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SEA Draft Environment Report Luton Local Transport Plan 4 Strategic Environmental Assessment: Draft Environmental Report July 2020 Prepared on behalf of Luton Borough Council by: Small Fish www.smallfish.org.uk Non-Technical Summary In July 2004, an assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment, known as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), became a requirement under European Directive 2001/42/EC. In accordance with the Directive and Government guidance, SEA will be undertaken on Luton’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4), covering the period 2020 to 2040. By carrying out an SEA on LTP4, Luton Borough Council aims to: identify alternative options for delivering sustainable transport improvements in Luton identify and describe the environmental, social and economic effects of alternative options further enhance beneficial environmental effects of the plan reduce and minimise the adverse environmental effects that may result from the implementation of the LTP4 This is the Draft Environmental Report for the SEA on the Luton LTP4, which is the subject of consultation in autumn 2020. This report relates to the draft Luton Local Transport Plan 4 which presents policies for a long-term strategy covering the period 2020 to 2040. This SEA will be used in order to inform the further development of the Luton LTP4 by outlining the potential environmental effects of the policies. During the SEA Scoping stage in summer 2018, SEA objectives were developed in light of a review of other relevant plans and programmes at the international, national, regional and local level. Environmental indicators were then developed for each SEA objective that can be used to measure the effects that the Luton LTP4 may have on the environment. These indicators relate to different aspects of the environment including air pollution, climate change, landscape and townscape, wildlife and habitats, water and soil quality. Indicators were also included to measure the social effects on the population such as human health, deprivation and flood risk, as well as the material assets of Luton that relate to transport. Data for these indicators were collected in order to establish the current state of the environment, known as the environmental baseline. Numerous policy options for the Luton LTP4 long-term strategy and delivery were put forward for consideration and environmental assessment. All of these policies offer ways of addressing current and future transport issues in Luton and are categorised by: Strategic Priorities Supporting a healthy environment Safer and Inclusive Communities The draft Luton LTP4 policies were evaluated in light of their potential effects on the SEA objectives. For all policies, matrices were used to predict and evaluate how the strategic options would affect the SEA objectives and the indicators that comprise the environmental baseline. The majority of the policies and measures showed either no significant effect or beneficial effects. This is most likely due to the focus of the plan on promoting sustainable transport solutions, such as walking, cycling and public transport improvements. However, a few adverse effects were also identified. These are predominantly related to Policy 10, which allows for large-scale transport infrastructure improvements to facilitate growth. Detailed mitigation recommendations have been drafted for consideration during subsequent stages of the LTP and SEA development process. A draft monitoring regime and reporting schedule has also been proposed. This will be used to monitor the effects that the Luton LTP4 may have on the environment during its implementation period. The draft Luton LTP4 will be further developed following on from this consultation. Once the LTP4 is finalised, this SEA will undergo further detailed appraisal, which will form a significant part of the final Environmental Report, which will be submitted to the Department for Transport in 2021 alongside the final Luton LTP4. Overall, the SEA has been and will continue to be influential in informing the development of Luton’s LTP4 by identifying the potential environmental effects of the strategy. This will allow for environmental considerations to be fully integrated into the strategy as it is developed and will contribute to the further development of the Luton LTP4 during the next stages of the LTP process. Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................. 1 1.2 LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 LINKING THE LTP AND THE SEA ................................................................................................................ 2 1.4 SEA SCOPING CONSULTATION .................................................................................................................... 4 2 THE SEA CONTEXT ......................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 SEA OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 LTP CHALLENGES ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 COMPATIBILITY ............................................................................................................................................. 7 3 THE ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ............................................................................................ 8 3.1 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 9 3.1.1 Climatic Factors .................................................................................................................................. 12 3.1.2 Air .............................................................................................................................................................. 14 3.1.3 Population ............................................................................................................................................. 15 3.1.4 Biodiversity, flora, fauna, and soil ............................................................................................... 16 3.1.5 Landscape .............................................................................................................................................. 17 3.1.6 Water and Flood Risk ........................................................................................................................ 18 3.1.7 Cultural Heritage ................................................................................................................................ 19 3.1.8 Human Health ...................................................................................................................................... 20 3.1.9 Material Assets ..................................................................................................................................... 21 3.2 EVOLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ................................................................................... 21 3.3 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ............................................................................................... 24 4 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................ 27 4.1 SECONDARY, TERTIARY, CUMULATIVE AND SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS ...................................................... 29 4.2 OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: DRAFT LTP4 STRATEGY .......................................................... 29 4.2.1 Climatic Factors (SEA1) ................................................................................................................... 30 4.2.2 Air Pollution (SEA2) .......................................................................................................................... 30 4.2.3 Population: Noise, Vibration and Visual Intrusion (SEA3) ............................................... 31 4.2.4 Population: Accessibility and Social Inclusion (SEA4) ....................................................... 31 4.2.5 Biodiversity, Geodiversity, Flora and Fauna (SEA5) ............................................................ 32 4.2.6 Landscape (SEA6) ............................................................................................................................... 32 4.2.7 Water and Soil (SEA7) ...................................................................................................................... 32 4.2.8 Cultural Heritage (SEA8) ................................................................................................................ 33 4.2.9 Human Health (SEA9) ...................................................................................................................... 33 4.2.10 Material Assets (SEA10) ............................................................................................................. 33 5 MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 35 6 MONITORING AND REPORTING
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