SURREY HEATH LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 2001-2016 Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Date Assessment March 2005 Revised Scoping Report DocumentFinal Document Type MarchDate 2005 ‘leading for tomorrow’ FOREWORD A new system of Local Development Frameworks (LDFs) is replacing Local Plans. The new Surrey Heath LDF will guide future development in the Borough up to 2016. The new LDF will be a series of Development Plan Documents (DPDs). Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, sustainability appraisal is mandatory for Development Plan Documents. An environmental assessment is also required under European Directive 2001/42/EC ‘on the assessment of certain plans and programmes on the environment’. Accordingly, this Scoping Report has been prepared to meet both requirements. The Scoping Report is a consultation document, the purpose of which is to describe the scope and timetable for the sustainability appraisal of the Surrey Heath Development Plan Documents. Consultation helps to ensure that the sustainability appraisal will be comprehensive and robust enough to support the Development Plan Documents during the later stages of full public consultation and examination. The report has been prepared for consultation, pursuant to: • Regulation 25 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) 2004 Regulations, and • Regulation 12 (5) of the Environmental assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004. The initial Scoping Report was presented to and noted by Members of the Local Development Framework Working Group on the 29th of September 2004 and released for a period of consultation ending on the 19th of November 2004. The report is now finalised and takes into account the responses that were received by the Council during consultation. Prepared by: Planning Policy and Conservation Team Built Environment Division Surrey Heath Borough Council Surrey Heath House Knoll Road CAMBERLEY Surrey GU15 3HD March 2005 SURREY HEATH BOROUGH COUNCIL: SA/SEA OF LDF Revised Scoping Report Contents Section Page 1. Introduction 1-1 Background 1-1 Requirement for Strategic Environmental Assessment 1-1 Purpose of Scoping Report 1-5 Joint Working 1-5 Scoping Report Consultation 1-5 2. Other Plans and Programmes 2-1 Introduction 2-1 Method 2-1 3. Baseline Data 3-1 Method 3-1 4. Key Sustainability Issues 4-1 Introduction 4-1 Method 4-1 5. SA/SEA Framework of Objectives, Indicators and Targets 5-1 Introduction 5-1 Methodology 5-1 Compatibility Of Objectives 5-8 6. Content of Initial Sustainability Report and Sustainability Appraisal Report 6-1 Initial Sustainability Appraisal Report 6-1 The Sustainability Appraisal Report 6-1 Appendix A: Baseline Data Tables i Appendix B: Derivation of Objectives from IRF 2004 xiv i SURREY HEATH BOROUGH COUNCIL: SA/SEA OF LDF Revised Scoping Report List of Tables Table 1.1: Consultation Timetable for the Local Development Framework and Sustainability Appraisal Process 1-1 Table 1.2: Summary of Responses from Consultation 1-7 Table 2.1: Relevant Plans, Programmes and Strategies 2-2 Table 2.2: Derivation of SA/SEA Objectives 2-4 Table 4.1: Key Environmental and Sustainability Issues 4-2 Table 5.1: SA/SEA Framework 5-2 Table 5.2: SA/SEA Compatibility Assessment 5-9 Table 6.1: Likely Structure of the Sustainability Appraisal Report 6-2 List of Figures Figure 1.1: Relationship between SA/SEA Stages and Tasks 1-4 Figure 4.1: Nature Conservation Sites 4-8 List of Appendices Appendix A Baseline Environmental Data Tables Appendix B Derivation of Objectives from Integrated Regional Framework 2004 This document is copyright and should not be copied in whole or in part by any means other than with the approval of Atkins Consultants Limited. Any unauthorised user of the document shall be responsible for all liabilities arising out of such use. ii SURREY HEATH BOROUGH COUNCIL: SA/SEA OF LDF Revised Scoping Report 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1.1 Surrey Heath Borough Council is undertaking a review of the adopted Local Plan 2000 with the new system of Local Development Frameworks (LDFs). The LDF will guide future development in the Borough up to 2016. It will be made up of a series of Development Plan Documents (DPDs), prepared in stages. For the first period up to 2007, the Council will prepare one DPD namely The Core Strategy. The current timetable is: Table 1.1: Consultation Timetable for the Local Development Framework and Sustainability Appraisal Process Stage Date Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report October/November 2004 Preferred Option for Statement of Community November/December 2004 