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2.3.1 stage a:
Setting the context and establishing the baseline
Context Analysis
The so-called “knowledge framework” dealt with any previous plans or pro-
grammes and external environmental objectives such as those laid down in
general and specific policies or legislation. These relationships were identified
to enable potential synergies to be exploited and any inconsistencies and con-
straints to be addressed.
In some cases, issues might already have been dealt with in other plans or pro-
grammes, and need not be addressed further in the plan which was being devel-
oped. An overview of any critical issues caused by interference among planning
tools already in force, such as energy plans, landscape planning, urban plan-
ning, etc., is due to detect where conflicts may arise, even taking into account
possible principles of precedence between levels or types of plan, recent policy
developments, and legal requirements. Much of this baseline information can
be generic to a local authority, and can therefore be used to support assessments
of a wide range of plans or strategies. These potential uses should be kept in
mind when information is collected. To get the best value from the information,
it should be kept up to date; it should not be merely a snapshot of the situation
at a particular time.
The Geodatabase Analysis tackled relevant but usually scattered information
about natural, cultural, social, perceptual and aesthetical values within the Pilot
Areas.
Many databases, notably geodatabases, are available, coming from national
sources, regional sources and local ones and providing information about land-
scape characters and protection levels granted to cultural heritage and to wil-
derness as well.
Characters and planning restrictions had to be integrated into a spatial database
