditions and management practices, including discussion with the local community to inform public realm and biodiversity enhancement proposals. The overall aim is to improve the Green Infrastructure value, whilst reducing regular management tasks, to maximise the benefits to the community and wildlife. Management plans have been provided for six sites in the Vale as of spring 2024, with more to follow for both authorities in the autumn of 2024.

Renewable Energy Project   The practice is currently supporting a series of onshore wind, solar, cable connection and battery storage projects in England & Wales, including wind turbine clusters with nacelle's up to 250m high and solar farms up to 80 hectares.  The renewable energy sector has been an ongoing stream of landscape and ecology work for the practice for many years, supporting the UK's transition to carbon neutral energy. Recent services have included Zones of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) for up to 45km radius study areas, with up to 40 viewpoints per project, Ecological Assessment and Mitigation measures, Residential Assessments, Nighttime Assessments and photomontages, all supporting local planning applications and major infrastructure applications. 

North East Cardiff Strategic Housing Site   The practice is pleased to confirm outline planning approval for up to 2500 new homes in North East Cardiff for Taylor Wimpey & NECLC. The practice provided Landscape and Ecology assessment and design services, through the EIA process, with LVIA and EcIA Chapters as part of Environmental Statement. Resulting mitigation and enhancement was developed in a detailed Green Infrastructure (GI) Masterplan and accompanying detail, illustrating the site wide GI enhancement proposals agreed with Cardiff City Council and NRW. The site has been approved with an integral network of recreational routes through connecting green spaces with play, sports pitches and allotments, illustrated as new key community assets, and integrated within the retained and enhanced Green Infrastructure networks across the site. A major new residential site for the capital.

Carbon Neutral Off-Set As part of Soltys Brewster’s continued commitment to a Carbon Neutral Status since 2009, we are off-setting this year to UK Tree Planting and a Global Portfolio, which include carbon emission avoidance and carbon sequestration projects. This marks our 15th year of Carbon Neutral status! #carbonneutral #treeplanting #carbonofffset #SoltysBrewster

Green Infrastructure, Wales With the publication of Planning Policy Wales 12 (PPW 12) on 7 February 2024, the practice has augmented its Green Infrastructure (GI) assessment and reporting structure to comply with the revised approach. The practice is actively delivering GI Consultancy support on Education, Residential, Industrial, Public Sector, Renewable and Health projects across Wales. #SoltysBrewster #Landscape #landscapearchitecture #Landscapearchitect #PlanningPolicyWales #PPW #greeninfrastructure #Education #Residential #PublicSector #renewableenergy #Health #Wales

Green Spaces, Vale of Glamorgan The Ecology Team are working on behalf of Vale of Glamorgan Council as part of the Local Places for Nature Scheme to prepare habitat management plans for six areas of green space. The project has involved baseline habitat mapping and consultation with local community groups & Council officers to devise a programme of management works to benefit biodiversity. #VOG #valeofglamorgan #valoeofglamorgancouncil #ecology #ecologist #communityengagement #habitat #greenspaces #nature #naturescheme #Soltysbrewster #Wales #southwales

Cobham Retirement Village Set in Cobham, close to Esher and Epsom, Audley Fairmile’s is an apartments based Retirement Village with Restaurant and Health Spa as a centre point, all in a mature landscape setting. Working Closely with Gaunt Francis Architects, Tier Consult, SVM, Quartz Project Services and Audley Retirement, Soltys Brewster provided full landscape design services from landscape concept design, through novation to final delivery. Image used with kind permission of Redfields Landscaping. Gaunt Francis Architects Audley Villages @quartzprojectservices #landscapedesign #landscapearchitecture #landscapedesigner #landscapearchitect #retirementvillage