Sustainability Appraisal of the Luton Local Plan Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Local Plan Client: Luton Borough Council Report No.: UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 Version: 12 Status: Final Date: October 2015 Author: NP/SP Checked: SP Approved: NP Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 Contents Non-Technical Summary i About Sustainability Appraisal i About Luton Local Plan i Purpose and Context of the Sustainability Report i The Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Stage ii Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives ii Assessment of Alternative Options iii Likely Significant Effects of the Proposed Submission Local Plan iii Recommendations iii Monitoring iv Next Steps iv Consultation Arrangements iv 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Purpose of this Report 1 1.2 The Luton Local Plan 1 1.3 The Study Area 2 1.4 The Wider Sub-region 5 1.5 Sustainable Development 6 2 Methodology 9 2.1 Integrated Sustainability Appraisal 9 2.2 Habitats Regulations Assessment 10 2.3 Stages of Sustainability Appraisal 10 2.4 Approach to the Assessment 10 2.5 Limitations to the Sustainability Appraisal 14 3 Scoping 17 3.1 Scoping Report 17 3.2 Scoping Consultation and Review 17 3.3 Policy, Plan and Programme Review 18 Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 3.4 Gathering Baseline Data 18 3.5 Key Sustainability Issues 19 3.6 The Sustainability Appraisal Framework 19 4 Current and Future Characteristics of the Area and Existing Sustainability Issues 27 4.1 Introduction 27 4.2 Summary of Baseline Conditions and Likely Evolution in Absence of the Plan 27 4.3 Key Sustainability Issues 35 5 Sustainability Appraisal Framework 39 5.1 Introduction 39 6 Testing Objectives, Identifying Alternatives 41 6.1 Vision and Objectives of the Proposed Submission Local Plan 41 6.2 Assessing the Plan’s Objectives against the SA Objectives 43 6.3 Identifying Reasonable Alternatives 44 7 Assessment of Alternative Options 51 7.1 Assessment of Strategic Alternatives 51 7.2 Assessment of Sites for Allocation 65 8 Assessment of Proposed Submission Local Plan 69 8.1 High Level Assessment of Policies 69 8.2 Detailed Assessment Matrices 69 8.3 Appraisal Commentary by SA Objective 70 8.4 Cumulative Effects Assessment 82 9 Mitigation and Monitoring 87 9.1 Summary of Mitigation 87 9.2 Requirements for Monitoring 90 9.3 Monitoring Proposals 90 10 Summary and Consultation Arrangements 93 10.1 Summary and Next Steps 93 10.2 Representations 94 Appendix A: Annex 1 of the SEA Directive A Appendix B: Site Assessment Criteria C Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 Appendix C: Consultation Responses E Appendix D: PPP Review (Updated May 2015) G Appendix E: Baseline Data (Updated May 2015) I Appendix F: Site Assessments and High Level Assessment for Long List J Appendix G: Site Assessments and High Level Assessment for Short List L Appendix H: Justification for Preferred Sites N Appendix I: High Level Assessment of Policies P Appendix J: Detailed Assessment Matrices R Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 List of Tables and Figures Table 2.1: SA/SEA stages and those addressed in this report 11 Table 2.2: Significance matrix 14 Table 3.1: Summary of Policy, Plan and Programme Review 21 Table 4.1: Key sustainability issues for the Luton Local Plan 36 Table 5.1: Sustainability Appraisal Objectives 39 Table 6.1: Local Plan Strategic Objectives 42 Table 6.2: Compatibility assessment between plan objectives and SA Objectives 43 Table 7.1: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Residential target and location of unmet need 53 Table 7.2: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Employment development target 54 Table 7.3: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Release of employment sites 56 Table 7.4: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Converting TC employment sites to residential 57 Table 7.5: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Housing density 58 Table 7.6: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Land south of Stockwood Park 59 Table 7.7: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Butterfield Park 60 Table 7.8: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Century Park 61 Table 7.9: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Napier Park 63 Table 7.10: Appraisal of Strategic Alternatives: Power Court 64 Table 8.1: Scale of Significance: Biodiversity & Landscape - Strategic Allocations 71 Table 8.2: Scale of Significance: Green Infrastructure - Strategic Allocations 72 Table 8.3: Scale of Significance: Air, water, soil - Strategic Allocations 73 Table 8.4: Scale of Significance: Flood risk - Strategic Allocations 74 Table 8.5: Scale of Significance: Carbon emissions - Strategic Allocations 75 Table 8.6: Scale of Significance: Resource efficiency - Strategic Allocations 76 Table 8.7: Scale of Significance: Heritage assets - Strategic Allocations 77 Table 8.8: Scale of Significance: Poverty & social inclusion - Strategic Allocations 78 Table 8.9: Scale of Significance: Crime - Strategic Allocations 78 Table 8.10: Scale of Significance: Health - Strategic Allocations 79 Table 8.11: Scale of Significance: Housing - Strategic Allocations 80 Table 8.12: Scale of Significance: Vitality of centres – Strategic Allocations 80 Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 Table 8.13: Scale of Significance: Transport & accessibility - Strategic Allocations 81 Table 8.14: Scale of Significance: Employment, learning & skills - Strategic Allocations 82 Table 8.15: Cumulative, synergistic and indirect effects 82 Table 9.1: Summary of proposed mitigation 87 Table 9.2: Proposed monitoring framework 90 Figure 1.1: Luton Local Plan Key Diagram 3 Figure 1.2: Five Guiding Principles of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy, Securing the Future (2005) 7 Abbreviations AGLV Area of Great Landscape Value ALC Agricultural Land Classification ALLV Area of Local Landscape Value AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AQMA Air Quality Management Area CEMP Construction Environmental Management Plan CHP Combined Heat and Power CO2 Carbon dioxide CWS Country Wildlife Site DAM Detailed Assessment Matrix Dph Dwellings per hectare DWS District Wildlife Site FZ Flood Zone GI Green Infrastructure Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 Abbreviations (cont.) HLA High Level Assessment HRA Habitats Regulations Assessment l/p/d Litres per person per day LVIA Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment NPPF National Planning Policy Framework NPPG National Planning Practice Guidance NVQ National Vocations Qualification PDL Previously Developed Land PPP Policy, plan or programme SA Sustainability Appraisal SAM Scheduled Ancient Monument SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SNCI Site of Nature Conservation Importance SPZ Source Protection Zone SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest SuDS Sustainable Drainage System TPO Tree Preservation Order Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 Non-Technical Summary UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 0 Non-Technical Summary 0.1 About Sustainability Appraisal 0.1.1 A Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is being carried out alongside the development of the Luton Local Plan 2011-2031. 0.1.2 Local Planning Authorities such as Luton Borough Council use SA to assess plans against a set of sustainability objectives developed in consultation with local stakeholders and communities. This assessment helps the Council to identify the relative environmental, social and economic performance of possible strategic, policy and site options, and to evaluate which of these may be more sustainable. 0.1.3 SA is a statutory process incorporating the requirements of the European Union Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive. 0.2 About Luton Local Plan 0.2.1 The Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan sets out policies, development allocations and actions to meet the environmental, social and economic challenges facing the borough over the 20 year period from 2011. When adopted it will provide a strategy for the distribution and level of development and supporting infrastructure, a set of proposals to meet that strategy, policies against which to assess planning applications, and proposals for monitoring the success of the plan. 0.3 Purpose and Context of the Sustainability Report 0.3.1 The purpose of this Sustainability Report is to: Identify, describe and evaluate the likely significant effects of the Local Plan and its reasonable alternatives; and Provide an early and effective opportunity for statutory consultees, interested parties and the public to offer views on any aspect of the SA process which has been carried out to date. 0.3.2 The Sustainability Report contains: An outline of the contents and main objectives of the Local Plan and its relationship with other plans, programmes and strategies; Relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and key sustainability issues for the borough; i Sustainability Report on the Proposed Submission Luton Local Plan October 2015 Non-Technical Summary UE-130 Luton LP SA Report_12_151007 The SA Framework against which the Local Plan has been assessed; An appraisal of alternative strategic directions that the Local Plan could reasonably take; An assessment of alternative options for meeting Local Plan strategy; An explanation