BLANDFORD + NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN 2015-2031

REVISED SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL REPORT Incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment © Dorset Explorer © Dorset Explorer

Published by Blandford Forum Town Council, Blandford St Mary Parish Council and Bryanston Parish Council in accordance in accordance with EU directive 2001/42 and the Environmental Assessment of Plans & Programmes Regulations 2004. MAY 2017

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 2015-2031 Revised Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment) May 2017

Contents

Non-Technical Summary 1. Introduction 2. Background to Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment 3. An outline of the contents and main objectives of the neighbourhood plan 4. The relevant aspects of the current state of local social, environmental and economic issues and their likely evolution without the plan 5. The environmental characteristics of the area likely to be significantly affected 6. Any existing social, economic or environmental problems that are relevant to the plan 7. The social, environmental and economic objectives that are relevant to the Neighbourhood Plan and how these have been taken into account during its preparation 8. A description of measures envisaged for monitoring

Consultation comments on the B+ SA/SEA Scoping Report – Refer to Appendix A ‘SA Report Final 19072016’ – Submission Version

Appendix A – Dorset CC Blandford Town Pupil Place Planning Statement (Updated May 2017)

Appendix B – Air Quality Assessment: Air Quality Consultants (May 2017)

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 2 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 NON- TECHNICAL SUMMARY

1. The purpose of this report is to provide an assessment of any significant social, environmental and economic effects resulting from the policies and proposals of the Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with EU Directive 2001/42 on strategic environmental assessment (“the SEA”) and the Environmental Assessment of Plans & Programmes Regulations 2004 (“the EA Regulations”).

2. This report is a revised version of that submitted with the Neighbourhood Plan in July 2016 for examination. The Examiner of the Neighbourhood Plan having requested that this revised report contains more detailed reasonable alternatives and assesses the cumulative effects of the Neighbourhood Plan Policy 1 with the site specific proposals of the Local Plan Policy 16, in addition to further evidence regarding the ‘Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land’ and Air Quality.

3. For this revised version, the scope has been widened to accommodate the Examiners request and to provide further analysis of the sustainability attributes of the Plan, as explained in greater detail in Section 7, and undertakes a comparative assessment of Policy 1 against four reasonable alternatives.

4. The report seeks to undertake this wider assessment in a way that is proportionate to this task and that recognises the limitations of the available data and means of measuring direct and cumulative effects. In doing so, the SA/SEA must be proportionate and “does not need to be done in any more detail … than is considered to be appropriate for the content and level of detail in the neighbourhood plan” (National Planning Practice Guidance ID 11-031).

5. The above Guidance makes clear that reasonable alternatives “must be realistic and deliverable” (ID 11-038). The ‘Councils’ have therefore identified such alternatives for all the policies to demonstrate that is has followed this guidance. In this revised version, a wider range of reasonable alternatives has been assessed to ensure this appraisal meets the requirements of the Directive and Regulations.

6. Throughout the passage of the neighbourhood plan a number of modifications have been made to the plan policies to reflect changes made following consultation. However, modifications only need only be considered where appropriate and proportionate to the level of change being made to the neighbourhood plan…and a change is likely to be significant if it substantially alters the draft plan and or is likely to give rise to significant environmental effects (ID: 11-42). These minor amendments to policies and the additional evidence gathered in summer 2016 and in April 2017 to inform this revised SA/SEA Report are all considered to demonstrate that the

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 3 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 Neighbourhood Plan, when taken as a whole, will achieve a significant contribution to sustainable development.

7. The Blandford + designated area comprises the main town of Blandford Forum to the north of the River Stour and the smaller built-up area of Blandford St Mary to the south and the rural parish of Bryanston. The town lies in the gap where the River Stour cuts through the chalk downland and is encompassed on three sides by two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB and the Dorset AONB. The respective AONB Management Plans identify the past encroachment of Blandford into their areas as having effects on the character of the edges of their areas but neither have regarded this as a special problem with consequences for the appreciation or enjoyment of the core value of their areas. The combination of Blandford’s sensitive landscape setting and special heritage interest means the town can only sustain any future growth in its population, jobs or services through sensitive consideration of growth options. It is acknowledged however that the National Planning Policy Framework attaches ‘great weight’ to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in AONB’s in the decision making process, except in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated that proposals are in the public interest.

8. The Neighbourhood Plan Vision and objectives for 2031 are set out in Section 3 of this report. NDDC has planning policies that are helping to shape the strategy and policies of the Neighbourhood Plan(NP). The NP must be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan. The development plan for North Dorset comprises the Local Plan Part 1 covering the period 2011 to 2031, which was adopted in January 2016, and some remaining saved policies of the former Local Plan.

9. The policies of the Neighbourhood Plan have been prepared to deliver the vison and objectives set out in Section 3, and are intended to complement and update policies 2, 14 and 16 of the new Local Plan Part 1, and respond to new evidence such as the East Dorset Strategic Housing Market Assessment and the County Council’s position on providing primary school places and waste transfer facilities (a county matter) in Blandford Forum.

10. In general, there is little difference between the vison and objectives of the Submission Neighbourhood Plan and the newly adopted Local Plan. The Inspector in his Final Report of the Local Plan Examination (Dec 2015) considered “the relationship to be clear and there are no substantive reasons to conclude that in North Dorset the two levels of plan-making cannot continue to progress satisfactorily”. In reaching this conclusion he went on to clarify the Council’s longer-term strategy for Blandford, and proposed to add clarity to the Council’s reference to ‘additional greenfield sites’ by confirming that such sites are beyond the by-pass and that such changes were required to ensure soundness. The consequences of the modifications made to the Local Plan for adoption are addressed in paragraph 3.14 of this report.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 4 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

11. As the Inspector stated, the Council had confirmed that the longer-term sites beyond the bypass will be considered, so the additional phrase ‘beyond the bypass’ was necessary to ensure soundness and to enable the neighbourhood plan to ‘continue to progress satisfactorily’. In this respect, the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire AONB (CC&WW) Management Plan 2014 – 2019 provides a relevant context for the Neighbourhood Plan as does the equivalent plan for the Dorset AONB

12. Blandford Forum Town Council has long sought to address social and other infrastructure weaknesses in the northern half of the town. The historical and more recent expansion of the town over the last three decades up to the A350 bypass and into the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire AONB has not however been accompanied by supporting social or commercial infrastructure. The strategic housing proposals in the new Local Plan, which allow for the significant growth of Blandford St. Mary, will not address these problems although they will help to meet local housing needs

13. The main sustainability issues in the neighbourhood area to which the Neighbourhood Plan responds are managing the effect of recent and future scale of housing development whilst ensuring the delivery of community infrastructure in the right parts of the town to serve current and future needs. The Neighbourhood Plan needs to adopt a positive stance to sustainable development by planning for housing and community infrastructure development.

14. The challenge for the Plan is to promote housing, economic and community infrastructure development within an area with high environmental constraints. The Blandford Conservation Area covers a large part of the town; the Stour flood plain is extensive; and the two AONBs circle most of the town. It is therefore crucial that the right balance is struck between economic, social and environmental objectives and that the opportunity for the local community to define what it considers to be sustainable development provided by the Localism Act, is not missed.

Summary of Revised SA/SEA Appraisal

15. Considering the policies in the neighbourhood plan as a whole, the revised appraisal shows that there are some negative effects resulting from the policies of the Plan but many positive effects. The policies have been specifically chosen and formulated to adhere to the principles of sustainable development as defined by the NPPF and articulated for this area by the adopted North Dorset District Local Plan Part 1.

16. It shows there is a strong correlation between the Plan objectives and those of similar intent in the SA/SEA framework, but also that there is a natural tension between some of those objectives that the policy choices must resolve one way or the other. The preferred choices have prioritised the speedy delivery

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 5 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 of essential social and employment infrastructure over the absolute protection of all the surrounding landscape, whether lying within an AONB or not.

17. It is difficult to assess all of the possible individual or cumulative effects of the Plan policies in detail as some of the baseline data is not collected at this level and there are resource limitations on undertaking an appraisal for the Councils. The approach taken to policy development is to acknowledge the proximity of development proposals to the natural or heritage assets and to ensure the policies are worded to mitigate any obvious environmental harm to those assets. Thereafter, the expectation is that planning applications in future will be screened for the need for Environmental Impact Assessment and other assessments (e.g. heritage or landscape) and they will be determined using the development management policies of the Plan and of other development plan documents.

18. Regarding Policy 1 specifically, none of the policy options is without its negative effects, either alone and/or in combination with another. All have positive effects, but the scale of those effects is contingent on the location, with some of those effects being offset, either in part or in their entirety, by their negative effects.

19. It is not the purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal to make the judgement on the choice of spatial option, it is merely to inform the Councils in assessing the planning balance in making that judgement. The assessment makes clear that the preferred approach to Policy 1 (Option 1) has some greater, residual negative environmental effects than the other options, though these are primarily due to the AONB designation of part of the land, not because there needs to be any unusual design solution to delivering 400 homes, a primary school and employment land that does not apply to options 2 or 3. In other environmental measures – notably traffic and air quality – its effects are likely to be positive in reducing journeys to school and investing in new bus service provision serving the north of the town.

20. It is the scale of the positive social and economic effects however, that contrasts this option with the others. The housing scheme will enable the release of private land for the new primary school, employment land, extended allotments and a new Waste Transfer facility, each of which is needed for the town and the location is deemed by far the most preferable by the Local Education Authority in meeting its statutory obligations, and by respective operators/investors. Without the housing scheme, the land will not be made available and it is understood that the County Council will not be in a position to compulsory purchase the land for the foreseeable future. The land in options 2 and 3 cannot deliver this scale of benefit due to its location and so is no effective substitute, even though some of its environmental effects may be fewer than the preferred option.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 6 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 21. The revised appraisal shows that preference is not without its consequences but that its benefits are significant. The fact the Councils can demonstrate considerable local community support for this preference should not be under-stated, as those communities also cherish the value of the surrounding landscape as a distinctive quality to Blandford.

22. But is also shows that the alternatives of continuing to grow Blandford St. Mary are not without their consequences and in neither case do they assess as well in the overall balance as the preferred option. This is little to do with their intrinsic character or capacity to contain development but all to do with their location, especially in relation to the main town and to the stated preferences of the Local Education Authority, operators and investors in this new social and economic infrastructure.

23. All the land in each option is privately owned and owners will expect a reasonable return from development if they are to be willing to release land for financially sub-optimal returns. But the District Council is faced by a worsening housing supply situation that Local Plan Part 1 could not resolve. The ‘do nothing’ option of preventing Blandford from growing further seems unrealistic given its importance to the settlement hierarchy of the District. And that growth will require investment in vital supporting infrastructure if it is to be more successful than the previous eras a major growth.

24. In neither case in respect of Policy 1 do the alternative options present a stronger environmental, social and economic case than the preferred option. Similarly, the alternatives to the other plan policies – essentially of having no policy – do not assess as well as the proposed policies.

25. In which case, this assessment concludes that the Neighbourhood Plan will make an important contribution to achieving sustainable development for the area.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 7 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 1. Introduction

1.1. The purpose of this report is to provide an assessment of any significant social, environmental and economic effects resulting from the policies and proposals of the Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with EU Directive 2001/42 on strategic environmental assessment (“the SEA”) and the Environmental Assessment of Plans & Programmes Regulations 2004 (“the EA Regulations”).

1.2. This report is a revised version of that submitted with the Neighbourhood Plan in July 2016 for examination.

1.3. The Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared by Blandford Forum Town Council (as the designated lead qualifying body) on behalf of Blandford Forum Town Council, Blandford St Mary Parish Council and Bryanston Parish Council (‘the Councils’) for the Neighbourhood Area covering the whole of the Town and Parish Council areas, as designated by NDDC on the 17 February 2014.

1.4. The Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted by the ‘Councils’ for examination under the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 to North Dorset District Council (NDDC) under the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012. The District Council issued a screening opinion on the 23rd October 2015 requiring an SEA and the ‘Councils’ have chosen to meet this obligation by preparing a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) that incorporates the SEA obligations of the EA Regulations .

