STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT and SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL January 2020
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STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL January 2020 EVIDENCE BASE DOCUMENT CONSULTATION DRAFT LOCAL PLAN 2018-2033 (Regulation 18) All maps reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright & Database Right 2019. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. All Rights Reserved. 100021846. Future Mole Valley Evidence Base Sustainability Appraisal Regulation 18 Version Contents Page Non-Technical Summary 3 1. Introduction and Assessment Methodology 4 2. Consultation Draft Local Plan Strategy 9 3. Consultation Draft Local Plan Policies 15 4. Potential Site Allocations 20 5. Next Steps 30 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Consultation Responses to Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report Appendix 2: East Surrey Authorities Sustainability Appraisal Objectives Appendix 3: Updated Baseline Data Appendix 4: Sustainability Appraisal of Consultation Draft Local Plan Policies Appendix 5: SA of Potential Brownfield Housing Allocations Appendix 6: SA of Potential Greenfield Housing Allocations (Strategic) Appendix 7: SA of Potential Greenfield Housing Allocations (Non-Strategic) Appendix 8: SA of Potential Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations Appendix 9: SA of Potential Non-Residential Site Allocations Appendix 10: Updated list of Plans, Policies and Programmes Future Mole Valley Evidence Base Sustainability Appraisal Regulation 18 Version NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY The purpose of Sustainability Appraisal is to promote sustainable development through integration of social, environmental and economic considerations into the preparation of planning documents. It is an iterative process which has informed the selection of strategic options, development of policies and selection of sites during plan preparation to date. This Sustainability Appraisal report covers: Updating of the contents of the 2017 Scoping Report, with regard to: baseline information (Appendix 3). plans, policies and programmes which are relevant to plan preparation (Appendix 10). Sustainability appraisal of alternative strategic options, building on the contents of the Scoping report and covering strategic brownfield options and refinement of the option of modest additions to rural villages (Section 2); Sustainability appraisal of emerging draft policies (Section 3); Sustainability appraisal of potential site allocations (Section 4 and Appendices 5-8). In parallel with the Sustainability Appraisal, a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) of the emerging Local Plan has been undertaken by Aecom (December 2019). The results of the HRA have been fed into this Sustainability Appraisal. Given that this appraisal ensures that potential environmental effects are given full consideration alongside social and economic issues it is not considered that a separate strategic environmental assessment is required (NPPG ‘Strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal’ 2015 para. 7 refers). An update on the Sustainability Appraisal process will be prepared to support publication of the submission draft Local Plan under Regulation 19, scheduled to be during the Autumn of 2020. 3 Future Mole Valley Evidence Base Sustainability Appraisal Regulation 18 Version Introduction and Assessment Methodology 1.1 The purpose of Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is to promote sustainable development through integration of social, environmental and economic considerations into the preparation of planning documents. 1.2 Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and Localism Act 2011, the Council is required to prepare a Local Plan. The Local Plan will throughout its evolution be subject to Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and where relevant, must meet the requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive 2001/42/EC 1.3 Mole Valley District Council is in the process of preparing a Local Plan titled Future Mole Valley, which will provide the overall planning framework for Mole Valley including spatial strategy, housing and economic strategy, site allocations and detailed planning policies for the period 2018 - 2033. 1.4 In June 2017, Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) published a Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report and initial assessment of Spatial Strategy Options. These options were the subject of an Issues and Options public consultation throughout the summer of that year, concluding on 1 September 2017. 1.5 Consultation on the Scoping Report was undertaken during the Issues and Options Consultation, with the relevant environmental authorities (Natural England, the Environment Agency and Heritage England) and other interested stakeholders. The statutory consultation responses received can be found in Appendix 1. 1.6 Following analysis of consultation responses, on 28 November 2017 the Council Executive agreed the following preferred strategic development options to guide ongoing preparation of the Future Mole Valley Local Plan: Brownfield Options Town centre redevelopment Limited reallocation of commercial and retail land Mixed use redevelopment Targeted increases in suburban densities Greenfield Options Urban extensions Expansion of one or more rural village Modest additions to rural villages 1.7 This report covers the sustainability appraisal process which has informed the contents of the emerging Draft Local Plan, which is to be published for consultation under Regulation 18 in February 2020. Alongside consultation responses, it will be used as a tool to identify the preferred way forward. 1.8 A final updated Sustainability Appraisal report will accompany publication of the Proposed Submission Plan under Regulation 19, anticipated for Autumn 2020. 4 Future Mole Valley Evidence Base Sustainability Appraisal Regulation 18 Version ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 1.9 Government guidance subdivides the SA process into a series of stages. Whilst each stage consists of specific tasks, the intention should be that the process is iterative: Stage A: Setting the context and objectives, establishing the baseline and deciding on the scope Stage B: Developing and refining alternatives and assessing effects B1: Testing the Local Plan objectives against the sustainability appraisal framework B2: Developing the Local Plan options including reasonable alternatives B3: Evaluating likely effects of the draft plan and alternatives B4: Considering ways of mitigating adverse effects and maximising beneficial effects B5: Proposing measures to monitor the significant effects of plan implementation Stage C: Preparing the Sustainability Appraisal Report Preparing the Sustainability Appraisal Report Stage D: Consulting on the Sustainability Appraisal Report Seeking representations from both consultation bodies and the public. Stage E: Post adoption reporting and monitoring 1.10 Stage A was undertaken in June 2017 with the publication of the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report and initial assessment of Spatial Strategy Options (part of Stage B). This Sustainability Appraisal report builds on the Scoping Report and takes the appraisal process forwards. 1.11 Baseline data is updated on a continual basis and Appendix 3 provides the latest update. Of particular note: The latest housing need projections indicate a slightly increased requirement for 449 homes per annum, which would not be met by the estimated current supply or historical provision. Since the 2017 Scoping report was produced, evidence has been updated on accommodation needs for gypsy, traveller and travelling showpeople, indicating a need for 40 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 3 Travelling Showpeople plots across the plan period. Affordability of housing continues to be an issue with baseline data worsening since the 2017 Scoping Report. House prices and rents are particularly high for lower income households with Mole Valley being one of the least affordable places to purchase a house in the country. Overall housing delivery continues to be below local housing need, due to constraints on land supply. However, there are positive trends in the delivery of smaller dwellings and specialist housing for older people, both of which align with specific needs identified in the SHMA. 5 Future Mole Valley Evidence Base Sustainability Appraisal Regulation 18 Version Increased use of previously developed land and higher housing densities indicate positive trends in the efficient use of land. Although the overall amount of employment floorspace has been falling, the number of business enterprises has been rising and numbers of jobs in Mole Valley are stable. Town and local centres also appear fairly resilient, despite widespread uncertainties in the retail environment at a national level. Ownership and use of the private car continues to be high, with journey times on the road increasing. Biodiversity, heritage, landscape and other natural resources continue to be well looked after, with most indicators being positive or neutral. 1.12 The Scoping Report’s review of plans, policies and programmes has also been updated and is contained in Appendix 10. New items of particular relevance to the emerging Local Plan include: Mole Valley Rural Community Strategy, July 2017 (under preparation but not published when Scoping Report was prepared) Mole Valley Economic Prosperity Strategy, July 2018 Revised National Planning Policy Framework, February 2019 Mole Valley Council Strategy 2019-2024 1.13 Ongoing sustainability appraisal has contributed to the evolution of policies and site allocations contained