Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment

Sustainable development is central to the reformed planning system. The purpose of Sustainability Appraisal (SA) (made mandatory under Section 39(2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004) is to promote sustainable development through the integration of social, environmental and economic considerations into the preparation of new Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). 

When preparing DPDs and SPDs, Local Planning Authorities must also conduct an Environmental Assessment in accordance with the requirements of the European Directive 2001/42/EC (the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive) which was transposed into UK law by the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004. It is now common for Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment to be undertaken as one process.

The combined SA / SEA process has a number of stages including:

STAGE A: Setting the Context and Objectives, Establishing the Baseline and Deciding the Scope.
STAGE B: Developing and Refining Options and Assessing Effects
STAGE C: Preparing the SA Report
STAGE D: Consulting on the Preferred Options for a DPD / Draft SPD and the SA Report
STAGE E: Monitoring the Significant Effects and Implementing the Document.

Stage A of the process is undertaken during the pre-production stage of document production and should be integrated with evidence gathering for the document. It is recommended that authorities prepare a Scoping Report setting out the information collected at Stage A of the SA / SEA process.

The Guidance issued by the Government in November 2005 advises that a scoping report can be produced in two parts:
1) A general section which sets out the elements common to all LDDs; and
2) An individual report for each LDD.

In order to avoid repetition and because the SA of other LDDs need to be progressed alongside the production of the Core Strategy, it is proposed to adopt this two stage approach.

The following reports have therefore been produced 

• Overall Scoping Report for the Core Strategy and Other LDDs
• Arpley and Bridgefoot Area Action Plan Scoping Report
• Managing the Housing Supply SPD Scoping Report
• Open Space SPD Scoping Report
• Planning Obligations SPD Scoping Report
• Landscape Design Guide for New Developments SPD Scoping Report 
• Green Travel Plans SPD Scoping Report
• Affordable Housing SPD Scoping Report     

It is important that the individual LDD scoping reports are read in conjunction with the main overall scoping report in order to get the full picture.