North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Proposed Main Modifications

SD/001c North Essex Authorities North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Proposed Main Modifications Final report Prepared by LUC, August 2020 North Essex Authorities North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Proposed Main Modifications Version Status Prepared Checked Approved Date 1. Draft report to client S Langer J Pearson J Owen 03.08.2020 K Norris J Owen 2. Amended draft report S Langer J Owen J Owen 14.08.2020 K Norris S Langer 3. Final report for publication S Langer S Langer J Owen 19.08.2020 Bristol Land Use Consultants Ltd Landscape Design Edinburgh Registered in England Strategic Planning & Assessment Glasgow Registered number 2549296 Development Planning Lancaster Registered office: Urban Design & Masterplanning London 250 Waterloo Road Environmental Impact Assessment Manchester London SE1 8RD Landscape Planning & Assessment Landscape Management landuse.co.uk 100% recycled paper Ecology Historic Environment GIS & Visualisation Contents North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal August 2020 Contents Policy SP7 - Development and Delivery of a New Garden Chapter 1 Community in North Essex 62 Introduction 5 Policy SP8 - Tendring / Colchester Borders Garden Community 69 Background 5 Policies SP9 - Colchester/Braintree Boarders Garden Preparation of the Section One Local Plan 5 Community 77 Status of this report 8 SP10 - West of Braintree Garden Community 77 Structure of the report 8 Other proposed modifications 77 Chapter 2 Chapter 4 Methodology 9 Cumulative effects 79 Overview of methodology 9 Introduction 79 Sustainability context and baseline 9 Cumulative effects of the policies in the Main The SA framework 10 Modifications Plan 79 Approach to assessing Garden Community proposals 13 Cumulative effects with the NEA Section Two Local Appraisal symbology 13 Plans 87 Time periods 13 Cumulative effects with development proposed by other Consideration of reasonable alternatives 14 relevant plans and projects 90 Secondary, cumulative and synergistic effects 14 Mitigation measures 14 Chapter 5 Difficulties encountered 15 Monitoring 96 Approach to assessing proposals against climate change objectives and policies 15 Chapter 6 Conclusions and next steps 99 Chapter 3 Appraisal of the Main Modifications Conclusion 99 Plan 17 Next steps 100 Introduction 17 Vision for North Essex 18 Appendix A Strategic objectives 21 Policy content A-1 Policy SP1 - Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Population, health and wellbeing A-2 Development 25 Policy SP1a - Recreational disturbance Avoidance and Economy A-6 Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) 27 Transport connections and travel habits A-7 Policy SP2 - Spatial Strategy for North Essex 29 Air, land and water quality A-9 Policy SP3 - Meeting Housing Needs 35 Climate change adaptation and mitigation A-13 Policy SP4 – Providing for Employment 49 Biodiversity A-15 Policy SP5 – Infrastructure and Connectivity 54 Historic environment A-17 Policy SP6 – Place-shaping Principles 59 Landscape A-18 LUC | 3 Contents North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal August 2020 Contents Appendix B Key sustainability issues B-1 LUC | 4 -Introduction North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal August 2020 Chapter 1 Introduction This report sets out the Sustainability Appraisal of the Publication Draft Braintree, Colchester and Tendring Section One Local Plan as proposed to be modified by Main Modifications Background The North Essex Authorities (NEAs) comprise Braintree District Council, Colchester Borough Council, and Tendring District Council. The geographic and functional relationship between the NEAs is demonstrated by the fact that, with Chelmsford City Council, they form a single Housing Market Area (HMA) for planning purposes. They are also a major part of the Haven Gateway, a distinct economic sub region within which member authorities have a long-established economic partnership. Within this context, the NEAs, with the support of Essex County Council, have been working together to plan strategically for growth across the North Essex area. The result of this work is the preparation of a shared, strategic level plan which is intended to form part of the Local Plan for each of the NEAs. Specifically, the shared plan comprises ‘Section One’ of each authority’s Local Plan. As a shared plan, this is a document which applies to each authority area, and although separate documents have been prepared for each local authority, they include identical policies and justifying text. Section Two of each authority’s Local Plan contains more specific and detailed policies and will be examined following the adoption of the Section One Local Plan. Preparation of the Section One Local Plan Stages of plan preparation The preparation of the Section One Local Plan comprised a number of stages, which are summarised as follows: LUC | 5 Introduction North Essex Section One Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal August 2020 ◼ Publication for consultation of Issues & Options have significant effects on the environment and which documents, prepared by each individual NEA, from set the framework for future consent of projects requiring 3 January 2015 to September 2015. