Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan SA Report to accompany the Pre-submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group December 2020 Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Quality information Prepared by Checked by Approved by Verified by Rosie Cox Alastair Peattie Nick Chisholm-Batten Nick Chisholm-Batten Environmental Planner Associate Associate Associate Revision History Revision Revision date Details Name Position V1.0 14th March 2020 First draft Rosie Cox Environmental Planner V2.0 16th March 2020 Review Alastair Peattie Associate V2.0 25th March 2020 Group review Shelley Parker Marlborough Town Council V3.0 09th June 2020 Locality Review Annabel Osborne Neighbourhood Planning Officer V4.0 03rd December 2020 Revised version Rosie Cox Environmental Planner Prepared for: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Prepared for: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Prepared by: AECOM Limited 3rd Floor, Portwall Place Portwall Lane Bristol BS1 6NA United Kingdom T: +44 117 901 7000 aecom.com © 2020 AECOM Limited. All Rights Reserved. This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited (“AECOM”) for use of Locality (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: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Prepared for: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Table of Contents Non-technical summary ...................................................................................... i 1. Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 2. Local Plan context and vision for the MANP ........................................... 5 3. The Scope of the SA ............................................................................... 8 4. What has plan making / SA involved to this point? ............................... 16 5. What are the appraisal findings at this current stage? .......................... 39 6. Next steps ............................................................................................. 53 Appendix A Context review and baseline ........................................................ 54 Appendix B Site options appraisal................................................................... 86 Appendix C Reasonable alternatives appraisal – June 2020 ........................ 110 Appendix D Reasonable alternatives appraisal – November 2020 ............... 119 Prepared for: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Prepared for: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Non-technical summary What is a Sustainability Appraisal? A sustainability appraisal (SA) has been undertaken to inform the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan (MANP). This process is required by the Strategic Environmental Assessment Regulations. Neighbourhood Plan groups use SA to assess Neighbourhood Plans against a set of sustainability objectives developed in consultation with interested parties. The purpose of the assessment is to 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 Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan? The MANP presents a plan for Marlborough Area for the period to 2036. The area covered by the MANP is shown in Figure 1.1. The Designated Area, for the purpose of the MANP, consists of four parishes: • The town of Marlborough with Manton and the following three rural parishes; • Preshute; • Savernake; and • Mildenhall – known locally as Minal Marlborough is the geographic, economic and social heart of the area, surrounded by the three parishes; the boundaries of which all abut that of Marlborough. The MANP is being prepared in conformity with the Wiltshire Core Strategy (WCS) (2015) and the Housing Site Allocations Plan (HSAP) (2019). Consideration will also be given to the forthcoming review of the Wiltshire Local Plan. The MANP sets out a vision and a range of policies for the MANP area, relating to a range of topics, including creating a diverse and resilient economy which is supported by attractive, healthy and affordable places to live, and improving and protecting the area’s natural, built and historic environment. It is currently anticipated that the MANP will undergo referendum in May 2021. This is in line with the newly revised PPG which sets out changes that have been introduced to neighbourhood planning in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.1 New paragraph 107 states that referendums will be postponed in line with the Local Government and Police and Crime Commissioner (Coronavirus) (Postponement of Elections and Referendums) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 until 6 May 2021. Purpose of this SA Report This SA Report, which accompanies the Regulation 14 version of the MANP, is the latest document to be produced as part of the SA process. The first document was the SA Scoping Report (September 2019), which includes information about the MANP area’s environment and community. The purpose of this SA Report is to: ─ Identify, describe and evaluate the likely significant effects of the MANP and alternatives; and ─ Provide an opportunity for consultees to offer views on any aspect of the SA process which has been carried out to date. 1 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) (2020) Planning Practice Guidance: Neighbourhood Planning [online] available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2#covid-19 Prepared for: Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group AECOM i Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the SA Report Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan The SA Report contains: ─ An outline of the contents and main objectives of the MANP 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; ─ The SA Framework of objectives against which the MANP has been assessed; ─ The appraisal of alternative approaches for the MANP; ─ The likely significant environmental effects of the MANP; ─ The measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse effects as a result of the MANP; and ─ The next steps for the MANP and accompanying SA process. Appraisal of reasonable alternatives for the MANP A key element of the SEA process is the appraisal of ‘reasonable alternatives’ for the MANP. The SEA Regulations are not prescriptive as to what constitutes a reasonable alternative, stating only that the Environmental Report should present an appraisal of the ‘plan and reasonable alternatives taking into account the objectives and geographical scope of the plan’. Chapter 4 of this SA Report therefore describe how the SA process to date has informed the preferred development strategy for the MANP area. As the delivery of new housing development through the MANP is what is most likely to have a significant effect on SA objectives, it was determined that this issue should be the primary focus of the consideration of alternatives through the SA process. Case-law (most notably Friends of the Earth Vs. Welsh Ministers, 2015) has established that planning authorities may apply discretion and planning judgement when determining what should reasonably be the focus of alternatives appraisal, recognising the need to apply a proportionate approach and ensure an SA process/ report that is focused and accessible. The potential sites and spatial strategy options (packages of sites) for delivering development in line with the MANP objectives, will directly or indirectly influence the topic areas identified above and the Parish Council’s preferred approach. Site options Sites potentially in contention for allocation through the Marlborough Neighbourhood Plan were identified by the Town Council, with support from officers of Wiltshire Council and by professional planning consultancy, O’Neill Homer. A Site Assessment Report (November, 2020) has been prepared by O’ Neill Homer, which summarises the site assessment process and outcomes that have informed the selection of housing site allocations in the MANP and forms an important part of its published evidence base. Appendix A of the Site Assessment (Stage 1) provides an appraisal of the suitability of sites available for the potential development of housing, education, and community facilities within the MANP area.2 Eleven sites have been considered for housing and social infrastructure