Plan A: The Designated Neighbourhood Area

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 8 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 1.5. A Sustainability Appraisal is a systematic process used to ensure the social and economic objectives of a plan are achieved in addition to environmental considerations. For completeness, the Neighbourhood Plan has been subject to a combined process whereby the SEA has been incorporated with a Sustainability Appraisal (SA/SEA) to consider the wider social and economic effects.

1.6. A Scoping Report, (as part of Stage A of the process – see Table A) was consulted on for the minimum 5-week period during September and October 2015, in line with the Regulations. For this revised version, the scope has been widened to provide further analysis of the sustainability attributes of the Plan, as explained in greater detail in Section 7. However, the Neighbourhood Plan policies remain the same as the submission version.

1.7. The report provides an assessment of the Neighbourhood Plan objectives and policies and seeks to do it in a way that is proportionate to this task and that recognises the limitations of the available data and means of measuring direct impacts. The social, economic and environmental baseline data is contained in the Blandford + SA/SEA Scoping Letter and Appendices dated September 2015.

1.8. The screening opinion also concluded that in relation to the neighbourhood plan being subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) the District Council considered it unlikely that a HRA would be required due to the distance between the plan area and areas of land that are subject to international nature conservation designations.

1.9. The draft SA/SEA report was consulted upon at the same time as the Pre Submission Neighbourhood Plan in February – March 2016 in accordance with the EA Regulations. A small number of representations were received in respect of the report, notably from Historic England, Pimperne Parish Council and officer comments from North Dorset District Council.

1.10. The final SA/SEA report issued with the Submission Plan sought to respond to the comments made to improve the clarity of the assessment, especially in respect of comments on the assessment against some objectives in Policy 2, 7 and 8, why other policy options in relation to employment were not considered and how heritage effects had been assessed. In some instances, the comments were considered by the ‘Councils’ as being more relevant to an SA/SEA of a Local Plan rather than a neighbourhood plan. Firstly, the SA/SEA must be proportionate and “does not need to be done in any more detail … than is considered to be appropriate for the content and level of detail in the neighbourhood plan” (National Planning Practice Guidance ID 11-031).

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 9 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 1.11. Secondly, the above Guidance makes clear that reasonable alternatives “must be realistic and deliverable” (ID 11-038). The ‘Councils’ have therefore identified such alternatives for all the policies to demonstrate that is has followed this guidance. In this revised version, a wider range of reasonable alternatives has been assessed to ensure this appraisal meets the requirements of the Directive and Regulations.

1.12. The draft SA/SEA report was amended to reflect changes made following the Pre Submission consultation. However, modifications to the report need only be considered where appropriate and proportionate to the level of change being made to the neighbourhood plan…and a change is likely to be significant if it substantially alters the draft plan and or is likely to give rise to significant environmental effects (ID: 11-42).

1.13. No such significant alterations were made to the plan, other than the deletion of Policy 7 ‘Housing at Bryanston’ and other minor amendments to policies resulting from the pre-submission consultation and outlined in the Regulation 14 Report. These minor amendments to policies and the additional evidence gathered in summer 2016 and in April 2017 to inform this revised SA/SEA Report are all considered to demonstrate that the Neighbourhood Plan, when taken as a whole, will achieve a significant contribution to sustainable development.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 10 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 2. Background to Sustainability Appraisal & Strategic Environmental Assessment

2.1. Through the SA/SEA the social, environmental and economic effects of the Neighbourhood Plan are tested to ensure that these promote Sustainable development and the Plan avoids causing any significant environmental effects.

2.2. The combined process involves a simple evaluation of the social, economic and environmental impacts of the plan as follows:

• An outline of the contents, main objectives of the plan, and relationship with other relevant plans or programmes

• The relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and the likely evolution thereof without implementation of the plan

• The social, economic and environmental characteristics of areas likely to be significantly affected

• Any existing environmental problems which are relevant to the plan including, in particular, those relating to any areas of a particular environmental importance

• The environmental protection objectives, established at international, community or national levels, which are relevant to the plan and the way those objectives and any environmental considerations have been taken into account during its preparation

• The likely significant effects on the local economy, society and the environment

• The Measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse effects of implementing the plan

• An outline of the reasons for selecting the alternatives dealt with, and a description of how the assessment was undertaken including any difficulties (such as technical deficiencies or lack of know-how) encountered in compiling the required information

• A description of measures envisaged concerning monitoring

2.3. The methodology for the assessment is intended to be proportionate to the task of assessing the development proposals of a Neighbourhood

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 11 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 Plan covering a relatively small area. A summary of the process, as derived from the 2004 guidance is contained in Table A below.

Table A: The Combined SA/SEA Process

Scoping STAGE A: This stage sets the context of the assessment by identifying the baseline data and establishing the scope of the assessment. 1. Identification of relevant plans, policies and programmes. Any existing requirements that need to be taken into account or incorporated into the plan are identified. 2. Review of baseline information. Data about environmental, social and economic issues is collected, together with an indication as to how this may change in the future without the plan or programme under preparation. 3. Identification of Sustainability Issues. The review of plans and policies, together with the baseline information are used to identify the key sustainability issues which could impact the plan. 4. Development of the SA/SEA Framework. The assessment criteria used to assess the impact of the plan or programme. 5. Identification of initial plan options. Taking into account best practice initial identification of options and reasonable alternatives undertaken. 6. Consultation. On the scope and alternatives for assessment it is necessary to consult statutory consultees, that is Natural England, Historic England and the Environment Agency.

Assessment STAGE B: This stage involves the assessment of the any likely significant effects of the plan policies (and any reasonable alternatives) on the key sustainability issues identified. 1. Finalisation of the Plan options and alternatives for testing 2. Testing the Plan Objectives against the SA/SEA Framework. The Plan Objectives are tested to ensure compliance sustainability principles 3. Evaluation of plan options and alternatives. The SA/SEA Framework is used to assess various plan options by identifying the potential sustainability effects of the plan and assist in the refinement of the policies. 4. Predicting and evaluating the effects of the plan. To predict the significant effects of the plan and assist in the refinement of the policies.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 12 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 5. Consideration of ways to mitigate adverse effects and maximise beneficial effects. To ensure that all potential mitigation measures and measures for maximising beneficial effects that are identified. 6. Proposing measures to monitor the significant effects of implementing the Plan: To detail the means by which the sustainability performance of the plan can be assessed and monitored.

This is assessment is used to feed into the development of a plan or programme to help ensure the most sustainable option is selected. The SA/SEA framework is also used to access the sustainability implications of the draft policies and the results used to inform policy development.

Reporting STAGE C: Preparation of the SA/SEA Report • The findings of the assessment together with how it has influenced the development of the plan are identified and set out in a draft environmental report together with the recommendations on how to prevent, reduce, or offset any significant negative impacts arising from the plan. STAGE D: Consultation – seek representations from consultation bodies and the general public • This is an ongoing process. Consultation of the draft SA/SEA Report is undertaken into account and used to influence further iterations of the sustainability appraisal process.

Adoption STAGE E: Monitoring and Monitoring Following adoption of the Plan, the significant effects of implementing the plan are measured and any adverse effects are responded to. The results are fed into the future plans and sustainability appraisals.

2.4. Since the Scoping Stage A was completed, the focus has been on spatial strategy choice and policy formation. As described in Section 7, four alternative spatial strategies have been assessed using the SA/SEA framework, amongst other factors, and the framework has been used to compare the other policies with a ‘policy off’ alternative.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 13 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 3. An outline of the contents, main objectives of the Neighbourhood Plan and relationship with other relevant plans or programmes

3.1. The Neighbourhood Plan contains a number of policies for the use and development of the land in Blandford Forum, Blandford St Mary and Bryanston in the plan period up to 2031. These policies, together with the policies of the Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will be used by the District Council to help determine planning applications once the Neighbourhood Plan is ‘made’ in due course. The Neighbourhood Plan vision and objectives have been informed by the reasoning and evidence of the local plan examination and recommendations leading to the recent adoption of the North Dorset Local Plan

3.2. The Vision and objectives for the Town and Parishes for 2031 comprise:

Growing our Communities Sustainably

Blandford Forum will maintain its role as the main service centre in the south of the district through:

a. development and redevelopment within the settlement boundary; b. extensions, primarily of housing to the north and east of Blandford Forum and to the south east and west of Blandford St Mary; and c. a range of new employment uses on land beyond the bypass on the northern edge of the town.

Growth will be taken forward in ways which respect the town’s environmental constraints, support its role, function and identity, and contribute to making it more self-contained. Blandford’s distinctive natural and historic character will be retained and enhanced.

Maintaining our Special Heritage and Landscape Character and Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change

The town’s special natural and historic assets will be protected and enhanced.

The impact of flooding and climate change on the town will be addressed by:

d. taking account of the risks of fluvial, groundwater and surface water flooding in new development; e. incorporating sustainable drainage systems into new developments; and f. the protection and management of valuable groundwater resources.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 14 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 Meeting Local Housing Needs

At least 1,500 homes will be provided at Blandford Forum and Blandford St Mary during the period 2011 - 2031. In addition to infilling and redevelopment within the settlement boundary, Blandford’s housing needs will be met through:

g. the regeneration of the Brewery site; h. the development of land to the north and east of Blandford Forum and south east of Blandford St Mary; and i. the development of land to the west of Blandford St Mary (at Lower Bryanston Farm and Dorchester Hill), which should only commence once a mitigation package has been agreed and implemented to the satisfaction of Natural England and the community.

To ensure new houses are of high quality design and of an appropriate mix, in keeping with the established character of the area, and, that meets the needs of the existing community, especially younger families and local people.

Creating and Supporting Jobs and Cherishing our Town Centre

Employment needs in the town will be met through:

j. the extension to the Sunrise Business Park; k. the development of land off Shaftesbury Lane; l. the development of vacant sites on existing industrial estates; and m. the retention of existing employment sites.

As well as the retention of the anchor superstore in the town centre, additional retail floorspace will be provided through:

n. the provision of a new supermarket off Shaftesbury Lane.

The town centre will remain the focus of community activity. It will embrace a range of town centre uses, including retail, commercial, community, tourism and leisure as well as residential uses.

On appropriate sites, all development and redevelopment schemes should build on the ability of the town to attract and retain new businesses and major high street brands. Proposals such as the extension of existing retail units south of Market Place and at East Street/Langton Road, will be viewed positively within the recognised constraints of heritage and flooding considerations.

Improving Vital Community Infrastructure

Grey infrastructure to support growth will include:

o. the provision and enhancement of walking and cycling links within Blandford between the existing and new residential areas and key destinations, such as the town centre, employment sites, schools and other community facilities;

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 15 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 p. the provision and enhancement of public transport, cycling and walking links between Blandford and nearby villages (and Blandford Camp); q. the improvement and extension of the North Dorset Trailway along, or close to, the route of the former Somerset and Dorset railway line for cycling and walking; and r. the identification of a safeguarded route for the Spetisbury and Charlton Marshall Bypass as part of the development of the land south east of Blandford St Mary;

Social infrastructure to support growth will include:

s. the refurbishment of the Corn Exchange to form the main community venue for the town and the provision of new community centres on land east of Blandford Forum to serve new development in the northern part of the town and on land at Blandford St Mary to serve that community; t. the retention of Blandford Leisure Centre in community use and the upgrading of its facilities; u. the provision of a new 2FE primary school on land north of Blandford Forum; and v. a new doctors’ surgery on land east of Blandford Forum or the expansion of existing doctors’ surgeries.

A network of green infrastructure will be developed in and around Blandford, focussing on linking existing sites (such as the Milldown, Stour Meadows and Preetz Way) and providing new sites and links to serve the residents of both the new and existing developments in the town. New or improved facilities will include:

w. informal open space on land north and east of Blandford Forum; and x. Upgrading of existing sports pitches and associated facilities on land within the built up area of Blandford.