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) . The purpose of SEA, as defined in Article 1 of the SEA Directive, is: ◼ Publication for consultation of Preferred Options Local “to provide for a high level of protection of the Plans by each NEA in June or July 2016 (each environment and to contribute to the integration of containing a shared Section One). environmental considerations into the preparation and ◼ Publication for consultation of Publication Draft Local adoption of plans…with a view to promoting sustainable Plans by each NEA in June 2017 (each containing a development”. shared Section One). SEA and SA are separate processes but have similar aims and objectives. Simply put, SEA focuses on the ◼ Submission of the Local Plans (each containing Section likely environmental effects of a plan whilst SA includes One) to the Secretary of State for examination on 9th a wider range of considerations, extending to social and October 2017. economic impacts. The Government’s planning practice guidance4 shows how it is possible to satisfy both Original SA requirements by undertaking a joint SA and SEA process, and to present an SA report that incorporates Each stage in the preparation of the Section One Local the requirements of the SEA Regulations. Throughout Plan was accompanied by Sustainability Appraisal (SA). This this report the abbreviation ‘SA’ should therefore be work was described and reported upon in North Essex taken to refer to ‘SA incorporating the requirements of Authorities Strategic Section One for Local Plans: Draft SEA’. Publication (Regulation 19) Draft Sustainability Appraisal (SA): Environmental Report - June 2017, prepared by Essex County Council Place Services. Amongst other things, the June 2017 Examination of the Section One Local Plan SA Report (also referred to as ‘the Original SA’) sought to identify and evaluate the social, economic and environmental It was agreed with the Planning Inspectorate that the effects of implementing the Publication Draft Section One Section One Local Plan would be subject to examination in Local Plan, and reasonable alternative strategy and policy advance of the Section Two Local Plans. The examination of approaches that had been discounted from inclusion in the the Section One Local Plan has been undertaken in several Publication Draft Section One Local Plan. key stages, which are as follows: 1. Hearings which identified shortcomings Sustainability Appraisal 2. Pause of examination during which the NEAs undertook The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 further work, including Additional SA requires Local Plans to be subject to Sustainability 3. Recommencement of examination and hearings Appraisal (SA). SA is designed to ensure that the plan preparation process maximises the contribution that a 4. Proposal of Main Modifications plan makes to sustainable development and minimises any potential adverse impacts. The SA process involves These different stages are summarised below: appraising the likely social, environmental and economic effects of the policies and proposals within a plan from Initial hearings and identification of shortcomings the outset of its development. The initial examination hearings took place between 16th Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is also a January 2018 and 9th May 2018. Following the hearings, the statutory assessment process, required under the SEA Inspector concluded that the Section One Local Plan was not 1 Directive , transposed in the UK by the SEA sound in its current form. The Inspector wrote to the NEAs in Regulations2. The SEA Regulations require the formal June 2018, advising them of the further steps required in order assessment of plans and programmes which are likely to ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 Miscellaneous Planning (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 (SI June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on 2018/1232). the environment. 3 Under EU Directives 85/337/EEC and 97/11/EC concerning EIA. 2 The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 4 See https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/planning-practice-guidance (SI 2004/1633), as amended by The Environmental Assessments and LUC

Load more