Greater Cambridge Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report Prepared by LUC December 2019 Project Title: Greater Cambridge Local Plan SA Client: South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council Version Date Version Details Prepared Checked Approved by by by 1.0 04/09/2019 Draft for Client Lucy Sarah Jeremy Comment Wallwork Smith Owen Olivia Jeremy Dunham Owen 2.0 17/09/2019 Updated draft for Olivia Sarah Jeremy committee Dunham Smith Owen 3.0 19/09/2019 Further updated draft Sarah Sarah Jeremy for committee and Smith Smith Owen provided to statutory consultees 4.0 02/12/2019 Final draft Lucy Sarah Jeremy incorporating statutory Wallwork Smith Owen consultee comments Jeremy Owen 5.0 10/12/2019 Final Sarah Jeremy Jeremy Smith Owen Owen SA Scoping Greater Cambridge Local Plan Last saved: 18/12/2019 11:12 Greater Cambridge Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report Prepared by LUC December 2019 Planning & EIA LUC LONDON Offices Land Use Design 250 Waterloo Road also in: Consultants Ltd Landscape Planning London Bristol Registered in Landscape SE1 8RD Glasgow England Management T +44 (0)20 7383 Edinburgh FS 566056 Registered Ecology 5784 EMS 566057 number: Mapping & [email protected] 2549296 Visualisation k Registered Office: 250 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8RD LUC uses 100% recycled paper Contents 1 Introduction 3 Greater Cambridge Local Plan 4 Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment 6 Approach to Scoping 7 Structure of the Scoping Report 12 2 The current adopted Local Plans and relationship with other plans and programmes 14 The Existing Spatial Strategy 14 Relationship with other Plans and Programmes 18 3 Population, Health and Wellbeing 25 Policy Context 25 Current Baseline 32 4 Economy 50 Policy Context 50 Current Baseline 54 5 Transport and Air Quality 60 Policy Context 60 Current Baseline 64 6 Land and Water Resources 73 Policy Context 73 Current Baseline 80 7 Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation 90 Policy Context 90 Current Baseline 97 8 Biodiversity 105 Policy Context 105 Current Baseline 108 9 Historic Environment 117 Policy Context 117 Current Baseline 120 10 Landscape 128 Policy Context 128 Current Baseline 129 11 The SA Framework 135 The SA Framework 135 Use of the SA Framework 144 Health Impact Assessment 145 Equalities Impact Assessment 147 12 Consultation and Next Steps 148 Appendix 1 149 Criteria and assumptions to be applied in the SA of site options 149 Appendix 2 163 Summary of responses by statutory consultees and how they have been addressed in the Scoping Report 163 Figures Figure 1.1 Location of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Districts 5 Figure 1.2 Main stages in Sustainability Appraisal 6 Figure 1.3 Stages in SA Scoping 7 Figure 2.1 Spatial Strategy for the Sub-region 17 Figure 3.1 Indices of Multiple Deprivation 47 Figure 3.2 Education Facilities, Health Facilities and Open Space in Greater Cambridge 48 Figure 3.3 Indices of Health Deprivation 49 Figure 4.1 Key Employment Areas within Greater Cambridge 59 Figure 5.1 Transport Links in Greater Cambridge 71 Figure 5.2 Air Quality in Greater Cambridge 72 Figure 6.1 Mineral Safeguarding Areas within Greater Cambridge 87 Figure 6.2 Agricultural Land Classification 88 Figure 6.3 Water Courses and Source Protection Zones within Greater Cambridge 89 Figure 7.1 Flood Risk in Greater Cambridge 104 Figure 8.1: Biodiversity Opportunity Mapping 115 Figure 8.2 Designated Biodiversity Sites in Greater Cambridge 116 Figure 9.1 Heritage assets in Greater Cambridge 124 Figure 9.2 Heritage Assets at Risk in Greater Cambridge 125 Figure 10.1: National Character Areas in Greater Cambridge 134 Figure 11.1 SA matrix guide 144 A Non-Technical Summary has been produced and is available as a separate document 1 Introduction 1.1 South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridge City Council (the Councils) commissioned LUC in July 2019 to carry out a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) (incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Health Impact Assessment and (HIA) and Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) of their Local Plan. 1.2 SA is an assessment process designed to consider and report upon the significant sustainability issues and effects of emerging plans and policies, including their reasonable alternatives. SA iteratively informs the plan-making process by helping to refine the contents of such documents, so that they maximise the benefits of sustainable development and avoid, or at least minimise, the potential for adverse effects. 1.3 The purpose of a Scoping Report is to provide the context for and determine the scope of the SA of the Local Plan and to set out the assessment framework for undertaking the later stages of the SA. It also explains the approach that will be taken to the HIA and EqIA (both of which will be reported on as part of the SA/SEA). 