Report Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for The
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Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan Environmental Report Southwick Parish Council June 2020 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Report for the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan Quality information Prepared by Checked by Verified by Approved by Rosie Cox Alastair Peattie Nick Chisholm-Batten Nick Chisholm-Batten Environmental Planner Associate Associate Associate Revision History Revision Revision date Details Name Position V1 25/05/20 First draft Rosie Cox Environmental Planner V2 26/05/20 Review Alastair Peattie Associate V3 29/05/20 Group review John Eaton Southwick Parish Council V4 11/06/20 Locality review Annabel Osborne Neighbourhood Planning Officer V5 25/06/20 Final Rosie Cox Environmental Planner Prepared for: Southwick Parish Council Prepared by: AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited 3rd Floor, Portwall Place Portwall Lane Bristol BS1 6NA United Kingdom T: +44 117 901 7000 aecom.com © 2020 AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited. All Rights Reserved. This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited (“AECOM”) for use of Locality (the “Client”) in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or verified by AECOM, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. No third party may rely upon this document without the prior and express written agreement of AECOM. Prepared for: Southwick Parish Council AECOM Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Environmental Report for the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan Table of Contents Non-Technical Summary .................................................................................... i 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 2. What is the plan seeking to achieve? ...................................................... 4 3. What is the scope of the SEA?................................................................ 8 4. Plan-making and SEA to date ............................................................... 12 5. What are the appraisal findings at this current stage? .......................... 20 6. Next steps ............................................................................................. 31 Appendix A Context review and baseline ........................................................ 32 Appendix B AECOM Site Options Report (2020) conclusions ........................ 62 Appendix C Site options assessment .............................................................. 69 Prepared for: Southwick Parish Council AECOM Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan Environmental Report Non-Technical Summary AECOM is commissioned to lead on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in support of the emerging Southwick Neighbourhood Plan. SEA is a mechanism for considering and communicating the likely effects of an emerging plan, and alternatives, with a view to avoiding and mitigating negative effects and maximising positive effects. SEA of the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan is a legal requirement.1 This is a Non-technical Summary (NTS) of the SEA Environmental Report. The Southwick Neighbourhood Plan is being prepared by Southwick Parish Council, in the context of the Wiltshire Core Strategy (WCS) (adopted 2015) and Housing Site Allocations Plan (HSAP) (2019). This SEA Environmental Report will accompany the pre-submission version of the draft Neighbourhood Plan. It is currently anticipated that the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan will be submitted to Wiltshire Council later in 2020. Purpose of this Environmental Report SEA reporting essentially involves answering the following questions in turn: More specifically, the Environmental Report must answer the following three questions: 1. What has plan-making / SEA involved up to this point? – including in relation to ‘reasonable alternatives’. 2. What are the SEA findings at this stage? – i.e. in relation to the submission plan. 3. What happens next? This report essentially answers questions 1, 2 and 3 in turn, in order to provide the required information. However, firstly there is a need to set the scene further by answering the question ‘What’s the scope of the SEA?’ What is the scope of the SEA? The scope of the SEA is reflected in a list of themes and objectives, which, taken together indicate the parameters of the SEA and provide a methodological ‘framework’ for assessment. The basic framework is presented below, and a full framework which includes decision-aiding questions is provided within the main Environmental Report (Table 3.2). 1 Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (2012, as amended) requires that each Neighbourhood Plan is submitted to the Local Authority alongside either: A) an environmental report; or, B) a statement of reasons why SEA is not required, prepared following a ‘screening’ process completed in accordance with Regulation 9(1) of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations (‘the SEA Regulations’). The Coggeshall Neighbourhood Plan was subject to informal screening in 2019, and formal screening through the SEA scoping consultation, at which time it was determined that SEA is required. Prepared for: Southwick Parish Council AECOM i Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan Environmental Report The SEA framework SEA theme Proposed objective(s) Biodiversity Protect and enhance all biodiversity and geodiversity Climate change Reduce the contribution to climate change made by activities within the Neighbourhood Plan area Support the resilience of the Neighbourhood Plan area to the potential effects of climate change, including flooding Landscape Protect and enhance the character and quality of landscapes and villagescapes Historic Protect, maintain and enhance the cultural heritage resource within the environment Neighbourhood Plan Area, including the historic environment and archaeological assets Land, soil and Ensure the efficient and effective use of land water resources Promote sustainable waste management solutions that encourage the reduction, re-use and recycling of waste Use and manage water resources in a sustainable manner Population and Cater for existing and future residents’ needs as well as the needs of different community groups in the community, and improve access to local, high-quality community services and facilities Reduce deprivation and promote a more inclusive and self-contained community Provide everyone with the opportunity to live in good quality, affordable housing, and ensure an appropriate mix of dwelling sizes, types and tenures Health and Improve the health and wellbeing residents within the Neighbourhood Plan area. wellbeing Transportation Promote sustainable transport use and reduce the need to travel What has Plan-making involved to this point? A key element of the SEA process is the appraisal of ‘reasonable alternatives’ for the Neighbourhood Plan. The SEA Regulations are not prescriptive as to what constitutes a reasonable alternative, stating only that the Environmental Report should present an appraisal of the ‘plan and reasonable alternatives taking into account the objectives and geographical scope of the plan’. Plan making has been underway in Southwick since 2016 following the approval of Southwick’s Neighbourhood Area application by Wiltshire Council. The scope, objectives and policies of the plan have evolved in response to extensive engagement with the local community by the Parish Council. Prepared for: Southwick Parish Council AECOM ii Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Southwick Neighbourhood Plan Environmental Report Establishing the reasonable alternatives As set out in Chapter 2 of this Environmental Report, the WCS and HASP do not provide a housing target for the Neighbourhood Plan Area. At the request of Southwick Parish Council, Wiltshire Council undertook a Housing Needs Survey (2018)2 to establish an indicative target. The Housing Needs Survey recommended that eight affordable homes are required in the Parish for those households unable to afford accommodation on the open market, with specific recommendations for the tenure and size of units. The Parish Council are therefore looking for sites that will help reach this target, either through a mix of affordable housing and open market housing or through exception sites of only affordable housing. Assessment of site options A Site Assessment Report (2020) has been carried out by AECOM, which provides an appraisal of the suitability of sites available for the potential development of housing, education, and community facilities within the Neighbourhood Plan area.3 Ten sites have been considered for housing and social infrastructure through the Site Assessment Report. The findings of the assessment show that two of the sites considered are suitable for housing and are realistic candidates for consideration through plan-making. The remaining eight sites were found to be ‘potentially suitable', and are therefore appropriate to consider as potential allocations through the Neighbourhood Plan, if constraints are overcome. In light of the conclusions of the Site Assessment Report (2020), these ten sites have been further considered and reviewed by Southwick Parish Council for promoting housing development for the purposes of the Neighbourhood Plan. One site,