3.3. At the national level, the National Planning Policy framework (NPPF) published by the Government in 2012 is an important guide in the preparation of local plans and neighbourhood plans. The B+NP must demonstrate that it is consistent with the provisions of the NPPF. The following paragraphs of the NPPF are especially relevant to the Plan: • Supporting a prosperous rural economy (paragraph 28) • Delivery high quality new homes (50) • Securing good design (58) • Promoting healthy communities and education (70-72) • Protecting local green spaces (76-77) • Conserving and enhancing the natural environment (109 - 125) • Conserving and enhancing the historic environment (126 - 141)

3.4. NDDC has planning policies that are helping to shape the strategy and policies of the Neighbourhood Plan. The Plan must be in general

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 16 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 conformity with the strategic policies of the development plan. The development plan for North Dorset comprises the Local Plan Part 1 covering the period 2011 to 2031, which was adopted in January 2016, and some remaining saved policies of the former Local Plan.

3.5. The policies of the Neighbourhood Plan have been prepared to deliver the vison and objectives set out above, which are intended to complement and update policies 2, 14 and 16 of the new Local Plan Part 1, and respond to new evidence such as the East Dorset Strategic Housing Market Assessment and the County Council’s position on providing primary school places and waste transfer facilities in Blandford Forum.

3.6. In general, there is little difference between the vison and objectives of the Submission Neighbourhood Plan and the newly adopted Local Plan. The Inspector in his Final Report of the Local Plan Examination (Dec 2015) considered “the relationship to be clear and there are no substantive reasons to conclude that in North Dorset the two levels of plan-making cannot continue to progress satisfactorily”. In reaching this conclusion he went on to clarify the Council’s longer-term strategy for Blandford, and proposed to add clarity to the Council’s reference to ‘additional greenfield sites’ by confirming that such sites are beyond the by-pass and that such changes were required to ensure soundness. The consequences of the modifications made to the Local Plan for adoption are addressed in §3.14 below.

3.7. As the Inspector stated, the Council had confirmed that the longer-term sites beyond the bypass will be considered, so the additional phrase ‘beyond the bypass’ was necessary to ensure soundness and to enable the neighbourhood plan to ‘continue to progress satisfactorily’.

3.8. In this respect, the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire AONB (CC&WW) Management Plan 2014 – 2019 provides a relevant context for the Neighbourhood Plan as does the equivalent plan for the Dorset AONB. In respect of the former, the area was originally designated in 1981 and extends to over 981 square kilometres.

3.9. The CC&WW Plan sets out objectives for the management of the AONB agreed through consultation. The achievement of these objectives and their associated policies requires the support and involvement of many other organisations and individuals who have key parts to play in the future of the area. They include central government, local authorities, and other public bodies as well as residents, visitors, conservation organisations and landowners.

3.10. The CC&WW AONB is a deeply rural area with widely scattered hamlets, villages and narrow roads. This mainly agricultural landscape has few large settlements within its boundaries. However, nearby market towns

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 17 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 such as Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Blandford, Fordingbridge, Wimborne and Warminster are growth areas which are placing pressures on the AONB.

3.11. The Plan identifies several pressures on the AONB that need effective management in order to prevent them, cumulatively, having an adverse effect on the landscape character, biodiversity, tranquillity and economy of the area. • population increase and the development required to serve an expanding economy; • Increasing traffic and the routing of freight traffic through the; • threats to local communities include lack of affordable housing (which impacts on those who manage the rural landscape, loss of local facilities and services leading to social isolation and dependence on inadequate public/community transport; • the loss of tranquillity of the AONB, which is under pressure from increasing noise, light and traffic.

3.12. However, it is noticeable that neither the Management Plan nor the Historic Landscape Characterisation study of July 2008 identified the relationship between the AONB and the town of Blandford Forum as requiring special attention in handling such pressures. The early stages of the North Dorset Local Plan preparation had commenced by that time and there had been the recent experience of the major housing development approved in the AONB at Shaftesbury Lane. Indeed, the focus of both documents is on defining and managing the character of the core AONB area and less on its edges and setting.

3.13. Blandford Forum Town Council has long sought to address social and other infrastructure weaknesses in the northern half of the town. The historical and more recent expansion of the town over the last three decades up to the A350 bypass and into the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire AONB has not however been accompanied by supporting social or commercial infrastructure. The strategic housing proposals in the the new Local Plan, which allow for the significant growth of Blandford St. Mary, will not address these problems although they will help to meet local housing needs.

3.14. It was acknowledged in the NDDC commentary on the implications of revised approach to proposals for Blandford (MM14), that although the revised approach did not alter the strategy significantly, the changes would have sustainability appraisal implications. As a result, NDDC concluded in its ‘Sustainability Appraisal of the Post Submission Changes including Main Modifications’ to the Local Plan that although this main modification was likely to tackle a number of issued raised at the examination hearings, it raised sustainability concerns that should be built into any development proposals for sites beyond the bypass. These recommendations are set out in Section 4 of NDLP1 main modifications consultation summary (MHD055) and are as follows:

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 18 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 • That landscape mitigation should be included particularly for sites adjacent to or within the AONB around the town • That severance issues associated with the bypass are effectively remedied to enable ease of access to the town centre by means other than the private car • That heritage impacts are given full consideration especially in relation to the listed buildings at Lower Blandford St Mary, the town centre regeneration gives full consideration to the heritage assets in the town centre; and • That adequate provision is made for social and green infrastructure within any proposals.

3.15. In the original SA report of the Neighbourhood Plan, it was assumed that, provided it was made clear that Policy 1 of the Plan was accommodated by the Main Modifications and adhered to the recommendations described in §3.13 above, then the potential sustainability effects of the policy had been screened out. It then focused on comparing the preferred approach of Policy 1 with the reasonable alternatives of delivering the same strategy to the south west of Blandford St. Mary and of the Plan making no such provision at all.

3.16. However, the Examiner of the Neighbourhood Plan expressed concerns with this interpretation of the Sustainability Appraisal of the Local Plan and has requested that this revised report contains more detailed reasonable alternatives and assesses the cumulative effects of the Neighbourhood Plan Policy 1 with the site specific proposals of the Local Plan Policy 16.

3.17. Section 7 of this report considers this complementary approach and undertakes a comparative assessment of Policy 1 against four reasonable alternatives, namely: (see Plan B – ‘Reasonable Alternatives’ Plan)

• Option 1 (preferred) – Development to the north and east of Blandford St Mary beyond the provisions of Policy 16 to accommodate an additional 400 dwellings, a 2FE primary school and a new employment site • Option 2 – Development to the west of Blandford St Mary beyond the provisions of Policy 16 (Dorchester Hill/Fair Mile Road) to accommodate an additional 400 dwellings, a 2FE primary school and a new employment site • Option 3 - Development to the south of Blandford St Mary beyond the provisions of Policy 16 (Wards Drove) to accommodate an additional 400 dwellings, a 2FE primary school and a new employment site • Option 4 – No additional dwellings beyond Policy 16 and no new 2FE primary school site or employment site

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 19 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 3.18. Each of the first three options is considered to be consistent with the ‘beyond the bypass’ provisions of the Local Plan, as set out in the supporting text to policies 2 and 16. Each also enables the delivery of new social infrastructure as provided for by Policy 14. The fourth option is not consistent with those provisions, but nor is it inconsistent with policies 2 and 16. For ease of comparison, the second and third options assume the same mix and quantum of development as the preferred option. In both cases, it is reasonable to expect the private landowners of those sites to want the same financial benefit derived from housing development as the landowners of the preferred option, if they are to be willing to release their land for school and employment uses.

3.19. Dorset County Council consulted on its draft Dorset Waste Local Plan in 2015 and again in early 2017. The Plan identifies as a preferred location land adjoining the Sunrise Business Park (Ref WP06) for a new waste transfer facility. Although only the Waste Plan can contain waste development policies, it is noted that the proposal is complementary to Policy 1 of the Neighbourhood Plan and this revised Sustainability Appraisal report is therefore able to give it consideration.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 20 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 4. The relevant aspects of the current state of local social, environmental and economic issues and the likely evolution thereof without the implementation of the Neighbourhood Plan

4.1. The main sustainability issues in the neighbourhood area to which the Neighbourhood Plan responds are managing the effect of recent and future scale of housing development whilst ensuring the delivery of community infrastructure in the right parts of the town to serve current and future needs. The Neighbourhood Plan needs to adopt a positive stance to sustainable development by planning for housing and community infrastructure development, but this must be done in ways that do not cause any significant detrimental effects in relation to the historic setting of the town in the landscape.

4.2. The Scoping Report highlighted a number of sustainability issues that are also common to historic market towns in rural England, especially in terms of access to affordable housing. Despite its role as the main main service centre in the south of the District access to basic services (schools, shops, GPs. Employment) is patchy. With good access in some parts of the neighbourhood plan area and poor access in others. These also provide essential services to the wider rural hinterland population.

4.3. The survey work undertaken to inform the plan indicates that the local community will accept new development provided it delivers essential social and community infrastructure in the north of the town. A summary of this analysis is contained in two survey reports which form part of the neighbourhood plan evidence base.

4.4. Whilst the new Local Plan is proposing significant housing development it lacks the ability to deliver the community infrastructure that people say they need, in the places they say they need it. The problem arises from the challenge faced in implementing Local Plan Policy 14 on social infrastructure. At the time of its adoption, it was still considered possible to meet the demand for new primary school places at one or more of the three existing schools in the town. It is now clear that the County Council believes this is neither possible, nor desirable, given the spatial distribution of the current sites around the southern edge of the town.

4.5. Without the Neighbourhood Plan, proposals for development that include much needed infrastructure would be left to individual planning applications, and opportunities to manage change positively and cumulatively may be lost. This would make little difference to controlling the environmental impacts of those proposals as they must in any event demonstrate they conform to development plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) policy.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 21 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 5. The environmental characteristics of areas likely to be significantly affected

5.1. 'Blandford' comprises the main town of Blandford Forum to the north of the River Stour and the smaller built-up area of Blandford St Mary to the south and the rural parish of Bryanston. The town lies in the gap where the River Stour cuts through the chalk downland and is encompassed on three sides by two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB and the Dorset AONB. The respective Management Plans identify the past encroachment of Blandford into their areas as having effects on the character of the edges of their areas but neither have regarded this as a special problem with consequences for the appreciation or enjoyment of the core value of their areas. It is acknowledged however that the National Planning Policy Framework attaches ‘great weight’ to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in AONB’s in the decision making process except in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated that proposals are in the public interest.

5.2. All of the land around the town’s edge (apart from the Stour valley) is classified as being of the best and most versatile agricultural land quality of Grades 2 or 3 (see Appendix B). In recent years, therefore, all the major development proposals on the edge of the town have required the loss of that land. For example, the Badbury Heights development to the north of Blandford was a local plan allocated site which in the AONB and partly grade 3 agricultural land, partly grade 2. The 40 dwellings at the Milldown to the west of Blandford was on grade 3 agricultural land. The development at Black Lane to the south east of Blandford was grade 3 agricultural land. The Dorchester Hill allocation in Local Plan Part 1 to the south east of Blandford is grade 3 agricultural land. The extension to Blandford St Mary (Badger Sett and Primary School) was built on Grade 2 agricultural land (Source: Magic Map Post 1988 ALC (England) Dataset – Accessed 30 April 2017). The Local Plan Part 1 allocated site to the south west of Blandford St. Mary is grade 3 agricultural land. The former employment (now Lidl) land to the south of the Sunrise roundabout adjacent to the Persimmon development allocated in the 2003 Local Plan is grade 3 agricultural land.

5.3. The Air Quality Assessment report (Appendix B) confirms that current background levels of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 are well below national air quality ‘objective’ concentrations.

5.4. Blandford is a historic town and the Georgian Town Centre is acknowledged (by Pevsner) as one of the finest in England. The quality of the Georgian Town Centre is such that a bid for UNESCO world Heritage status was proposed in 2014. A Conservation Area was first designated in 1972 and was expanded in 1990 with three character areas subsequently

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 22 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 identified. There is evidence of post medieval archaeological assets within the town. The Blandford Conservation area is ‘at risk’ largely because of the poor upkeep and deterioration of buildings within it. The Church of St Peter and St Paul in Market Place is also considered ‘at risk’.

