Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Stroud District Local Plan Review – Draft Plan
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Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Stroud District Local Plan Review – Draft Plan Appendices Prepared by LUC November 2019 Project Title: Sustainability Appraisal of the Stroud District Local Plan Review – Draft Plan Client: Stroud District Council Version Date Version Details Prepared by Checked by Approved by 1 01/11/19 First Draft Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices for the Stroud Draft Local Plan 2 18/11/19 Final Draft Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Stroud Draft Local Plan – addressing client comments 3 18/11/19 Final Draft Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Stroud Draft Local Plan – final version SA Report Appendices for Stroud District Local Plan Review - Draft Plan (November 2019) Last saved: 19/11/2019 17:11 Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Stroud District Local Plan Review – Draft Plan Appendices Prepared by LUC November 2019 Planning & EIA LUC BRISTOL Offices also in: Land Use Consultants Ltd th Registered in England Design 12 Floor Colston Tower Edinburgh Registered number: 2549296 Landscape Planning Colston Street Bristol Glasgow Registered Office: Landscape Management BS1 4XE Lancaster 43 Chalton Street Ecology T +44 (0)117 929 1997 London London NW1 1JD GIS & Visualisation [email protected] Manchester FS 566056 EMS 566057 LUC uses 100% recycled paper Contents Appendix 1 1 Consultation Comments on SA Scoping Report and Emerging Strategy Paper SA Report 1 Appendix 2 34 Baseline Information 34 Geography 35 Population 36 Housing 36 Social Inclusion and Deprivation 38 Health 39 Culture, Leisure and Recreation 39 Education 40 Crime 41 Landscape, Biodiversity and Geodiversity 41 Historic Environment 43 Air and Water 46 Flood Risk 47 Energy and Climate Change 49 Soils 50 Resource Use/Waste and Recycling 51 Employment and Economic Activity 51 Transport 55 Tourism 56 Appendix 3 67 SA findings for Policy Options considered at the Issues and Options stage (2017) 67 Introduction 68 Chapter 1: Key Issues 68 Chapter 2: Needs 68 Chapter 3: Future Growth Strategy 71 Chapter 4: Background Studies 75 Appendix 4 76 Assumptions Informing the Appraisal of Site Options 76 Appendix 5 112 Detailed SA Matrices for all of the Site Options considered to date 112 Summary of Sustainability Appraisal Findings for all of the Reasonable Site Options considered to date 113 Residential site options 137 New site options considered following the Emerging Strategy Paper 490 Appendix 6 545 Summary of SA effects identified for the Emerging Strategy Paper 545 Appendix 7 553 Detailed SA Matrices for draft site allocations in the Draft Plan 553 Sites Allocations in the Draft Local Plan 554 Appendix 8 625 Audit Trail of Policy and Site Options 625 Appendix 1 Consultation Comments on SA Scoping Report and Emerging Strategy Paper SA Report Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices for the Stroud 1 November 2019 Draft Local Plan Table A1.1: Consultation responses to comments on the Emerging Strategy Paper SA Report Consultee Representation Comment SA Team Response relating to Natural SA rep 1 – Natural England welcomed the thorough approach taken Comment noted. England consideration of to preparation of the SA. The loss of greenfield land and impacts on higher value biodiversity and Comments relating to the emerging growth strategy are agricultural soils have been considered as part of SA geodiversity; included specifically with regards to the themes of objective 13 as set out in Table 2.2: SA framework for the landscape and biodiversity and geodiversity (SA objective 7), landscape Stroud District Local Plan Review. The emerging growth townscape; and and townscape (SA objective 8) and efficient land use strategy (as presented in the Emerging Growth Strategy efficient land use (including soils and best most and versatile land) (SA Paper) has been appraised as having significant negative objective 13): effects in terms of both loss of greenfield land and higher value agricultural soils. The full effects have been • Table 6.4 Summary of SA effects for emerging growth described in Appendix 6 and the summary is presented in strategy’ allocates a ‘- -?’ (Significant adverse) score paragraph 6.40 of the main body of the SA report for the for SA7 Biodiversity. This is the only SA objective to Emerging Growth Strategy Paper. The summary of these attract such a score, highlighting the juxtaposition of effects is presented in Appendix 6 of this report. The the proposed new settlement immediately adjacent to overall effect has been recorded as mixed minor positive the estuary with its multiple nature conservation and significant negative given that the strategy would also designations and potential ‘functionally linked land’. prioritise the use of brownfield sites across the district. The consultee states that scale of this development also requires consideration of loss of ‘best and most The SA report has drawn on information that is available