A well-loved landscape architect and planner at LDA Design

Carol Tarring, who died on 17 August after a long battle with cancer, was a highly regarded landscape architect and landscape planner and a popular and much-loved colleague for over 15 years at LDA Design.

Carol joined what was then called Landscape Design Associates, in May 2000 from Chris Blandford Associates in Cardiff , having graduated with a post graduate diploma in landscape architecture from Gloucester College of Art in 1996. She joined the newly-established south-west office, giving her the opportunity to return to her Devon roots and to the south-west landscapes that she knew and loved.

Carol played a significant part in building LDA Design’s landscape planning capability over that period, working on district-wide landscape character assessments in Cornwall and Hampshire and helping to develop emerging methodologies and approaches to landscape capacity and sensitivity studies including ground-breaking work on the Truro, Falmouth and Penryn Landscape Study and a study of the villages in the former Carrick District in Cornwall. 

In later years her extensive knowledge and experience in landscape and visual impact made her a highly reliable, impartial and sound judge on all types of projects, but particularly on renewable energy. 

Carol had a long and fruitful association with Cornwall throughout her time at LDA Design. Her repertoire and versatility also extended to masterplanning and urban design, working on a number of large-scale urban extensions including work on urban growth at Highertown and Truro and new development and regeneration in Camborne Pool and Redruth. 

Carol became increasingly involved in regeneration work in projects in Pontypool and Reading and significantly, in her hometown of Exmouth. In typical fashion, she patiently and calmly immersed herself in the frequent and intensive rounds of public consultation always aiming for the very best outcome for Exmouth and its community.

As a landscape architect, she had the rare ability to understand urban development and environmental sensitivity, both at a strategic and a detailed level. This led to Carol taking a major role in developing LDA Design’s approach to green infrastructure (GI) planning. She was responsible for both the East of Exeter and Exeter City GI Study and the GI strategy for the newcommunity north of Fareham, known as Welborne. Both have been highly influential and haveplaced landscape vision at the heart of the strategy for development growth in these places. 

Outside work, Carol was a gifted musician and had great passion for wildlife and travel. She was awell-loved and highly respected colleague who enjoyed being part of a very close-knit team and she will be greatly missed.

This obituary was prepared by LDA Design