5.5. Within the area there are 205 Listed Buildings - 9 Grade I, 7 Grade II* and 199 Grade II. The majority of the designations lie within The ‘Medieval Town’ and Salisbury Road Character Areas as defined in the Dorset Historic Towns Report. There are also 12 Grade II buildings within the Blandford St Mary Character Area and a further one Grade I (The Portman Chapel) and 11 Grade II buildings in Bryanston Parish, including the WWII anti-tank defences on Crown Meadows.

5.6. It is difficult to assess all of the possible individual or cumulative effects of the Plan policies in detail as some of the baseline data is not collected at this level and there are resource limitations on undertaking an appraisal for the Councils. The approach taken to policy development is to acknowledge the proximity of development proposals to the natural or heritage assets and to ensure the policies are worded to mitigate any obvious environmental harm to those assets. Thereafter, the expectation is that planning applications in future will be screened for the need for Environmental Impact Assessment and other assessments (e.g. heritage or landscape) and they will be determined using the development management policies of the Plan and of other development plan documents.

5.7. Should any proposals of the Plan not be consented in due course, as they cannot overcome over-riding environmental problems, then future reviews of the Plan or Local Plan will consider replacing them with new proposals.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 23 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 6. Any existing social, economic or environmental problems that are relevant to the Neighbourhood Plan

6.1. Blandford Forum Town Council has long sought to address social and other infrastructure weaknesses in the northern half of the town. The housing expansion of the town over the last three decades up to the A350 bypass and into the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire AONB has not been accompanied by supporting social or commercial infrastructure. The strategic housing proposals for the new Local Plan, which allow for the significant growth of Blandford St. Mary, will not address these problems although they will help to meet local housing needs.

6.2. The SA/SEA therefore considers complementary development options to determine which option is best able to correct the town’s infrastructure deficit and to ensure in the longer term this delivers a balanced community. This is the main problem that is within the remit of the Neighbourhood Plan (or the land use planning system more generally) to resolve.

6.3. Of importance too is the survival and success of the town centre as the commercial, cultural and tourism heart of the local area. Although the planning system is limited in how it can influence strong market forces, it is vital that it supports the regeneration of the town centre and the considerable local employment that depends on that success. Blandford Forum Town Council is not complacent and is working with all the key agencies to secure a sustainable, thriving town centre offer to local people and visitors.

6.4. More generally, the town needs to maintain a strong employment base as a key wealth creator for this part of the District. Investment in higher value-added economic development is much sought after and the competitive locations are few and far between (and will often be constrained by planning policies). The Councils are keen to attract new investment to complement the existing industrial and business areas and know they cannot rely on past allocations of employment land to meet the changing needs of new investors.

6.5. The challenge for the Plan is to promote housing, economic and community infrastructure development within an area with high environmental constraints. The Blandford Conservation Area covers a large part of the town; the Stour flood plain is extensive; and the two AONBs circle most of the town. It is therefore crucial that the right balance is struck between economic, social and environmental objectives and that the opportunity for the local community to define what it considers to be sustainable development provided by the Localism Act, is not missed.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 24 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7. The social, environmental and economic objectives that are relevant to the Neighbourhood Plan and the way those objectives and considerations of its sustainability have been taken into account during its preparation

7.1. To assess the sustainability performance of the Neighbourhood Plan, the following assessment framework has been adopted. The proposed framework was consulted upon with the statutory consultees as part of the SA/SEA Scoping Report and it has been modified to take into account their comments. It has also been widened for this revised report for the reasons described in Section 3. It is deliberately drawn from the relevant SA/SEA Objectives of the Local Plan so that, where possible and relevant, data sets can be shared for ongoing monitoring purposes.

SA/SEA Appraisal framework:

1. To improve access to services and educational, leisure and cultural facilities including play, recreation in open spaces, parks and the countryside: NDDC SO2, SO3 – Population, Material assets Human Health

• Will the B+NP enable existing facilities to be protected and new ones created? • Will the B+NP increase the attraction of the town to visitors?

2. To provide an adequate supply of open market and affordable homes of different types to meet local needs: NDDC SO1 – Population, Human Health

• Will the B+NP contribute to meeting district and local open market housing need? • Will the B+NP contribute to meeting the needs of local people for affordable housing?

3. To preserve and enhance the quality of built environment and heritage of the town: NDDC SO8 – Material Assets, Cultural Heritage

• Will the B+NP sustain and enhance the significance of designated heritage assets? • Will the B+NP sustain and enhance the significance of non-designated heritage assets?

4. To ensure that the landscape and natural environment surrounding the town is conserved and enhanced, biodiversity is improved and designated habitats are protected: NDDC SO7, SO9, SO10 – Biodiversity, Flora, Fauna, Landscape, Soil

• Does the B+NP justify the exceptional circumstances for development within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs and Dorset AONBs? • Will the B+NP deliver a net biodiversity gain?

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 25 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 • Will the B+NP avoid development in a designated habitat site? • Will the B+NP improve local air quality? • Will the B+NP avoid developing the best and most versatile agricultural land?

5. To reduce flood risk resulting from new developments and adapt to climate change: NDDC SO6, SO10 – Water, Climatic Factors

• Will the B+NP avoid development in an area of defined flood risk and ground water flooding (i.e. EA flood zone 2 or 3)? • Will the B+NP reduce the risk of surface water flooding on site and in other parts of the town by managing surface water

6. To create opportunities for the town’s residents to find employment locally: NDDC SO13, SO14, SO15, SO16 – Population, Climatic Factors, Material Assets, Human Health

• Will the B+NP plan for new employment land for businesses suited to an AONB location? • Will the B+NP improve the competitiveness of existing employment land? • Will the B+NP reduce the need for travel and increase self-containment?

7. To improve the vitality and viability of the town as the main service centre to the south of the District: NDDC SO2, SO13, SO14, SO15 – Population, Material Assets

• Will the B+NP enable existing town centre retailers and other services to thrive? • Will the B+NP enable new town centre floor space and/or uses?

7.2. The objectives have been chosen to provide a relevant framework within which to distinguish policy attributes and to compare them with any reasonable alternative policy approaches. They reflect the environmental characteristics of the area and the intended focus of the Neighbourhood Plan. There are therefore some objectives that are common at the district level.

7.3. Although there are some biodiversity assets in the designated area, Natural England have confirmed that the plan is unlikely to harm any Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), or Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), or Ramsar Site and is not likely to significantly affect the interest features for which they are notified. They state they have no concerns regarding this aspect of the Plan and hence this has not been selected as a specific objective: planning applications will be expected however to identify any such issues in due course. The absence of these types of objective does not necessarily mean that they are not of any value, but their inclusion would not have helped the assessment of the Plan’s objectives and policies.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 26 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

7.4. More generally, in most cases, it is acknowledged that data is not collected or reported at the plan scale to enable a sensible assessment. This makes the identification of cause-and-effect relationships between inputs and outputs very uncertain. However, the assessment does seek to identify the relative attributes of the policies of the Neighbourhood Plan to inform the reader.

Assessing the impact of the Neighbourhood Plan Strategic Objectives

7.5. The five strategic objectives of the Neighbourhood Plan are outlined in para 3.2. They cover a range of economic, environmental and social issues in support of realising the community’s vision for the neighbourhood area. Each of these objectives is assessed against the SA/SEA objectives in Table B below. Where the effect is dependent on an assumption then a combination of the assessed effects is included in the table and an explanation is provided in the commentary below.

and and

change SA/SEA Objectives Housing of the town the of Employment and heritage and Flood Risk FloodRisk And Landscape And climate Built Environment Built Vitality and Viability and Vitality Natural Environment Natural Community Facilities Community 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Plan Objectives: 1 Sustainable Communities + + + + 0 + + -- -- 2 Heritage, AONB & Climate + 0 ++ ++ ++ 0 + Change ------3 Housing ++ ++ 0 0 0 + + Needs ------4 Employment and Town 0 0 0 0 0 ++ ++ Centre - -- -- 5 Community Infrastructure ++ 0 0 0 0 + + - - - 0 0

Table B: Assessment of Neighbourhood Plan Objectives

Very Very Positive Neutral Negative Key Positive negative + 0 - ++ --

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 27 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7.6. There is a reasonably strong correlation between the Plan objectives and those objectives of the SA/SEA framework. There is the potential for a number of very positive effects, notably in protecting the historic and natural character of the area, delivering new social infrastructure and delivering new homes and jobs. However, there is also the potential for a series of negative effects if the locational decisions in delivering development do not respond to the many landscape, heritage and flood risk etc designtions in the area.

7.7. The focus of the Plan objectives on supporting housing growth whilst ensuring the necessary infrastructure is delivered to support it and a focus on employment and the town centre to create more local jobs for the working population aligns well with a number of the SA/SEA objectives. At the same time, the Plan objectives make clear that such development must not be at the cost of the special historic and AONB character of the town, hence the correlation between its heritage/AONB objective and the equivalent SA/SEA objectives. The neutrality of the other objectives reflects the fact that the Plan has a key focus, with all other policy matters being secondary to its five objectives.

7.8. The Plan’s objectives match closely those of the Local Plan Part 1 but make clearer the intent of the local community to use the Neighbourhood Plan to deliver new social infrastructure and employment opportunities. Without the Neighbourhood Plan, it is doubtful that these opportunities will be realised, either with the urgency required, if at all, as they will rely on a future revision of the Local Plan to determine.

Assessing the impact of the Neighbourhood Plan policies

7.9. The Neighbourhood Plan contains fourteen policies intended to provide a series of social, economic and/or environmental benefits. Using the sustainability framework outlined in Section 3, the assessment of each policy is summarised below. The assessment is of the proposed policies with their mitigation measures. For the purpose of Policy 1, the preferred option and three reasonable alternatives have been assessed. For the remaining fourteen policies a simple ‘policy on’, ‘policy off’ approach is used.

7.10. Table C provides a comparative assessment of the preferred approach to Neighbourhood Plan Policy 1 and its three reasonable alternatives (see also Plan B overleaf):

• Option 1 (preferred) – Development to the north and east of Blandford St Mary beyond the provisions of Policy 16 to accommodate an additional 400 dwellings, a 2FE primary school and a new employment site

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 28 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 • Option 2 – Development to the west of Blandford St Mary along between Fair Mile Road and the A354 and beyond the provisions of Policy 16 (Dorchester Hill/Fair Mile Road) to accommodate an additional 400 dwellings, a 2FE primary school and a new employment site • Option 3 - Development to the south of Blandford St Mary from Wards Drive to Littleton House and beyond the provisions of Policy 16 (St Mary’s Hill) to accommodate an additional 400 dwellings, a 2FE primary school and a new employment site • Option 4 – No additional dwellings beyond Policy 16 and no new 2FE primary school site or employment site

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 SA/SEA Objectives North/East West South NoPolicy Community 1 ++ 0 0 -- Facilities 2 Housing ++ ++ ++ 0 Built 3 Environment 0 0 - 0 and Heritage Natural 4 -- - - 0 Environment Flood Risk and 5 Climate 0 0 0 0 Change 6 Employment ++ + + --

7 Town Centre 0 0 0 0

Table C: Assessment of Policy 1 reasonable alternatives

Very Very Positive Neutral Negative Uncertain Key Positive negative + 0 - ? ++ --

7.11. The options are derived from the strategic direction now provided by the adopted Local Plan in respect of planning for future growth of Blandford Forum beyond the bypass. The first (preferred) option is that proposed in the Neighbourhood Plan and was the stimulus for the Local Plan direction in the first place. The land interests have confirmed the availability of the land for a comprehensive scheme.