versatile land’. Natural England is to continue to and proportionate to its strategic nature. Should further advise the LPA in relation to this allocation. landscape sensitivity assessment work become available it • The general trend towards avoiding those sites will be used to inform the findings of the forthcoming requiring development within the Cotswolds AONB, iterations of the report. consistent with this designated landscape’s level of The findings of the HRA in relation to land and waterways protection is welcomed by the consultee. The SA which may be functionally linked to the Severn Estuary Report describes partial coverage of the district using designations will be used to inform forthcoming iterations Landscape Sensitivity Analysis (LSA) and makes a of the SA report, in the appraisal of the Local Plan in case for further evidence base work to address this relation to SA objective 7: biodiversity and geodiversity. shortfall. The consultee states that subsequent stages of the local plan’s development should take account of any gaps in LSA where these represent a material gap in the evidence base. • The consultee also highlights the commentary of the SA Report at paragraph 6.47 which states that most Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices for the Stroud Draft Local Plan 2 November 2019 Consultee Representation Comment SA Team Response relating to significant infrastructure improvements would not come forward in close proximity to any national or international biodiversity designations and that there may be a need to identify reserve sites for housing if potential sites for development do not come forward. This commentary of the SA report has been related to comments on the HRA with regards to the need for further work to understand the distribution, extent and sensitivities of land and waterways functionally linked to the Severn Estuary designations. Environment SA rep 2 - The consultee notes that their previous recommendations Comment noted. Agency consideration of have been included within the sub objectives for SA 12. In relation to the residential site options, while paragraph flood risk (SA The consultee does not concur with the statement made 5.9 of the SA Report for Emerging Strategy Paper refers to objective 12) in the section of the report which relates to the residential impacts of developing greenfield or brownfield land on site options (from paragraph 5.9 of the SA Report for flood risk it also states “if any of those sites (within flood Emerging Strategy Paper) because too much weight is zone 3) are to be allocated in the Local Plan Review it will being given to the issue of surface water runoff in relation be necessary to direct built development to those areas of to other sources of flood risk. The consultee states that the sites that are outside of flood zone 3 and incorporate fluvial flooding may have a greater impact, or at appropriate mitigation measures such as Sustainable minimum equate to potential impacts from greenfield Drainage Systems (SuDS)”. All sites have been appraised sites. based on the area of the site that is within Flood Zone 3a and 3b. The assumptions which have been used to The consultee considers that too much emphasis seems achieve a consistent approach to the appraisal of site to have been placed on potential flood risk from surface options are presented in Appendix 4 of the SA Report for water than other risk sources when appraising the Emerging Strategy Paper and this report. The appraisal of potential sites for allocation. The consultee states that SA objective 12 therefore takes into account land that is assumptions for the appraisal of sites should be updated located within these higher risk flood areas as well as as follows (SA objective 12): whether it is greenfield or brownfield land. As such fluvial • Sites that are entirely or mainly (i.e. >50%) on flood risk has been considered as part of the SA. greenfield land that is within flood zones 3a or 3b or The above points considered the SA assumptions have mainly on brownfield within flood zones 3a or 3b are been updated in this iteration of the SA Report to better likely to have a significant negative (--) effect. reflect the consultee’s comment. Changes to the SA • Sites that are either entirely or mainly on greenfield assumptions are shown in underlined text. The appraisal outside of flood zones 3a and 3b, or that are entirely Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices for the Stroud Draft Local Plan 3 November 2019 Consultee Representation Comment SA Team Response relating to or mainly on brownfield outside flood zones 3a or 3b of all sites has been updated in line with the change to are likely to have a minor negative (-) effect. this SA assumption. • Sites that are on brownfield land outside of flood This SA report is reflective of the potential green zones 3a and 3b are likely to have a negligible (0) infrastructure to be incorporated as part of sustainable effect. layouts through an appropriate approach where it is In relation to the Stroud Valleys the consultee states that included in the Local Plan document.