What Is Sustainability Appraisal?
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Nottinghamshire Minerals Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report February 2012 Contents Non-technical summary ....................................................... 4 Introduction to Sustainability Appraisal .................................................................. 4 The Scoping Report ............................................................................................... 4 Key findings of this Scoping Report ....................................................................... 5 Proposed Sustainability Appraisal objectives......................................................... 8 What happens next? .............................................................................................. 9 1. Introduction – What is Sustainability Appraisal? .... 10 The relationship between Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment ......................................................................................................... 11 Other appraisals................................................................................................... 11 What is the purpose of SA? ................................................................................. 11 Purpose of the SA Scoping Report ...................................................................... 12 Further information............................................................................................... 13 2. Methodology................................................................ 14 Carrying out SA.................................................................................................... 14 The Nottinghamshire Partnership Approach to SA .............................................. 14 Independent assessment..................................................................................... 15 Key findings and draft SA objectives.................................................................... 15 Limitations of the SA process............................................................................... 15 Future Timetable.................................................................................................. 15 Plan 1. Map of the area covered by this scoping report ....................................... 16 3. Other relevant Plans, Policies, and Programmes .... 17 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 17 Table 1: Key messages from the documents review............................................ 18 4. Baseline information and characteristics of Nottinghamshire.................................................................. 29 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 29 Key characteristics of Nottinghamshire................................................................ 29 5. Sustainability issues................................................... 39 2 Table 2: Sustainability Issues.............................................................................. 40 6. Developing our sustainability objectives (the SA Framework).......................................................................... 49 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 49 Table 3: Proposed sustainability objectives ........................................................ 50 Table 4: Proposed SA Objectives, decision making criteria and proposed indicators.............................................................................................................. 51 Testing the plan objectives ................................................ 57 Table 5: Relationship between SA objectives and SA themes............................. 57 Table 6: Internal compatibility of the SA objectives.............................................. 58 Table 7: Relationship between SEA topics and SA objectives............................ 59 What happens next? ........................................................... 59 Appendix 1: Review of Relevant Plans, Programmes and Policies................................................................................. 60 Appendix 2: Review of Baseline Data ............................... 93 Appendix 3: Contextual data mapping............................ 107 Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ............................ 128 This Scoping Report has been prepared to cover all of the planning policy documents that will make up the Nottinghamshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework. It sets out the key issues and baseline information/evidence that will be used to help assess the impacts of our future policies and plans. 3 Non-technical summary Introduction to Sustainability Appraisal The Sustainability Appraisal (SA) process is a way of ensuring that all plans and programmes which relate to land use issues are compatible with the aims of sustainable development. This includes all of the documents that will make up the Minerals and Waste Development Framework. The first documents to go through this process will be the Minerals Core Strategy and the Waste Core Strategy. As they develop they will be tested against an agreed set of sustainability objectives. These objectives are defined during the early stages of the process and set the framework for assessing the emerging plan documents and also monitoring their effectiveness. By going through this process, we can ensure that each plan document contributes towards the overall development of Nottinghamshire and does not conflict with the aims of other strategies and programmes that are intended to enhance our social, environmental and economic well-being. SA is an on-going, iterative process. The initial information gathering stage helps to establish significant issues that need to be addressed by the emerging documents. The appraisal process then helps to refine these issues and options into a set of realistic, preferred options that have been assessed thoroughly. The key features of the sustainability process are therefore to: • Collect baseline information and identify significant issues or trends; • Predict the effects of the plan; • Identify possible policy options; • Consult others on the plan policies; • Monitor the effects of the plan policies. The Scoping Report This scoping report is the first stage in the appraisal process and sets out the baseline data that has been complied as part of the information gathering phase. The report also considers relevant plans and programmes that may influence the Minerals and Waste plan documents or be affected by their policies. Having identified significant issues that should be addressed, the report then seeks to establish a suitable framework of sustainability objectives against which the proposed policies should be assessed. The purpose of this report is therefore to decide on the scope and level of detail for the SA. The information and findings set out here are not final as the report is intended to involve other interested parties in the appraisal process and to identify any gaps in what is covered. In some cases the data may simply not exist, in which case, this will be noted along with proposals to overcome this when the next appraisal is carried out. 4 Key findings of this Scoping Report Population - the majority of the population of the plan area is concentrated within the main urban areas around Nottingham and Mansfield and the outlying market towns of Newark, Worksop and Retford. Significant growth in population is expected as the result of the planned future development of new housing and employment areas employment including two designated Growth Points around Nottingham and Newark. Transport - there are generally good road and rail links to the rest of the UK, especially via the main north-south routes. Major improvement works are also underway or planned for several key roads. Key transport concerns are congestion and air quality. Although some mineral loads are transported by rail or barge the majority of both minerals and waste transport is by road. It may be possible to move more materials by rail or water in future but the economic viability of this is uncertain. Natural Environment and Biodiversity - despite a wide range of important wildlife habitats and species, there have also been significant past losses due to the pressures of development.. However the condition of key nature conservation sites is improving and the importance of maintaining the area’s green infrastructure as well as designated sites is increasingly recognised. Historic and cultural heritage - much of our preserved heritage dates from the middle ages onwards and can be seen in the large country estates, market towns, medieval castles and more recent industrial archaeology and the legacy of coal mining in many areas. The proportion of buildings at risk is higher than the national and regional average. There are a large number of conservation areas, registered parks and gardens and Scheduled Ancient Monuments but not all of our heritage assets are protected and much of the evidence of our past has not yet been investigated. Landscape, countryside and townscape - parts of our countryside and open space remain threatened by development pressures to deliver new housing and employment opportunities, especially in the urban fringes and the Green Belt around Nottingham. Mineral working has had a significant impact in some areas but sensitive restoration can provide