7.12. The second and third options extend Blandford St. Mary beyond the proposals of the Local Plan (which have since been granted planning permission) either to the west along the A354 or to the south along the

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 29 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 A350, to deliver the same quantum and mix of development of the preferred option within a similar gross site area. In each case, therefore, the assumption is that a development scheme would comprise approx.. 400 new homes (to deliver approx. 1,500 in the area over the full plan period), a 2FE primary school and approximately 2ha of employment land. As noted in §3.18 above, it is reasonable to assume that the private owners of the land in the second and third options would require the same financial benefit derived from housing development to be willing to release their land for school and employment purposes. It is not known if the respective land interests would support such a proposal but making these assumptions also allows for a ‘like with like’ comparison of the alternatives with the preferred option. The fourth option is the ‘policy off’ alternative, leaving decisions on the future growth of the area to a review of the Local Plan.

7.13. A fifth alternative of developing Crown Meadows to the north of the town centre was considered, again for this same quantum and mix of development. However, this was not considered ‘reasonable’ for two reasons. Firstly, the extent of the negative heritage effects of developing this land were such that NDDC was required to remove a similar proposal from its Local Plan on the advice of Historic England. The Councils supported that decision and have no further reason to believe that the proposal would be any more acceptable now than at the time it was removed. It is therefore a ‘non-starter’ in technical terms. Secondly, the proposal generated very significant levels of objection from local people, to the extent that its inclusion in the Neighbourhood Plan would seriously risk a failed referendum, and is therefore a ‘non-starter’ in political terms. It is noted that the legal position on excluding ‘non-starter’ options from the definition of ‘reasonable alternatives’ in the SA/SEAs of neighbourhood plans was clarified by the Judicial Reviews of the Tattenhall (EWHC 1470 of May 2014) and St. Ives (EWHC 2817 of November 2016) Neighbourhood Plans in respect of their compliance with the SEA Directive.

Option 1

7.14. The preferred option has very positive community facility and employment effects, delivering the new school on the northern edge of the town and meeting the expressed needs of an inward investor to create new jobs as an extension to the Sunrise Business Park. The County Council has confirmed that new school places are required urgently, that it is not possible to extend the existing schools and that exporting children to surrounding rural schools like Pimperne is no long term solution. It considers the location is ideal for the new school, which would serve families in the northern half of the town that currently rely on the three schools around its southern edge.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 30 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

Plan B – ‘Reasonable Alternatives’ Plan for illustrative purposes

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 31 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

7.15. There is no data on school trip travel modes in the town, but anecdotal evidence indicates that the majority of trips are undertaken by private car using the Salisbury Road and A350/A354 bypass to avoid the congested town centre at peak times. A new school in the northern part of the town has the potential to remove a significant number of these trips from the peak hour road network, or at the very least, to significantly reduce the average length of the trip, with all that entails for maintaining or even improving air quality and traffic volumes on key roads in the town and around the bypass.

7.16. The inward investor has confirmed that the business proposition can be delivered on the land to the north of the bypass. Although the last NDDC employment land study indicated that no new employment land was required in the town, it predated the loss of allocated land at The Brewery and Shaftesbury Lane to retail and housing proposals. In both cases, it was considered that there was insufficient demand for employment land to warrant the retention of the land for that purpose. With 1,500 new homes planned or consented in the town, there is a danger that the town will become unbalanced in its homes to jobs ratio. Its working age population may become over-dependent on securing employment in the Bournemouth – Poole conurbation to the south with the potential for placing additional pressure on the main A350 north-south corridor. This has been identified by the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership as a key strategic connection but one which is largely unsuitable for the volume and type of traffic it carries1. Or, if that is seen by home buyers as unacceptable, the majority of new homes will be occupied by retired households, which may unbalance the current population mix.

7.17. The land to the north of the bypass has four specific advantages: the land has been made available for this purpose (subject to it being consented as part of a comprehensive scheme as per Policy 1); it has direct access to the bypass (confirmed as acceptable to the highways authority); it adjoins and is partially enclosed by the popular Sunrise Business Park to its north west; and it is likely to adjoin and be further enclosed by a new waste transfer facility to its north east.

7.18. The housing element of the scheme to the east of the bypass will enable the release of the remaining land north of the bypass (as it is in the same ownership). At approximately 400 new homes, the scheme will increase by one third the total supply of new homes in the plan period to 1,500. This is not required by the Local Plan, but its Policy 16 sets only a minimum level of new homes, and it was made clear during the examination of the Local Plan that NDDC would have to address a significant supply deficit in the plan period with an immediate review of the Plan.

1 Dorset LEP Strategic Economic Plan – Connected Dorset: Supporting Growth page138, 139 and 148

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 32 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

7.19. A housing scheme of this scale will therefore make a significant contribution to meeting the new objectively assessed housing need of the District in one of its largest settlements. But, the housing scheme will also enable the delivery of a small number of local services located close to the A350/A354 junction to better serve the communities north of Shaftesbury Lane and Preetz Way, as well as the new home occupiers. This will reduce the number of car trips made from those living around the northern edge of the town for convenience goods, as many will live within a ten minute (800m) walk of those new services. And, the policy requires that the scheme travel plan makes provision for investing in improving bus services to connect the scheme with the town centre via the northern half of the town and via the Sunrise Business Park/Shaftesbury Lane retail/business areas. Together, this option will therefore have very positive housing supply and community facilities effects and a potentially positive net air quality effect.

7.20. However, the policy has the potential for some significant negative effects, which will not be possible to entirely mitigate, notably in respect of its landscape, best/most versatile agricultural land and biodiversity effects. All of the land lies within the Cranbourne Chase AONB or its setting. Although never highlighted by the AONB Partnership as a specific problem in successive Management Plans, some landscape character assessments of 2008 (and the additional evidence provided by the District Council to the examination of the Local Plan Part 1 in 2015) have indicated that this edge of the AONB is sensitive to encroaching development. There is no later evidence to dispute those findings and it is understood that the Councils fully acknowledge there will be negative landscape effects of their preferred option.

7.21. The Councils therefore requested that the owners of the land prepare an outline landscape appraisal of the land to understand its character and value to the AONB and a masterplan for all the Policy 1 land to show extent to which the eastern and northern schemes may be designed in such a way to moderate the negative landscape effects of development on views into and out of the AONB and its setting.

7.22. This evidence showed firstly how the presence of buildings at Letton Park and the Sunrise Business Park already diminish to an extent the openness of the AONB in those views to and from the northern land from Pimperne and from along the bypass. It is further noted that the separate County Council proposals for a Waste Transfer facility adjoining Sunrise Business Park with access from the bypass will alter the character of the land, if they are adopted in the emerging Waste Local Plan. It also shows that the views and appreciation of the eastern land as part of the setting of the AONB from elsewhere within the AONB and from the bypass are limited but there is some value.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 33 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7.23. Secondly, the masterplan work shows that in principle terms the layout, orientation and limitations on the heights of buildings, combined with the distribution of land uses and open spaces and with a carefully planned landscape scheme, could achieve an effective moderation of some of the negative landscape effects.

7.24. As stated in paragraph 5.2 all of the land around the town’s edge (apart from the Stour valley) is classified as Grade 2 or 3 (see Plan C) and therefore classed to a large extent as being the best and most versatile of land. Although much of the land has not been farmed for many years and some was intended for playing fields under previous District Council proposals, there remains a negative effect through the loss of such land.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 34 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

Plan C – Agricultural Land Classification

Source: NDDC LP1 Hearing Statement Issue 7A Blandford March 2015

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 35 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7.25. Determining the cumulative effects of this option alongside the Local Plan Part 1 Policy 16 committed schemes is difficult as much of the data and modelling does not exist. In landscape terms, the committed 350 home scheme at St. Mary’s Hill south of Blandford St. Mary lies outside both AONBs and the 500 home scheme west of the village lies mostly outside the AONB (but within its setting). Therefore, of the 1,500 total homes resulting from the combination of Local Plan Part 1 Policy 16 and Policy 1 of the Neighbourhood Plan, only 30% (approx. 450 homes) will require land inside an AONB.

7.26. In terms of traffic and air quality effects, an additional 400 homes will generate more traffic but this will be more evenly distributed around the A350/A354 road network and is, in any event, a relatively small increase in relation to the committed schemes and the existing population of the town. The Air Quality Assessment report (Appendix B) confirms that current background levels of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 are well below national air quality ‘objective’ concentrations. The report also confirms there should be no air quality constraints with regards to the addition of land in respect of proposals contained in option 1, nor are there likely to be any constraints with regards to the cumulative effect of the land in options 2 or 3 (above the Policy 16 provisions of the NDLP1). And given the benefits of providing a new school in this location to serve the northern half of the town, there are likely to be some real benefits in reducing the need for, or at least the average length of school trips as evidenced by the Dorset County Council Statement in Appendix A.

Option 2

7.27. The Local Plan Part 1 proposals for the Fair Mile Road/Dorchester Hill area west of Blandford St. Mary are considerable – approx. 500 new homes in total of which 61 homes have already been consented. However, it is possible to extend those proposals further along the A354 and Fair Mile Road to create another 20 Ha of developable land outside of, but partially adjoining, the Dorset AONB to the north and west of the land.

7.28. This option would deliver the same positive housing effects as Option 1 by increasing the size of Blandford St. Mary to become a larger village. The land is around the same distance from the town centre of Blandford Forum as Option 1 and its location alongside the A354 may be attractive to economic development investors to deliver some positive employment effects. This direct access to the A354 and proximity to approx. 1,200 new homes on the edges of Blandford St. Mary in the plan period may make delivering a new primary school plausible and may have some positive community facility effects.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 36 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7.29. There are no likely flooding or heritage effects of developing this land as there are no flood risk zones or heritage assets within close proximity. However, the land is shown as Grade 3 in the Agricultural Land Classification (see Plan C above) and is therefore classed as the best and most versatile agricultural land (and is currently farmed).

7.30. The development of the land, with an effective landscape scheme, may still have some negative residual effects on the character of the Dorset AONB as the land forms higher ground within the setting of the AONB, with the area being appreciated on leaving Blandford St. Mary in views to the north and west along the A354. The land forms part of the South Blandford Downs Landscape Character Area, the assessment of which in 2008 noted that the hard urban edge of Blandford St. Mary is a detracting feature of this part of the area.

7.31. This option also has the potential for generating significant new car trips for school and travel to work journeys. Although the new school would serve the new population of Blandford St. Mary, at 2FE, it would also have to serve the main town. As the County Council have noted, the new village population will displace children using the school from the town, placing an even greater pressure on places in the other two town schools and at Pimperne. It is not possible to extend the present primary school site in the village. It is inevitable that this additional school capacity to serve the wider area will create new and longer trips, as the northern half of the town does not have any provision.

7.32. Similarly, the new employment land will provide job opportunities for residents of the existing and new residential areas of the village, but it will also appeal to other residents of the town. Although no specific modelling of these effects has been undertaken, and taking into account that some mitigation measures through travel planning may be possible, this option may exacerbate local peak time pressures on this part of the highway network in Blandford St Mary. Hence, this option is assessed as having some negative landscape, transport and agricultural land effects. Any positive effect in delivering new school places is offset by the problems that they will create on the rest of the school placement system, and so this is assessed as neutral.

7.33. The cumulative effect of this option alongside the other 850 homes committed on the edge of Blandford St. Mary may be considerable. The Local Plan Part 1 rationale for allocating land here in Policy 16 was its relative proximity to the town centre. Arguably, this was over-stated as the furthest parts of both allocated sites would be beyond a reasonable walking distance to the town centre. However, this new option would clearly be beyond that distance - the village has few community facilities other than the school and the superstore and there are no plans within the committed schemes for any local shops or services.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 37 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7.34. An additional 400 homes (to make 900 in total to the west of the village and 1,250 with St. Mary’s Hill) is likely to generate considerably more traffic movements, even without the effects of school and employment trips. The majority of those trips will be on the bypass and may place greater pressure on the lower A350/A354 roundabout, around which the District Council has approved at grade pedestrian crossings to serve the St. Mary’s Hill scheme.

7.35. The combined effect of 900 homes on the character of the immediate setting to the Dorset AONB as the land rises above the village to the east is likely to be negative, although there is no site specific evidence available to provide greater detail. The landscape appraisals of Local Plan Part 1 only covered less than half of the land subsequently supported by Policy 16 but it is reasonable to conclude the scale of development and topography would result in residual negative effects that could not be moderated by the scheme design.

