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Topographic Surveys

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European GPR Association

Lucion Survey Ltd is a European GPR Association Member.

Valid Until 26/09/2026

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The Survey Association Membership

Lucion Survey Ltd is a full member of The Survey Association

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Ground Probing Radar Licence

It is a legal requirement in the UK for Ground Penetrating Radar users to hold an Ofcom licence, the licence needs to be renewed every three years.

Lucion Surveys are licence holders 0996045/1

Testimonials

We have appointed Landform (now known as Lucion) for several projects over the last year to prepare topographic surveys for a range of sizes of sites. We have been pleased with the quality of work carried out and have no reservation in recommending the team for similar work

Elisa Berry Howarth Litchfield Partnership

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Topographic Surveys FAQs

A topographical survey maps the boundaries, features, and levels of a site, laying the foundation for its development. It includes surveying details on man-made and natural features and constraining factors like adjacent buildings and highways.

If you are working on a land development site or project – either as an architect, designer, engineer or planner – you will need to conduct a topographical survey through an expert land surveyor. You will likely also require a topographic survey if you are developing property and need planning permission to show your extension is an appropriate fit for the particular piece of land.

Topographical surveys are also used to update land registry and national Ordnance Survey grid documents.

Topographic surveys have numerous benefits, including:

  • Providing the full picture of the land, including off-site and near-site land features that could be problematic during the project
  • Preventing costly mistakes or delays caused by unforeseen or unidentified problems
  • Saving both time and money by providing architects, designers, engineers and planners with accurate data about potential constraints early in the process

Ultimately, conducting a topographical survey with expert land surveyors can ensure safety and accuracy for the duration of your project.

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) standards, the accuracy level of a topographic survey depends on the scale of the project and the band it falls under. For example, a high accuracy topographic survey (band D) requires hard details to be accurate by +/- 10mm and soft details by +/- 25mm, whereas a low accuracy topographic survey (band H) requires hard details to be accurate by +/- 125mm and soft details by +/- 250mm.

A topographical land survey is used to determine key information about a site, documenting its natural and man-made features prior to the beginning of your project.

This can often be related to the national Ordnance Survey grid and is surveyed by points positioned in three dimensions, allowing for ground modelling and visualisations from the topographical land survey process.

A topographic map will be produced with survey findings to create a legal document which defines property boundaries. Architects, designers, engineers and planners rely on this document to make informed decisions in design and project management of a land development site, or similar.

A topographical survey could last anywhere from one day to several weeks depending on multiple factors, like the size of land to be surveyed, the level of detail needed from the site survey or the location of the plot.

The cost of topographic surveys depends on similar factors, with estimates given by specialist land surveyors based on your project’s bespoke requirements.

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