Natural England

FAQs

How does it relate to characterisation? Is there a danger of confusion / overcomplication / duplication?

Essentially characterisation describes, QoL Assessment evaluates and derives aims. The two are complementary. For many applications QoL Assessment needs, and starts from, the kind of description that characterisation provides. In return QoL Assessment provides a method for deciding what it is about a character area that is good, bad or indifferent, and how it can be managed. Without QoL Assessment, characterisation risks sliding into unthinking preservation of what's there, regardless of whether it's what anyone wants, and resistance to any change. A more detailed report on characterisation is available.