Option 3

7.36. The Local Plan Part 1 proposals for the St. Mary’s Hill area south of Blandford St. Mary are also considerable – approx. 350 new homes in total which have now been consented. However, it is possible to extend those proposals further south along the A350 towards Littlemore Farm to create another 16 Ha of developable land outside of the two AONBs and their setting.

7.37. This option would deliver the same positive housing effects as Options 1 and 2 by increasing the size of Blandford St. Mary to become a larger village. The land is around the same distance from the town centre of Blandford Forum as those options and its location alongside the A350 may be attractive to economic development investors to deliver some positive employment effects. This direct access to the A350 and proximity to approx. 1,200 new homes on the edges of Blandford St. Mary in the plan period may make delivering a new primary school plausible and may have some positive community facility effects.

7.38. There are no likely flooding effects of developing this land as there are no flood risk zones within close proximity. However, Littleton House is a Grade II Listed Building and the small walled park around the house and outbuildings form an essential part of its setting. Developing the land between the park and St. Mary’s Hill will visually connect it to the urban character of the new Blandford St. Mary, which may have a modest negative heritage effect. As with the other options, the land is shown as Grade 3 in the Agricultural Land Classification and is therefore classed as the best and most versatile agricultural land (and is currently farmed). There will therefore be a negative effect of the loss of this land.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 38 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 7.39. This option also has the potential for generating new car trips for school and travel to work journeys. Although the new school would serve the new population of Blandford St. Mary, at 2FE, it would also have to serve the main town. As the County Council have noted, the new village population will displace children using the school from the town, placing an even greater pressure on places in the other two town schools and at Pimperne. It is not possible to extend the present primary school site in the village. It is inevitable that this additional school capacity to serve the wider area will create new and longer trips, as the northern half of the town does not have any provision.

7.40. Similarly, the new employment land will provide job opportunities for residents of the existing and new residential areas of the village, but it will also appeal to other residents of the town. Although no specific modelling of these effects has been undertaken, and taking into account that some mitigation measures through travel planning as in option 2 may be possible, this option may exacerbate local peak time traffic congestion on the busy A350/A354 road network around the town although this is unlikely to have air quality effects given the current baseline. Hence, this option is assessed as having some negative landscape, transport, heritage and agricultural land effects. Any positive effect in delivering new school places is offset by the problems that they will create for the rest of the school placement system, and so this is assessed as neutral.

7.41. The cumulative effect of this option alongside the other 500 homes committed on the edge of Blandford St. Mary may be considerable. The Local Plan Part 1 rationale for allocating land here in Policy 16 was its relative proximity to the town centre. As with Option 2, this was arguably over-stated as the furthest parts of both allocated sites would be beyond a reasonable walking distance to the town centre. However, this new option would clearly be beyond that distance - the village has few community facilities other than the school and the superstore and there are no plans within the committed schemes for any local shops or services.

7.42. An additional 400 homes (to make 1,250 with the 500 homes west of the village) is likely to generate considerably more traffic movements, even without the effects of school and employment trips. The majority of those trips will be on the bypass and will place considerable pressure on the lower A350/A354 roundabout, around which the District Council has approved at grade pedestrian crossings to serve the St. Mary’s Hill scheme.

7.43. The combined effect of 1,250 homes on the character of the landscape on the southern approach to the village will be considerable, although the land lies outside the AONBs, so the scale of harm will be less than in Options 1 and 2.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 39 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 Option 4

7.44. This ‘no policy’ option is primarily neutral in its effects. The preferred option is not being justified on housing supply grounds (although its clear housing supply benefits are noted), and so no policy will not have a negative housing supply effect. Nor does the preferred policy option preclude the District Council considered options 2 or 3 as future options to meet its objectively assessed housing need later in the plan period and beyond.

7.45. This option will, however, have a significant negative effect on the delivery of the primary school and new employment opportunity. The County Council has made clear the urgency with which the school capacity problem needs to be addressed. And the new economic investor may be forced to relocate his business outside of this area if the land cannot be made available soon. In which case, leaving these matters to the review of the Local Plan may have potentially serious sustainability consequences.

Conclusion

7.46. None of the policy options is without its negative effects, either alone and/or in combination with another. All have positive effects, but the scale of those effects is contingent on the location, with some of those effects being offset, either in part or in their entirety, by their negative effects.

7.47. It is not the purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal to make the judgement on the choice of option, it is merely to inform the Councils in assessing the planning balance in making that judgement. The assessment makes clear that the preferred Option 1 has some greater, residual negative environmental effects than the other options, though these are primarily due to the AONB designation of part of the land, not because there needs to be any unusual design solution to delivering 400 homes, a primary school and employment land that does not apply to options 2 or 3. In other environmental measures – notably traffic and air quality – its effects are likely to be positive in reducing journeys to school and investing in new bus service provision serving the north of the town.

7.48. It is the scale of the positive social and economic effects that contrasts this option with the others. The housing scheme will enable the release of private land for the new primary school, employment land, extended allotments and a new Waste Transfer facility, each of which is needed for the town and the location is deemed by far the most preferable by the Local Education Authority in meeting its statutory obligations and by respective operators/investors. Without the housing scheme, the land will not be made available and it is understood that the County Council will not be in a position to compulsory purchase the land for the foreseeable

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 40 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 future. The land in options 2 and 3 cannot deliver this scale of benefit due to its location and so is no effective substitute, even though some of its environmental effects may be fewer than the preferred option.

Assessment of Policies 2 to 14

of of

Facilities SA/SEA Objectives viability and climate climate and

change Housing heritage the town Employment and Landscape and Natural Environment Natural Community Community Built Environment and Environment Built Vitality and and Vitality FloodRisk 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Neighbourhood Plan Policies: 2 Land at Shaftesbury Lane + 0 0 0 0 + 0 3 Land at Salisbury Road + + + 0 0 0 0 4 Land at Hunt Road + 0 0 0 0 + 0 5 East Street/Langton Road + 0 0 0 + + + 6 West Street + + + 0 0 + + 7 Community Facilities + 0 + 0 0 0 + 8 Blandford Forum Town Centre 0 0 + 0 0 + + 9 Green Infrastructure Network + 0 0 + 0 0 + 10 Local Green Spaces + 0 0 + + 0 0 11 Design Principles, Blandford F 0 + + + 0 0 + 12 Design Principles, Blandford SM 0 + + + + 0 0 13 Design Principles, Bryanston 0 + + + 0 0 0 14 Local Tourism 0 0 + 0 0 + + Key Positive Neutral Negative

Table D: Assessment of B+ Neighbourhood Plan Policies 2 to14

7.49. The Neighbourhood Plan contains 13 further policies which have a series of social, environmental and/or economic effects. Policies 2 to 3 are site specific policies with no reasonable alternatives other than to exclude them. Their primary purpose is to support economic and retail development in areas of the town poorly served. The is an extant permission for a retail use on the policy 2 site but no provision for new employment. This policy therefore makes the necessary provision for new development that may otherwise have been more difficult to justify on a case by case basis and that is why a positive policy is considered necessary. At pre-submission stage the District Council suggested the

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 41 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 policy would have a negative effect on SA7, and a neutral or negative effect on SA6. The previous assessment has been reviewed but is considered to require no change, given the definition of SA7 relates to the whole town of Blandford not solely the town centre, and the policy supports additional employment but this is not considered to be to the detriment of the town centre given the evidence of the retail interest, that a retail application on this site has been previously approved by the District Council and the changing circumstances in the town centre These include the recent closure of the Co-Op and its replacement with an M&S Food Hall, and the abandonment of the Tesco extension in favour of a new employment use on the site which in itself could offset any significant effects on this objective. Policy 3 is intended to inform the likely future development proposals and to seek a positive response to the heritage context as set out in the additional Heritage Report produced following the regulation 14 comments from Historic England. Hence it offers a positive response to SA1 and the positive response to SA3 is further reinforced.

7.50. Policy 4 is intended to secure a location for a much needed nursery, which until recently was accommodated at Salisbury Road. It makes provision for a new facility in close proximity to the previous location and offers a positive response to SA1.

7.51. Policies 5 and 6, respond to opportunities arising from the recent changes in ownership of the food store at Langton Road and a vacant site on West Street which is no longer reserved for a library. Both policies add more value to existing policy by making specific policy provisions to deliver these benefits and both are justified on that basis.

7.52. Following a number of comments regarding the Housing in Bryanston policy (previously policy 7) not least that the retention of the policy would risk acceptability of the plan at referendum the ‘Councils’ confirmed their intention to delete the policy. Despite this the NDLP1 retains the policy provision for exception housing in the countryside and hence the underlying purpose of the policy is not lost.

7.53. Following deletion of the Housing in Bryanston policy, the previous policy 15 Community Facilities was renumbered policy 7. The policy remains unchanged and responds positively to SA/SEA 3, 6 and 7 and is intended to protect a range of facilities, some core to the towns historic character.

7.54. Policy 8 encourages improvements to the town centre as a retail and leisure destination. As such, it aligns well with the town centre and tourism objectives in Policy 5 which offers general support for the Trailway and retail and café facilities. Similarly, Policy 14 offers general support for local tourism accommodation and taken together strongly support the vitality and viability of the town centre area (SA/SEA 7) as a focus of tourism activity. Following comments received during the pre-submission stage

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 42 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 the policy has been amended and now retains Morrisons within the primary retail frontage.

7.55. Policy 9 and 10 proposes the designation of a green Infrastructure network to strengthen the pedestrian and cycle connections across the town and to the land being proposed for allocation to the north. intended to be allocated to the north. Policy 10 allocates 10 Local Green Spaces within the Blandford Forum and the Parishes to ensure their green character (and the contribution that makes to define the character of the town) is maintained. There is therefore a strong alignment with SA/SEA objective 4.

7.56. Policies 11 to 13 seek to manage the design of development proposals within the Conservation Areas and the surrounding areas (including the setting and the visual relationship with the Dorset AONB). As such, they assess well against the SA/SEA heritage and natural environment objective but will also ensure the special character of the town centre both as a shopping and tourism destination, is maintained.

7.57. Policy 14 is intended to support growth in the local tourism economy and to encourage visitors to appreciate Blandford Forums historic core and the opportunity provided by further investment in the Trailway. The policy responds positively to SA/SEA 3, 6 and 7.

Summary of Appraisal

7.58. In overall terms, the appraisal shows that there will be some negative effects resulting from the policies of the Plan but where there is the case, those effects are matched or exceeded by positive effects. The policies have been specifically chosen and formulated to adhere to the principles of sustainable development as defined by the NPPF and articulated for this area by the adopted North Dorset District Local Plan Part 1.

7.59. It shows there is a strong correlation between the Plan objectives and those of similar intent in the SA/SEA framework, but also that there is a natural tension between some of those objectives that the policy choices must resolve one way or the other. The preferred choices have prioritised the speedy delivery of essential social and employment infrastructure over the absolute protection of all the surrounding landscape, whether lying within an AONB or not.

7.60. The appraisal shows that preference is not without its consequences but that its benefits are significant. The fact the Councils can demonstrate considerable local community support for this preference should not be under-stated, as those communities also cherish the value of the surrounding landscape as a distinctive quality to Blandford.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 43 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

7.61. But is also shows that the alternatives of continuing to grow Blandford St. Mary are not without their consequences and in neither case do they assess as well in the overall balance as the preferred option. This is little to do with their intrinsic character or capacity to contain development but all to do with their location, especially in relation to the main town and to the stated preferences of the operators and investors in this new social and economic infrastructure.

7.62. All the land in each option is privately owned and owners will expect a reasonable return from development if they are to be willing to release land for financially sub-optimal returns. But the District Council is faced by a worsening housing supply situation that Local Plan Part 1 could not resolve. The ‘do nothing’ option of preventing Blandford from growing further seems unrealistic given its importance to the settlement hierarchy of the District. And that growth will require investment in vital supporting infrastructure if it is to be more successful than the previous eras a major growth.