Involvement (SCI) Initial Sustainability Report for Options for the February/March 2005 Core Strategy Submission to the Secretary of State (SoS) of April 2005 SCI Preferred Options Development Plan September/October 2005 Documents for the Core Strategy Sustainability Appraisal Report December 2005 Adoption of SCI December 2005 Submission to SoS of Development Plan June/July 2006 Documents for the Core Strategy. Final Sustainability Appraisal Report Plan adoption (Estimate) Early 2007 REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 1.2 The EU Directive 2001/42/EC on assessment of effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive) came into force in the UK on 20 July 2004 through the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004. The objective of the Directive is: ‘to provide for a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoptions of plans … with a view to promoting sustainable development, by ensuring that, in accordance with this Directive, an environmental assessment is carried out of certain plans …which are likely to have significant effects on the environment’. (Article 1, 2001/42/EC) 1.3 It is clear from this definition that given the scope of Local Development Frameworks, an environmental assessment is required. It has not therefore been considered necessary to make a determination concerning the need for an environmental assessment of these documents with respect to Regulation 9. 1-1 SURREY HEATH BOROUGH COUNCIL: SA/SEA OF LDF Revised Scoping Report REQUIREMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL 1.4 Under the new Regulations1 implementing the provisions of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is required for all LDFs. The purpose of SA is to promote sustainable development through better integration of sustainability considerations in the preparation and adoption of plans. The Regulations stipulate that SA of LDFs should meet the requirements of the EU Directive 2001/42/EC on assessment of effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (the ‘SEA Directive’). 1.5 Draft Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) describes Sustainability Appraisal in Paragraph 9 of Annex B: ‘A Sustainability Appraisal is intended to assess the impact of plan policies from an environmental, economic and social perspective. It is intended to test the performance of a plan against the objectives of sustainable development and thereby provide the basis for its improvement. Guidance on carrying out the Sustainability Appraisal will show how they can comply with the requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive’. 1.6 Sustainability appraisal thus helps planning authorities to fulfil the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in preparing their plans. 1.7 There are many definitions of sustainable development, however the most commonly used and widely accepted is that coined by the World Commission of Environment and Development in 1987 as: ‘Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ 1.8 The UK Strategy for Sustainable Development ‘A Better Quality of Life’ (1999) breaks down the definition into four key objectives, to be integrated and delivered simultaneously in achieving sustainable development: a) Social Progress which recognises the needs of everyone; b) Effective protection of the environment; c) Prudent use of natural resources; and d) Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth. SA/SEA PROCESS 1.9 The requirements to carry out SA and SEA are thus distinct, but ODPM guidance2 states that it is possible to satisfy both through a single appraisal process and provides methodologies for doing so. 1.10 According to the same guidance, the main stages in the SA/SEA process are as follows: 1 Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004. The Regulations came into force on 28 September 2004. 2 Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks, Consultation Paper, ODPM, September 2004 1-2 SURREY HEATH BOROUGH COUNCIL: SA/SEA OF LDF Revised Scoping Report ♦ Stage A – Setting the context and objectives, establishing the baseline and deciding on scope; ♦ Stage B – Developing and refining options; ♦ Stage C – Appraising the effects of the plan; ♦ Stage D – Consultation on the plan and the Sustainability Appraisal Report; ♦ Stage E – Monitoring implementation of the plan. 1.11 The interrelationship between these main stages and between the tasks in each stage is illustrated in Figure 1.1. 1.12 The guidance also requires the preparation of the following reports: ♦ Scoping Report (summarising Stage A work) which should be used for consultation on the scope of the SA; ♦ Initial Sustainability