Bromsgrove District Plan Review Issues and Options
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Bromsgrove District Council Bromsgrove District Plan Review Issues and Options Sustainability Appraisal Report Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited – August 2018 2 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited Report for Copyright and non-disclosure notice Alison Grimmett The contents and layout of this report are subject to copyright Principal Planning Officer owned by Wood (© Wood Environment & Infrastructure Bromsgrove District Council Solutions UK Limited 2018) save to the extent that copyright Town Hall has been legally assigned by us to another party or is used by Walter Stranz Square Wood under licence. To the extent that we own the copyright Redditch in this report, it may not be copied or used without our prior Worcestershire written agreement for any purpose other than the purpose B98 8AH indicated in this report. The methodology (if any) contained in this report is provided to you in confidence and must not be disclosed or copied to third parties without the prior written agreement of Wood. Disclosure of that information may Main contributors constitute an actionable breach of confidence or may Ryan Llewellyn otherwise prejudice our commercial interests. Any third party Sean Nicholson who obtains access to this report by any means will, in any Robert Deanwood event, be subject to the Third Party Disclaimer set out below. Pete Davis Third party disclaimer Issued by Any disclosure of this report to a third party is subject to this disclaimer. The report was prepared by Wood at the instruction of, and for use by, our client named on the front of the report. It does not in any way constitute advice to any third party who is able to access it by any means. Wood excludes to the fullest extent lawfully permitted all liability whatsoever for any loss or ................................................................................. damage howsoever arising from reliance on the contents of Sean Nicholson this report. We do not however exclude our liability (if any) for personal injury or death resulting from our negligence, for fraud or any other matter in relation to which we cannot legally Approved by exclude liability. Management systems This document has been produced by Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited in full compliance with the ................................................................................ management systems, which have been certified to ISO 9001, Pete Davis ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 by LRQA. Wood Document revisions Gables House No. Details Date Kenilworth Road Leamington Spa 1 Draft Report June 2018 Warwickshire CV32 6JX United Kingdom 2 Final Report August 2018 Tel +44 (0) 1926 439 000 Doc Ref. 40764R003i1 \\war-fs1.global.amec.com\shared\projects\40764 bromsgrove sa\1 client\reports\revised i&o sa aug 18\final for issue\issues and options sa report aug 18_final for issue.docx September 2018 Doc Ref. 40764R003i1 3 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited Disclaimer Wood has undertaken this SA in an objective, independent and impartial fashion according to the Code of Conduct set by the RTPI and Wood’s internal Code of Conduct. The approach, appraisal and reporting have been undertaken to comply with the requirements of Section 19(5) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) regulations (2004 No. 1633). There is no conflict of interest with other work undertaken, or contributed to, by Wood (this includes the Greater Birmingham Housing Market Area Strategic Growth Study (SGS)). The appraisal undertaken for the Council is based on different objectives and decision making criteria to that of the SGS. Whilst the topics covered by the SEA regulations (for example, biodiversity, population, human health, fauna, flora, soil, water, air and climatic factors) that need to be addressed through SA are the same, specific local objectives and bespoke decision making criteria are used to appraise policies and proposals. This consideration of more local information can lead to different SA outcomes as it is based on different information. This applies to the District Plan Review. SA is carried out against a framework of objectives and decision making criteria which is specific to the Plan/Study being assessed. The 2012 Scoping Report, which underpinned the appraisal of the Bromsgrove District Plan (adopted in January 2017), included 18 SA objectives. To ensure consistency with the SA Report which accompanied the now adopted District Plan and the approach to appraisal of the Plan’s effects, these SA objectives have provided the basis for development of the SA Framework for the Plan Review process. The 18 objectives have been refined in light of the up-to-date review of plans, programmes and baseline evidence set out in Section 2 and Section 3 of the draft Scoping Report (March 2018), and consideration of recent best practice. Consequently, the revised SA Framework includes 15 objectives with associated guide questions rather than the 18 set out in the 2012 Scoping Report. There are also 78 decision making criteria questions which guide the assessor’s thought process during SA. For comparison, the Strategic Growth Study SA Report had 9 SA objectives and 14 decision making criteria meaning that they two cannot be directly compared. September 2018 Doc Ref. 40764R003i1 4 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited Non-Technical Summary Introduction This Non-Technical Summary (NTS) provides an overview of the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Report produced as part of the SA of the new District Plan for Bromsgrove (the District Plan) that is currently being prepared by Bromsgrove District Council (the Council). The SA is being carried out on behalf of the Council by Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited 2018) (Wood) to help integrate sustainable development into the emerging District Plan. The Council is currently consulting on the District Plan Issues and Options document and related information, including this SA Report. This is the first opportunity to get involved in the District Plan Review, and the Council are asking for comments on whether the Issues and Options identified across Bromsgrove District are appropriate and whether there is anything that may have been overlooked that should be considered. The following sections of this NTS: Provide an overview of the Draft District Plan; Describe the approach to undertaking the SA of the Draft District Plan; Summarise the findings of the SA of the Draft District Plan; and Set out the next steps in the SA of the Draft District Plan including how to respond to the consultation on this SA Report. What is the Bromsgrove District Plan? The current Bromsgrove District Plan (2011-2030), was adopted in January 2017 and was caveated with a need to undertake a Plan Review by 2023 (Policy BDP3) as the Council were unable to allocate enough housing land in locations not covered by Green Belt designation. The Plan Review is needed to ensure that the full housing requirement for Bromsgrove District up to 2030 can be delivered and that safeguarded land for the 2030-2040 period can be identified. Furthermore, the Council has a duty to consider whether there are any realistic options to assist the West Midlands conurbation in meeting its current housing shortfall. The District Plan Review must be prepared in accordance with the Duty to Cooperate, which sets a legal duty for the Council and other public bodies to engage constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis on planning issues which affect more than one local planning authority area. Following the publication of the Revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) this will now need to be evidenced through a Statement of Common Ground (NPPF paragraph 35). As Green Belt boundaries should only be altered as part of plan preparation or review, and only in exceptional circumstances, the Council is taking this opportunity to review the District Plan in its entirety and to extend its longevity. The new District Plan will incorporate strategic policies, development management policies and other site allocations and the District Plan will also: Provide the planning principles, including detailed development management policies to guide future development and planning decisions beyond 2030; Set the general scale and distribution of new development which is required to meet Bromsgrove’s needs up to and beyond 2030; Include strategic allocations as well as detailed land allocations and designations; Include site specific proposals for the development, protection and conservation of land; September 2018 Doc Ref. 40764R003i1 5 © Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Limited Contribute to achieving sustainable development; Include a monitoring and implementation framework; Have regard to any other issues to meet Government, or other emerging policy areas; Be produced through on-going co-operation with neighbouring authorities and other bodies to reflect issues and sites that are wider than District level; and Be produced through a consultative process so that the Plan reflects the collective Vision of communities in the District. In preparing the new District Plan, the Council has completed an Issues and Options Consultation Document which it is now seeking views on. The Issues and Options Document includes the following vision for the District: “By the end of the Plan period Bromsgrove District and its communities will have become more sustainable, prosperous,