7.63. In neither case in respect of Policy 1 do the alternative options present a stronger environmental, social and economic case than the preferred option. Similarly, the alternatives to the other plan policies – essentially of having no policy – do not assess as well as the proposed policies.

7.64. In which case, this assessment concludes that the Neighbourhood Plan will make an important contribution to achieving sustainable development for the area.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 44 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 8. A description of measures envisaged concerning monitoring

8.1. The Councils will monitor the progress in the implementation of the Neighbourhood Plan using the measures identified in Table A. The data for some of these measures is collected by the District Council in its planning monitoring reports. In other cases, the Town and Parish Councils will endeavour to collect data on an annual basis to report on the progress of the plan. It is possible that the Town and Parish Councils will choose to review the Neighbourhood Plan on a five yearly cycle and it will be informed by this monitoring activity in considering if and how to update the policies.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 45 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 APPENDIX A

Blandford Town Pupil Place Planning Statement Updated May 2017

The Blandford Town is divided into two catchments. One combined catchment that services Milldown and Archbishop Wake, and the other being Blandford St. Mary.

The two town schools, Milldown (30/ 1FE) and Archbishop Wake (60/ 2FE), have been subject to both an absolute increase in numbers as well as a modest increase in the 4+ transfer rate into mainstream schools. In September 2015 DCC provided an additional 15 places at Milldown Primary, raising their PAN temporarily from 30 to 45. This has been repeated for September 2016. DCC is very concerned that if no new site is brought forward for a new school that the LA’s statutory duty to provide sufficient school places could be at risk as the Milldown School could not absorb further temporary buildings to take in the existing numbers of children in the pyramid.

The Blandford Town Pupil Place Planning area has been subject to a significant increase in numbers of children at the 4+ point of entry. In 2010 this was 112 children looking for a reception place against a then capacity of 75. As this number increased an additional 15 places were made available at Archbishop Wake Primary taking them from 45 to 60 places. For the 2014 entry point the number of children looking for a place rose to 147 then 133 in 2015 and 148 in 2016. It is anticipated that 152 children will be looking for places for September 2017. As stated above, DCC has been managing the additional pressures through the temporary expansion of Milldown Primary. There is a limit for this unplanned expansion of the school using modular temporary buildings. The design of Archbishop Wake Primary makes it impossible to build additional accommodation within the area of the school buildings and has been ruled out for extension on the playing fields as they are remote from the school and this presents significant safeguarding issues if a school is expanded in this way. Dorset County Council thus currently has existing demand of 30 places per year in excess of what can be managed. The projections, without taking into account further housing, suggest an additional 150 4+ catchment children per year through to 2026. Traditionally there has been 91%+ transition/take up rate. As well as the additional 30 places that are required now, there is a need for an additional 1FE entry to accommodate the proposed housing identified within The North Dorset District Local Plan. As stated there are considerable difficulties that at present could not be overcome to increase the town capacity by 1FE. To add an additional further 1FE of capacity can only be accommodated by a new school. Given that an additional 2FE of capacity is required in the Town to absorb existing demographic pressures and to respond to the housing in the plan, the most efficient, appropriate and sustainable way is a new school. If additional housing comes forward

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 46 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 as part of the Blandford+ proposals, this will further entrench the need for the 2FE of additional capacity.

The options for a school site have been investigated: 1. To expand existing – as previously documented above, 2FE could not be added to the existing school estate on their current sites. 2. A new school on the Blandford St. Mary Development – The children from this development will be absorbed by the Blandford St. Mary Primary, and push back children that access the school from the town. The places that are required are to the north of the town where the pressures are and where a significant component of the new housing will be allocated. Indeed the Blandford+ proposals further consolidate the position for a need for provision in the north. To secure a 2FE site to the south of Blandford St. Mary will require in excess of 400 children travelling to and from Blandford Town into Blandford St. Mary each day. 3. The retail/commercial land south of Sunrise Business Park- This has now been confirmed as retail/commercial for a supermarket development and is no longer an option. 4. The sports provision site north of the Blandford By-pass – this site can provide the necessary minimum 2.1ha that are required for 2FE. It can also provide sufficient site for a 3FE should DCC want to secure some additional school provision for developments beyond the end of the current local plan. The site is to the North of Blandford and thus is sited close to where the children are currently coming from. There are already good pedestrian links into the housing provision in the northern part of the town. 5. Other sites – DCC has looked and it has been agreed locally that there are no other sites of appropriate size within the town/by-pass area.

To this end DCC is committed to securing a minimum 2FE school site in Blandford and based on the analysis to date, the site north of the bypass is the most appropriate, and the delivery of which is critical to the ability of DCC to fulfil its statutory obligation of providing school places in the town.

DCC acknowledges the proposed site sits within the Cranborne and West Wiltshire Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but: a) The pressure of school places and the statutory duty of the LA to provide sufficient school places, makes the proposal an exceptional one given the lack of alternative sites within the town. b) There would be works to address any appropriate landscaping to minimise the impact of the development c) There are no appropriate sites for a 2.1ha school other than the preferred site. To have the school developed elsewhere away from the AONB (if a site was identified) will have significant impact on the school’s ability to address the needs of the community locally. In addition it would significantly increase the environmental impact on the area by the additional car movements required to ensure 400 children could access the primary school safely.

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 47 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 Additional Information - May 2017 There are two further options proposed to the south of Blandford. As stated previously there are approximately 18 -20 children in catchment for the Blandford St. Mary’s Primary School. At present the school does fill to PAN at 30, but in the main these are children from within the combined catchment area of Archbishop Wake and Milldown Primary Schools (shaded grey on the attached map). The additional housing to the south of the Blandford St. Mary’s roundabout will then absorb the excess capacity in the Blandford St. Mary’s primary school and thus the overflow from the combined Blandford Town catchment will have nowhere to go. Currently the combined catchment for Milldown and Archbishop Wake has upwards of 160 children in catchment. Along with the 20 for Blandford St. Mary’s and 19 at Pimperne, there is a total demand for 199 places prior to any new housing. There is capacity for 150 children per year group across the 4 schools (Milldown, Archbishop Wake, Blandford St. Mary’s, Pimperne). There is further overflow capacity to Spetisbury and Durweston though these are not preference places at this stage. DCC would not use the Downlands facility given the remoteness and the security checks required for non-camp families to access it. There is a loss to the private sector and some to the Wimborne Pyramid. Despite this there is already pressure in the town which has been managed through additional temporary capacity at Milldown, but this has reached its optimum given the site constraints. Though DCC has managed capacity for the September 2017 entry, pressure will build again in September 2018/19 and the ability of the LA to progress a new school is now urgent. In terms of travel – children currently travel from the combined catchment in the centre of town to Blandford St. Mary, approximately 10-15 per year group, or to Pimperne (10- 12 per year group). Should additional spaces (up to 60 per year group – 7 year groups overall) be provided in or around Blandford St. Mary’s, there is a potential that all of those children would be transported by DCC funded transport or by individual private journeys from the combined catchment area into the school in the south. The site on the northern edge of the combined catchment area provides ready and easy access, much of it within walking distance for the families who would otherwise have to look to the south for school provision. Given the likely constraints on further school site allocations, DCC has looked for a minimum 2.1ha site for a 2FE site but have also with the developers considered the ability of the area to provide a 3FE site. There is likely to be continued pressure from out of catchment for places at Pimperne, but this will be based on parental preference. Ed Denham School Place Sufficiency Manager Dorset County Council

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 48 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 Pupil Admission Number (PAN) and Catchment Area Map

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 49 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017 APPENDIX B – AIR QUALITY REPORT

Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan 50 Revised Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment May 2017

Air Quality Assessment: Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal

May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

Document Control

Client Savills Principal Contact Cliff Lane

Job Number J2906

Report Prepared By: Pauline Jezequel and Penny Wilson

Document Status and Review Schedule

Report No. Date Status Reviewed by J2906/1/F2 5 May 2017 Final Prof. Duncan Laxen (Managing Director)

This report has been prepared by Air Quality Consultants Ltd on behalf of the Client, taking into account the agreed scope of works. Unless otherwise agreed, this document and all other Intellectual Property Rights remain the property of Air Quality Consultants Ltd.

In preparing this report, Air Quality Consultants Ltd has exercised all reasonable skill and care, taking into account the objectives and the agreed scope of works. Air Quality Consultants Ltd does not accept any liability in negligence for any matters arising outside of the agreed scope of works. The Company operates a formal Quality Management System, which is certified to ISO 9001:2008, and a formal Environmental Management System, certified to ISO 14001:2015. QMF 08.

When issued in electronic format, Air Quality Consultants Ltd does not accept any responsibility for any unauthorised changes made by others.

When printed by Air Quality Consultants Ltd, this report will be on Evolve Office, 100% Recycled paper.

Air Quality Consultants Ltd 23 Coldharbour Road, Bristol BS6 7JT Tel: 0117 974 1086 1 Burwood Place, London W2 2UT Tel: 020 3873 4780 [email protected]

Registered Office: 12 St Oswalds Road, Bristol, BS6 7HT Companies House Registration No: 2814570

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

1 Introduction

1.1 North Dorset District Council (NDDC) is currently working on a new version of its Local Plan (North Dorset District Council, 2016b). It is understood that land to the north and east of Blandford Forum (as identified in Policy 1 of the Blandford Neighbourhood Plan (Blandford Forum Town Council, 2016), hereinafter to be called “Extension”) will complement Policy 16 of the new Local Plan. This land would be developed to provide a mix of uses including residential and commercial, as well as a primary school. The Examiner has requested that consideration be given to air quality with regards to this proposal, as it would impact upon traffic flows on the local road network. A qualitative assessment of impacts that the addition of this site (the Extension) could have on local air quality has therefore been undertaken. It focuses on the potential impacts of the Extension on

nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations, as these are the main air pollutants of concern related to traffic emissions,

1.2 This note is to be submitted to the Examiner in support of a revised Sustainability Appraisal of the Neighbourhood Plan. It describes current air quality conditions in the study area, and estimations of the impacts on local air quality that additional road traffic associated with the Extension could have. The assessment has been carried out by Air Quality Consultants Ltd on behalf of Savills.

J2906 2 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

2 Policy Context and Assessment Criteria

Air Quality Strategy

2.1 The Air Quality Strategy (Defra, 2007) published by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Devolved Administrations, provides the policy framework for air quality management and assessment in the UK. It provides air quality standards and objectives for key air pollutants, which are designed to protect human health and the environment. It also sets out how the different sectors: industry, transport and local government, can contribute to achieving the air quality objectives. Local authorities are seen to play a particularly important role. The strategy describes the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) regime that has been established, whereby every authority has to carry out regular reviews and assessments of air quality in its area to identify whether the objectives have been, or will be, achieved at relevant locations, by the applicable date. If this is not the case, the authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), and prepare an action plan which identifies appropriate measures that will be introduced in pursuit of the objectives.

Planning Policy

National Policies

2.2 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (2012) sets out national planning guidance for England in one place. It places a general presumption in favour of sustainable development, stressing the importance of local development plans, and states that the planning system should perform an environmental role to minimise pollution. One of the twelve core planning principles notes that planning should “contribute to…reducing pollution”. To prevent unacceptable risks from air pollution, planning decisions should ensure that new development is appropriate for its location. The NPPF states that the “effects (including cumulative effects) of pollution on health, the natural environment or general amenity, and the potential sensitivity of the area or proposed development to adverse effects from pollution, should be taken into account”.

2.3 More specifically the NPPF makes clear that:

“Planning policies should sustain compliance with and contribute towards EU limit values or national objectives for pollutants, taking into account the presence of Air Quality Management Areas and the cumulative impacts on air quality from individual sites in local areas. Planning decisions should ensure that any new development in Air Quality Management Areas is consistent with the local air quality action plan”.

2.4 The NPPF is now supported by Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) (DCLG, 2017), which includes guiding principles on how planning can take account of the impacts of new development on air

J2906 3 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

quality. The PPG states that “Defra carries out an annual national assessment of air quality using modelling and monitoring to determine compliance with EU Limit Values” and “It is important that the potential impact of new development on air quality is taken into account … where the national assessment indicates that relevant limits have been exceeded or are near the limit”. The role of the local authorities is covered by the LAQM regime, with the PPG stating that local authority Air Quality Action Plans “identify measures that will be introduced in pursuit of the objectives”.

