Sustainability Appraisal for the Brades Village Supplementary Planning Document
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SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL FOR THE BRADES VILLAGE SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING DOCUMENT OCTOBER 2006 For further information concerning the Brades Village SPD and related documents, please contact: Planning Policy Section Directorate of Planning and Transportation Development House Lombard Street West Bromwich West Midlands B70 8RU Telephone: 0121 569 4003 Fax: 0121 569 4082 E-mail: [email protected] The SA and SPD can also be found on the Council’s website at www.sandwell.gov.uk CONTENTS 1. BRADES VILLAGE SPD 1 2. SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL 3 3. SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL METHODOLOGY 5 4. SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES, BASELINE AND CONTEXT 7 5. PLAN ISSUES AND OPTIONS 19 6. PLAN POLICIES 21 7. IMPLEMENTATION 25 APPENDICES 26 SA Report for the Brades Village SPD I 1. BRADES VILLAGE SPD 1.1 Overview of the SPD The Brades Village Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) relates to a significant portion of land located to the west of Oldbury Town Centre. The SPD focuses on a collection of allocated sites and also includes a number of non-allocated, vacant, currently in use and contaminated sites. The area has remained largely undeveloped, partly due to contamination and a lack of development opportunities. The vision for the area is to create a sustainable extension to the existing suburban community, which will provide significant additional types of housing and open space and will assist in the general improvement of the area. The SPD establishes a comprehensive vision for the area, within a sustainable context and provides guidance to enable a co-ordinated approach to development. The SPD aims to promote and achieve the 5 objectives, listed in Table 1. 1.2 Plan Objectives The purpose of the SPD is to provide specific guidance to assist the delivery of coordinated development in the Brades Village area. It is accepted that the area would be developed, in time without the SPD, through the development control process and the application of UDP policies and proposals. However, it is considered that this process could potentially result in piecemeal development. The Council therefore considered it necessary to produce guidance for the Brades Village area in the form of a development strategy, which would provide an additional level of influence and control to supplement the existing UDP (2004) policies and proposals. Guidance for the area in the form of an SPD will provide a specific perspective of the local issues and opportunities, and will enable a more coordinated and prescriptive approach to the delivery of development. Table 1. Proposed Plan Objectives for Brades Village SPD 1 Provide additional guidance for the area, to bring forward comprehensive development as part of a co-ordinated approach. 2 Provide a distinctive, high quality, connected, sustainable community environment, within which to live and enjoy recreation. 3 Improve connectivity and accessibility to public transport, alternative modes of sustainable travel and local facilities. 4 Providing sufficient, quality, accessible public open space and a network of interconnected green spaces for all users that meet the needs of the community. 5 Conserving, preserving and enhancing the natural, built and historic environments, whilst minimising environmental effects. SA Report for the Brades Village SPD 1 1.3 Likely Significant Effects of the Plan It is considered that the likely significant effects of the plan will be mostly positive, as the SPD aims to facilitate the creation of a sustainable community, provide good quality public open space, green links and additional facilities. Improvements will involve the decontamination and reuse of sections of land and will result in the general improvement of the area and setting of the Birmingham and Gower Branch Canals. It is envisaged that there is the potential for a minimal number of effects as a result of implementing the plan including; a potential increase in the amount of surface run off and impact on the SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation) and Wildlife Corridor as a consequence of development in close proximity. However, it is not considered that any of these effects will be significant. The SEA Directive requires the preparation of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for plans which “determine the use of small areas at a local level” or which are “minor modifications” to plans only where they are determined to be likely to have significant environmental effects. Following the Screening Stage of the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) process, the Council, aided by the responses of the Consultation Bodies (the Countryside Agency, English Heritage, English Nature and the Environment Agency) determined that the SPD was not “likely to have significant environmental effects”. 1.4 Consultation The SA Report was consulted on for a six week period from 17th July to 29th August 2006, in conjunction with the draft SPD and representations were taken into consideration in the preparation of the SA Report to support the Adopted SPD. SA Report for the Brades Village SPD 2 2. SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL 2.1 Purpose of the SA and the SA Report The SA process is designed to infuse robust sustainability input into the plan making process. PPS1 states that, ‘planning authorities should ensure that sustainable development is treated in an integrated way in their development plans. In particular, they should carefully consider the inter-relationship between social inclusion, protecting and enhancing the environment, the prudent use of natural resources and economic development’. The SA process performs a valuable role of informing the plan through promoting the consideration of social, environmental and economic issues. The process also assists in the determination and justification of sustainable options through measuring plan objectives and options against SA objectives (the SA Framework). 2.2 Compliance with the SEA Directive/Regulations The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations (2004) states that an environmental assessment is not required for plans or programmes that determine the use of a small area at a local level or for a minor modification to a plan or programme. This is unless it has been determined that the plan, programme or modification is likely to have significant environmental effects. In line with regulations and the SEA Directive a Screening Statement was compiled and consulted on, which determined that the preparation of an SEA for the Brades Village SPD was not necessary. A Scoping Report was later compiled and consulted on, in order to determine the scope and level of detail of the SA Report. Consultation with the Consultation Bodies; the Countryside Agency, English Heritage, English Nature and the Environment Agency determined that there was no requirement for the preparation of an SEA. In January 2006, Sandwell Council compiled a Screening Statement and consulted on the Four Consultation Bodies in accordance with the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 and the European Directive 2001/42/EC in order to determine whether there was a requirement for the preparation of an SEA for the Brades Village SPD. The responses from the Four Consultation Bodies were as follows: The Countryside Agency “Given the likely impact of the SPD, the Countryside Agency will not require an SEA to be produced to address our environmental interests”. English Heritage “English Heritage concurs with the Council that the preparation of a Strategic Environmental Assessment is not required”. SA Report for the Brades Village SPD 3 English Nature “It would appear that the document has the potential to result in ‘significant environmental effects’, including some that are positive… if there is any doubt, an SEA should be prepared”. The Environment Agency “The Agency recommends that a Sustainability Appraisal is prepared as significant environmental effects are likely”. In response to this advice the Council produced a Scoping Report (which scoped for the requirements of an SA, and not an SEA under the SEA Directive (2001)) and issued a Statement of Determination (in accordance with Reg. 9 (1)), which reiterated the views and conclusions of the Consultation Bodies, which indicated that there was no requirement for the preparation of an SEA. 2.3 Statement on the Difference the SA Process has made to Date The SA process has helped to inform the content of the SPD and has provided a sustainable perspective through promoting the consideration of social, environmental and economic issues during its preparation. The process has facilitated the consideration of existing sustainability issues in the area, some of which have been taken into account during the preparation of the plan in an attempt to address these concerns through the implementation of the plan. The Scoping stage enabled the Council to consult on and as a result refine the twenty Sustainability Objectives, which have been used to form the SA Framework. Plan objectives and plan options have also been refined through the SA process. Measuring the plan objectives against the twenty sustainability objectives enabled the Council to assess whether it was likely for conflicts to arise between the aspirations of the plan and the pursuit of sustainability as a result of implementing the SPD. The process identified that there are a number of potential, though somewhat unavoidable conflicts between the plan objectives and the sustainability objectives, which stimulated the consideration of potential mitigation measures. The process also