Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Environmental Report to accompany the Regulation 14 version of the Neighbourhood Plan Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group March 2020 Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Environmental Report to accompany Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 14 consultation Quality information Prepared by Checked by Verified by Approved by Ryan Putt Nick Chisholm-Batten Alastair Peattie Alastair Peattie Environmental Associate Director Associate Director Associate Director Consultant Revision History Revision Revision date Details Authorized Name Position V1.0 20th January Initial draft for 21st January Nick Chisholm- Associate 2020 Neighbourhood 2020 Batten Director Group comment V2.0 30th March 2020 Regulation 14 30th March 2020 Nick Chisholm- Associate consultation Batten Director version Prepared for: Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Prepared by: AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited Portwall Place Portwall Lane Bristol BS1 6NA United Kingdom aecom.com © 2020 AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited. All Rights Reserved. This document has been prepared by AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited (“AECOM”) for sole use of our client (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: Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Environmental Report to accompany Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 14 consultation Table of Contents Non-Technical Summary .................................................................................... i 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 Background ............................................................................................................................................. 1 SEA explained ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Structure of this SEA Environmental Report ........................................................................................... 3 2. Local Plan context and vision for the Neighbourhood Plan ..................... 4 Local Plan context for the Neighbourhood Plan ..................................................................................... 4 Vision, aims and objectives for the Neighbourhood Plan ....................................................................... 4 3. What is the scope of the SEA?................................................................ 6 SEA Scoping Report ............................................................................................................................... 6 Key Sustainability Issues ........................................................................................................................ 7 SEA Framework .................................................................................................................................... 10 4. What has plan making / SEA involved up to this point? ........................ 14 Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 14 Overview of plan making / SEA work undertaken since 2011 ............................................................... 14 Housing numbers to deliver through the Neighbourhood Plan ............................................................. 14 Assessment of reasonable alternatives for the broad location of housing development ...................... 15 Preferred approach in the Neighbourhood Plan in light of appraisal findings ....................................... 19 Assessment of reasonable alternatives for broad areas of growth ....................................................... 20 Assessment of reasonable alternatives for site allocations .................................................................. 31 Neighbourhood Plan site assessment and initial shortlisting of sites ................................................... 31 Assessment of the shortlisted sites through the SEA process.............................................................. 31 SEA site assessment findings ............................................................................................................... 33 Current approach in the Neighbourhood Plan and the development of Neighbourhood Plan policies 46 Choice of sites taken forward for the purposes of the Neighbourhood Plan ........................................ 47 Neighbourhood Plan policies ................................................................................................................ 47 5. What are the appraisal findings at this current stage? .......................... 49 Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 49 Approach to this appraisal..................................................................................................................... 49 Biodiversity and Geodiversity ................................................................................................................ 49 Climate Change .................................................................................................................................... 51 Landscape ............................................................................................................................................. 52 Historic Environment ............................................................................................................................. 53 Land, Soil and Water Resources .......................................................................................................... 54 Population and Community ................................................................................................................... 55 Health and Wellbeing ............................................................................................................................ 57 Transportation ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Conclusions at this current stage .......................................................................................................... 59 6. What are the next steps? ...................................................................... 60 Appendix A Context Review and Baseline ...................................................... 61 Prepared for: Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Environmental Report to accompany Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 14 consultation This page is intentionally blank Prepared for: Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Environmental Report to accompany Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 14 consultation Non-Technical Summary What is Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)? A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been undertaken to inform the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan. This process is required by the SEA Regulations. Neighbourhood Plan groups use SEA to assess Neighbourhood Plans against a set of sustainability objectives developed in consultation with interested parties. The purpose of the assessment is to help avoid adverse environmental and socio-economic effects through the Neighbourhood Plan and identify opportunities to improve the environmental quality of the area covered by the Neighbourhood Plan and the quality of life of residents. What is the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan? The Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan is currently being prepared as a Neighbourhood Development Plan under the Localism Act 2011 and the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. Purpose of this Environmental Report This Environmental Report, which accompanies the Regulation 14 version of the Neighbourhood Plan, is the latest document to be produced as part of the SEA process. The first document was the SEA Scoping Report (September 2019), which includes information about the Neighbourhood Plan area’s environment and community. The purpose of this Environmental Report is to: • Identify, describe and evaluate the likely significant effects of the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan and alternatives; and • Provide an opportunity for consultees to offer views on any aspect of the SEA process which has been carried out to date. The Environmental Report contains: • An outline of the contents and main objectives of the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan and its relationship with other relevant policies, plans and programmes; • Relevant aspects of the current and future state of the environment and key sustainability issues for the area; • The SEA Framework of objectives against which the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan has been assessed; • The appraisal of alternative approaches for the Aldingbourne Neighbourhood Plan; •