1.4 The Scoping Report contains chapters on a number of sustainability topics, each of which starts by setting out the policy context of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, before describing the current and likely future environmental, social and economic conditions in the plan area. This contextual information is used to identify the key sustainability issues and opportunities that the Local Plan can address. The key sustainability issues and opportunities are then used to develop a framework of SA Objectives used to appraise the likely significant effects of the constituent parts of the Local Plan, including strategic policies, site allocations and development management policies. 1.5 The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on the proposed approach to the SA, in particular: 1) Whether the scope of the SA is appropriate for considering the role of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan to help meet and manage the growth needs and development ambition of Greater Cambridge. 2) Whether there are any additional plans, policies or programmes that are relevant to the SA policy context that should be included. 3) Whether the baseline information provided is robust and comprehensive, and provides a suitable baseline for the SA of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan. 4) Whether there are any additional SA issues relevant to the Local Plan that should be included. 5) Whether the SA Framework is appropriate and includes a suitable set of SA objectives and site-based assumptions for assessing the effects of the options included within the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and reasonable alternatives. 1.6 The three statutory consultation bodies (the Environment Agency, Historic England and Natural England) have already had an opportunity to comment. A summary of their comments is provided in Appendix 2, which also records how the SA Scoping Report has been updated in response to their comments. Greater Cambridge Local Plan 3 LUC SA Scoping Report December 2019 Greater Cambridge Local Plan 1.7 Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council have committed to preparing a joint Local Plan for their combined area, referred to as Greater Cambridge, a strand of work which originated as part of the City Deal agreement with central government established in 2014. The individual Councils both adopted separate Local Plans in October 2018, which set out the development needs of the local authority areas up to 2031. 1.8 The adopted Local Plans acknowledged the commitment to an early review of their local plans beginning in 2019. This decision to take forward the early review of the Local Plans was made in order to establish what impact the anticipated changed infrastructure landscape and economic growth in the area might have on housing need and other aspects of spatial and transport planning. Further, during Examination of the individual plans, a number of issues were highlighted for specific attention. These related to the assessment of housing needs, progress in delivering the development strategy and in particular the proposed new settlements and provision to meet the requirements of caravan dwellers. 1.9 The plan period for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan is yet to be determined, but is likely to cover the period to either 2040 or 2050. It will replace policies contained within the Cambridge Local Plan (2018) and the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan (2018). The Joint Local Development Scheme 2018 identified that the Plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State for examination at the end of summer 2022. Public consultation on the Issues and Options for the plan is proposed for late 2019. 1.10 The location and extent of the Greater Cambridge Plan Area, which incorporates both Council areas, is shown in Figure 1.1 Greater Cambridge Local Plan 4 LUC SA Scoping Report December 2019 Figure 1.1 Location of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Districts Greater Cambridge Local Plan 5 LUC SA Scoping Report December 2019 Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment 1.11 Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, SA is mandatory for Development Plan Documents. For these documents it is also necessary to conduct an environmental assessment in accordance with the requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive (European Directive 2001/42/EC), as transposed into law in England by the SEA Regulations1. Therefore, it is a legal requirement for the Local Plan to be subject to SA and SEA throughout its preparation. 1.12 The requirements to carry out SA and SEA are distinct, although it is possible to satisfy both using a single appraisal process (as advocated in the National Planning Practice Guidance2), whereby users can comply with the requirements of the SEA Regulations through a single integrated SA process – this is the process that is being undertaken in Greater Cambridge. From here on, the term ‘SA’ should therefore be taken to mean ‘SA incorporating the requirements of the SEA Regulations’.