Topographical Survey in Bristol

Everything you need to know about Topographical Survey in Bristol

Local Developments

Known for its harbour and as the first European Green Capital, Bristol is a city in the South West that takes inspiration from both the past and the present. While maintaining an emphasis on the industrial foundations that originally made Bristol famous, the city incorporates components that promote inclusivity and sustainability, making sense of the recent growth in population.

Between 2011 and 2021, the population of Bristol grew by 10.3%, meaning a change of more than 44,000 new inhabitants. As the city’s population grows in size, the need for available housing grows with it. Likewise, developers looking to stage a land development project will see potential in buying available land and building new infrastructure in growing areas.

Planning Across Bristol

In September 2021, Bristol City Council passed a motion to protect the city’s green spaces, including the Avon Green Belt (Bristol and Bath Green Belt). With this in place, developers may face heftier restrictions in the pursuit of purchasing greenfield or greenbelt land for potential land development projects. That isn’t to say, however, that the local council is entirely opposed to development.

As soon as a suitable plot of land has been identified and bought, the primary concern from the developer’s perspective will change to convincing the local planning authority to grant an application for planning permission. After this point, they will finally be able to begin planning their land development, ideally with precise dimensions of the site.

Land surveyors can provide the exact measurements of a development site to benefit the early planning process by carrying out a topographical survey. In a visit to the site, topographical surveys will allow for an expert to measure all parts of the specific plot of land using highly detailed laser scanning equipment, removing any uncertainty and supplying the developer with trustworthy data.

Topographic Assessments

A fundamental land survey, topographical surveys share similarities to measured building surveys or similar as-built / as-constructed surveys, but instead of surrounding the dimensions of a building, topographic surveys focus solely on a specific plot of land. It will start with the land surveyor collecting all the information available about the site beforehand during a desk study, including images and maps that could assist with the assessment.

Immediately after the desk study, topographic land surveys will consist of the land surveyor attending the plot of land to look over each of the site sections, record all of the dimensions and take notes of them. 3D laser scanning equipment such as total stations will be used to ensure the highest standard of accuracy, and if necessary, the land surveyor will also use GPS equipment to cross-reference the measurements alongside the geographical location.

The 3D laser scanning tools will be used to collect data on the contours, elevations and cross-sections of the site, as well as applicable features that would be worth noting in the eyes of the developer and their design team. All of the information from topographical surveys will then be displayed in a CAD format image as a map of the development site, acting as a comprehensive blueprint that will simplify the early planning stage.

Qualified Experts on Topography

Formed from a team of experts in building and land surveys, The Survey House is a trustworthy and reliable source of accurate surveys and assessments. Even if our clients aren’t fully certain of the building or land surveys they need, our team can speak to them directly, analyse their needs and point them in the right direction, whether they need topographic surveys, measured building surveys or one of the other assessments we provide.

The licensed, qualified, trained and experienced land surveyors in our ranks strive to offer topographical surveys at the highest standard. Our experts in land surveys are located all over the country too, giving our client base in Bristol and other areas of South West England opportunities to book topographic surveys for their land development projects.

Receive Your Free Quote

You don’t have to commit to us straight away. Instead, give us the details of your site and project, and our team will send across a free quote for you to consider. Simply call us using the number listed at the top of this page or fill out a quote form online, tell us your specifications, and we will give you a no-obligation quote for one of our highly detailed building or land surveys.

On the chosen day of a topographical survey, one of our team will attend the development site with the necessary 3D laser equipment and other applicable tools to undertake the assessment. After topographical surveys, the data collected by the land surveyor will be moved across to a CAD format image, and the images will be sent across to you for use in your design.