2.5 The PPG states that:

“Whether or not air quality is relevant to a planning decision will depend on the proposed development and its location. Concerns could arise if the development is likely to generate air quality impact in an area where air quality is known to be poor. They could also arise where the development is likely to adversely impact upon the implementation of air quality strategies and action plans and/or, in particular, lead to a breach of EU legislation (including that applicable to wildlife)”.

Assessment Criteria

2.6 The Government has established a set of air quality standards and objectives to protect human health. The ‘standards’ are set as concentrations below which effects are unlikely even in sensitive population groups, or below which risks to public health would be exceedingly small. They are based purely upon the scientific and medical evidence of the effects of an individual pollutant. The ‘objectives’ set out the extent to which the Government expects the standards to be achieved by a certain date. They take account of economic efficiency, practicability, technical feasibility and timescale. The objectives for use by local authorities are prescribed within the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000 (2000) and the Air Quality (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (2002).

2.7 The objectives for nitrogen dioxide and PM10 were to have been achieved by 2005 and 2004

respectively, and continue to apply in all future years thereafter. The PM 2.5 objective is to be achieved by 2020. Measurements across the UK have shown that the 1-hour nitrogen dioxide objective is unlikely to be exceeded at roadside locations where the annual mean concentration is below 60 µg/m3 (Defra, 2016).

2.8 The objectives apply at locations where members of the public are likely to be regularly present and are likely to be exposed over the averaging period of the objective. Defra explains where these objectives will apply in its Local Air Quality Management Technical Guidance (Defra, 2016).

The annual mean objectives for nitrogen dioxide and PM10 are considered to apply at the façades of residential properties, schools, hospitals etc.; they do not apply at hotels. The 24-hour objective

for PM10 is considered to apply at the same locations as the annual mean objective, as well as in gardens of residential properties and at hotels. The 1-hour mean objective for nitrogen dioxide

J2906 4 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

applies wherever members of the public might regularly spend 1-hour or more, including outdoor eating locations and pavements of busy shopping streets.

2.9 The European Union has also set limit values for nitrogen dioxide, PM 10 and PM2.5. The limit values for nitrogen dioxide are the same numerical concentrations as the UK objectives, but achievement of these values is a national obligation rather than a local one (Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, 2008). In the UK, only monitoring and modelling carried out by UK Central Government meets the specification required to assess compliance with the limit values. Central Government does not recognise local authority monitoring or local modelling studies when determining the likelihood of the limit values being exceeded.

2.10 The relevant air quality criteria for this assessment are provided in Table 1.

Table 1: Air Quality Criteria for Nitrogen Dioxide, PM 10 and PM2.5

Pollutant Time Period Objective

1-hour Mean 200 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 18 times a year Nitrogen Dioxide Annual Mean 40 µg/m3

24-hour Mean 50 µg/m3 not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year Fine Particles (PM10) Annual Mean 40 µg/m3

Fine Particles 3 a Annual Mean 25 µg/m (PM2.5)

a The PM2.5 objective, which is to be met by 2020, is not in Regulations and there is no requirement for local authorities to meet it.

J2906 5 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

3 Existing Air Quality Conditions

Air Quality Review and Assessment

3.1 NDDC has investigated air quality within its area as part of its responsibilities under the LAQM regime. The Council’s annual assessments of sources of pollutants (North Dorset District Council, 2016a) have confirmed that all air quality objectives are being met throughout the District. As such, to date, NDDC has not declared any AQMAs. Due to the low risk of the nitrogen dioxide objectives being exceeded, the Council does not carry out any air quality monitoring.

3.2 The Council has therefore determined that air quality is good in the Blandford Forum area, with pollutant concentrations below the relevant objectives.

Background Concentrations

3.3 Estimated background concentrations in the study area have been determined for 2017 and the nearest year to the end of the Local Plan period with available estimations (2030) using Defra’s background maps (Defra, 2017). The background concentrations are set out in Table 2. The background concentrations are all well below the objectives, with concentrations being less than half of the objectives.

Table 2: Estimated Annual Mean Background Pollutant Concentrations in 2017 and 2030 (µg/m3)

Year NO2 PM10 PM2.5 2017 8.3 15.0 10.3 2031 6.0 14.4 9.7 Objectives 40 40 25a

a The PM2.5 objective, which is to be met by 2020, is not in Regulations and there is no requirement for local authorities to meet it.

J2906 6 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

4 Qualitative Impact Assessment

4.1 An Access Appraisal (PFA Consulting, 2016) was undertaken by PFA Consulting for the land north and east of Blandford which is the subject of this assessment. Potential vehicular accesses to the two sites were considered. For the northern parcel, access could be provided through the Sunrise roundabout, from the A350 or from the A354 Salisbury Road. For the eastern parcel, access could be provided from the A354 Blandford Forum Bypass, from the A354 Salisbury Road or from the A350/A354 roundabout.

4.2 Traffic generated by developed land would therefore be first distributed onto the A350 and A354, and then spread across the local road network in the Blandford Forum area and further away. PFA Consulting has indicated that once in operation, the Extension would generate a maximum of approximately 5,500 vehicle trips per day on weekdays (This includes traffic associated with the proposed school). Trips generated at weekends are likely to be less than on weekdays.

4.3 Traffic counts from the Department for Transport (DfT, 2017) have been sourced for the A350 and the A354 in Blandford Forum (Traffic count points 28331 and 57802). These indicate that in 2016, there were an average of 11,962 vehicles per day using the A350, and 20,422 vehicles using the A354. A conservative approach can be adopted, which considers that there could be a maximum increase of around 5,500 vehicles per day on both the A350 and the A354. This would correspond to increases in traffic of around 46% and 27% on the A350 and A354 respectively, compared to 2016 surveyed numbers.

4.4 As discussed in paragraph 2.8, the objectives only apply at locations where members of the public are regularly present over the averaging period of the objective, such as residential properties. The majority of the additional traffic would initially use the A350/A354 Blandford Forum bypass, before being distributed across the wider network. There are currently no residential properties within 20 m of the bypass, and it is unlikely to be so as a result of the proposed development due to landscape buffers adjacent to the bypass. Pollutant concentrations reduce significantly with distance from the road and are close to background levels beyond about 20 m.

4.5 Current background levels of NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 are well below the objectives in Blandford Forum (25-40% of the objective levels), with concentrations in 2031 (the anticipated year of opening of development) expected to have lowered further compared to current levels. Thus even with an increase in traffic on the A350/A354 it is possible to be confident that concentrations at relevant receptors alongside the A350/A354 in 2031 will remain below the objectives. Furthermore, the Council has not identified exceedances of the objectives within Blandford Forum and the increase of traffic within the town is unlikely to change this.

J2906 7 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

4.6 It is therefore concluded that development on land north of east of Blandford Forum would not lead to exceedances of the air quality objectives. There should therefore be no air quality constraints with regards to the addition of land in respect of proposals contained in Policy 1 of the Blandford Neighbourhood Plan, nor are there likely to be any constraints with regards to the cumulative effect of the addition of land to Policy 16 of the New Local Plan for NDDC.

J2906 8 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

5 References

Blandford Forum Town Council (2016) Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan.

DCLG (2017) Planning Practice Guidance, [Online], Available: http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/.

Defra (2007) The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Defra.

Defra (2016) Review & Assessment: Technical Guidance LAQM.TG16, Defra.

Defra (2017) Defra Air Quality Website, [Online], Available: http://laqm.defra.gov.uk/.

DfT (2017) Annual Average Daily Flows, [Online], Available: http://www.dft.gov.uk/matrix/.

Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (2008).

National Planning Policy Framework (2012), DCLG.

North Dorset District Council (2016a) 2016 Air Quality Annual Status Report.

North Dorset District Council (2016b) North Dorset Local Plan.

PFA Consulting (2016) Access Appraisal.

The Air Quality (England) (Amendment) Regulations, 2002, Statutory Instrument 3043 (2002), HMSO.

The Air Quality (England) Regulations, 2000, Statutory Instrument 928 (2000), HMSO.

J2906 9 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

6 Glossary

AADT Annual Average Daily Traffic

AQC Air Quality Consultants

AQAL Air Quality Assessment Level

AQMA Air Quality Management Area

DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government

Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Exceedance A period of time when the concentration of a pollutant is greater than the appropriate air quality objective. This applies to specified locations with relevant exposure

HGV Heavy Goods Vehicle

IAQM Institute of Air Quality Management

LAQM Local Air Quality Management

μg/m3 Microgrammes per cubic metre

NO2 Nitrogen dioxide

NPPF National Planning Policy Framework

Objectives A nationally defined set of health-based concentrations for nine pollutants, seven of which are incorporated in Regulations, setting out the extent to which the standards should be achieved by a defined date. There are also vegetation-based objectives for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

PM 10 Small airborne particles, more specifically particulate matter less than 10 micrometres in aerodynamic diameter

PM 2.5 Small airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometres in aerodynamic diameter

PPG Planning Practice Guidance

Standards A nationally defined set of concentrations for nine pollutants below which health effects do not occur or are minimal

J2906 10 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

7 Appendices

A1 Professional Experience ...... 12

J2906 11 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

A1 Professional Experience

Prof. Duncan Laxen, BSc (Hons) MSc PhD MIEnvSc FIAQM

Prof Laxen is the Managing Director of Air Quality Consultants, a company which he founded in 1993. He has over forty years’ experience in environmental sciences and has been a member of Defra’s Air Quality Expert Group and the Department of Health’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution. He has been involved in major studies of air quality, including nitrogen dioxide,

lead, dust, acid rain, PM10, PM2.5 and ozone and was responsible for setting up the UK’s urban air quality monitoring network. Prof Laxen has been responsible for appraisals of all local authorities’ air quality Review & Assessment reports and for providing guidance and support to local authorities carrying out their local air quality management duties. He has carried out air quality assessments for power stations; road schemes; ports; airports; railways; mineral and landfill sites; and residential/commercial developments. He has also been involved in numerous investigations into industrial emissions; ambient air quality; indoor air quality; nuisance dust and transport emissions. Prof Laxen has prepared specialist reviews on air quality topics and contributed to the development of air quality management in the UK. He has been an expert witness at numerous Public Inquiries, published over 70 scientific papers and given numerous presentations at conferences. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Air Quality Management.

Penny Wilson, BSc (Hons) CSci MIEnvSc MIAQM

Ms Wilson is a Principal Consultant with AQC, with more than fifteen years’ relevant experience in the field of air quality. She has been responsible for air quality assessments of a wide range of development projects, covering retail, housing, roads, ports, railways and airports. She has also prepared air quality review and assessment reports and air quality action plans for local authorities and appraised local authority assessments and air quality grant applications on behalf of the UK governments. Ms Wilson has arranged air quality and dust monitoring programmes and carried out dust and odour assessments. She has provided expert witness services for planning appeals and is Member of the Institute of Air Quality Management and a Chartered Scientist.

Pauline Jezequel, MSc MIEnvSc AMIAQM

Miss Jezequel is a Senior Consultant with AQC with seven years’ relevant experience. Prior to joining AQC she worked as an air quality consultant at AECOM. She has also worked as an air quality controller at Bureau Veritas in France, undertaking a wide range of ambient and indoor air quality measurements for audit purposes. She now works in the field of air quality assessment, undertaking air quality impact assessments for a wide range of development projects in the UK and abroad, including for residential and commercial developments, transport schemes (rail, road and airport), waste facilities and industrial sites. Miss Jezequel has also undertaken a number of

J2906 12 of 13 May 2017

Neighbourhood Plan – Policy 1 - Sustainability Appraisal Air Quality Assessment

odour surveys and assessments in the context of planning applications. She has experience in monitoring construction dust, as well as indoor pollutant levels for BREEAM purposes.

Full CVs are available at www.aqconsultants.co.uk. .

J2906 13 of 13 May 2017