INITIAL SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL (INCORPORATING SEA) OF Wokingham Borough’s Draft Managing Development Delivery Development Plan Document Further Public Participation Stage Consultation (Reg 25) August 2011 Introduction The Council consulted on the draft options for the Managing Development Delivery Development Plan Document (MDDDPD) between June 15 th and July 27 th 2011. This was the Public Participation (Regulation 25) stage. This consultation included an initial sustainability appraisal (incorporating a Strategic environmental Assessment) (SA/SEA) of the suggested and alternative options put forward in the draft options for the MDD DPD. Following this consultation the council is undertaking a further SA/SEA of the options for the MDD DPD to take account of options put forward at the Regulation 25 consultation stage. A further SA/SEA will be undertaken on the submission version of the MDD DPD The SA/SEA consists of the following; Chapter 1 – Non-technical Summary of the SA/SEA Chapter 2 –SA (inc SEA) of the MDDDPD following the regulation 25 consultation on the draft Options for the MDD DPD Chapter 3 – Environmental Report Chapter 1 – Non-Technical Summary 1.0 An essential part of drawing up planning documents is their impact on the environment and quality of life both now and in the future. To help address this Sustainability Appraisals(SAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments(SEAs) are carried out alongside the preparation of planning documents to make sure social, environmental and economic issues are taken into account at every stage to ensure sustainable delivery. The sustainability appraisal is an iterative process and the Council consulted on an initial SA/SEA of the suggested option and alternative options in the Draft Options for the Managing Development Delivery Development Plan Document (MDD DPD)between 15 th June and 27 th July 2011. Following this consultation the Council is undertaking a further SA/SEA of the Draft Options for the MDD DPD to appraise any other options that were put forward by respondents to the consultation and to have regard to any comments made on the earlier SA/SEA of the options. 1.1 This Non-Technical Summary consists of the following sections: • The role of the MDD DPD • Outlines the role of the SA, incorporating the SEA, in appraising the impact of the draft Options for the Managing Development Delivery Development Plan Document (MDD DPD). • Summarises what the SA/SEA has found Role of the Managing Development Delivery DPD 1.2 The MDD DPD amplifies and must accord with policies in the Council’s adopted Core Strategy. The overall aims and objectives of the MDD DPD are set out in Appendix 2 of this document 1.3 The Managing Development Delivery Development Plan Document will do a number of things; a) It is required by the Core Strategy (Policy CP17) to identify sites for at least 1,000 dwellings for the period to 2026 to ensure that the overall housing requirements of the Core Strategy are met. It will also need to identify sites for at least 500 dwellings in reserve which can be delivered before 2026 if the need arises. The Council through this consultation is seeking views as to which of the towns and villages in the Borough should be taking these dwellings and how many they should take. b) It will include policies for speculative and non-allocated sites in line with the vision and policy of the Core Strategy and other Council strategies. The policy is likely to include specific criteria for these sites. 3 c) It may also allocate sites for Travelling Showpeople to the year 2016 in line with Policy CP2 of the Core Strategy if this requirement is not met by other means. With regard to need for Gypsy and Traveller together with Travelling Showpeople pitches/ plots post 2016, the Council will need to undertake further assessment work. d) It may also allocate sites, in line with the Core Strategy, for: • Community facilities including burial grounds and open space associated with development • Commercial development including retail and the Science and Innovation Park. e) It needs to have regard to the requirement for residential accommodation for vulnerable groups (care homes, dementia units and young person’s group homes) and will consider proposals having regard to policies on speculative and non-allocated housing sites. f) It will also turn the high level policies of the Core Strategy into more detailed development management policies where required and will also replace the remaining saved policies of the local plan. It will include policies on: • Housing (e.g. housing mix, criteria for speculative and non- allocated sites); • Sustainable Development and Climate Change; • Green infrastructure (including outdoor play and recreational space, amenity green space in built-up areas, new public open space associated with development, moorings and wildlife and wildlife corridors); • Main employment and retail areas together with primary & secondary shopping frontages; • Town, district and village centres/ local centres and uses; • Employment in the countryside including rural diversification • University of Reading; • Tourism; • Character and heritage assets; • Major developed sites in the Green Belt; • Landscape (including Special Landscape Areas, Sites of Urban Landscape Value, River Corridors and Valleys); • Transport and movement (including protected road lines and land to be safeguarded for transport improvement schemes and connectivity and permeability of the rights of way and the footpath network). g) It will set the boundaries for such things as Development Limits (Settlement Boundaries), Settlement Separation, Green Belt, Town, District and Village Centres (including primary and 4 secondary frontages), Green Routes, Special Landscape Areas and Sites of Urban Landscape Value. The Draft Options for the MDD DPD covers these areas in a number of themes. These are: • Theme1 Approach to identifying housing sites and other residential accommodation (Issues 1-10) • Theme2 Development Limits and settlement separation (Issues 11-14) • Theme 3 Policies for residential use (issues 15-22) • Theme 4 Sustainable Development (Issues 23-25) • Theme 5 Green Infrastructure (Issues 26-33) • Theme 6 Economy (issues 33-42) • Theme 7 Character and Heritage (issues 43-46) • Theme 8 Green belt( issue 47) • Theme 9 Landscape (issues 48-52) • Theme 10 Transport and Movement (Issues 53-55) The MDD DPD draft options can be viewed on the Councils website at and is available to view at the Council’s offices at Shute End Current State of Wokingham Borough, its characteristics and implications of the MDD DPD 1.4 Wokingham Borough is made up of 3 towns and 14 parishes. The Borough covers an area of 17,892 hectares (Ha). Despite being near the nation’s capital and home to modern employment areas, the Borough is noted for its charming woodlands, heaths, peaceful rivers and secluded villages such as Farley Hill and Remenham. The highly valuable natural environment, wildlife, biodiversity and heritage assets of the Borough provide a considerable socio- economic value as they all contribute to the Borough’s attractiveness as a place to live, work and visit. The Borough's diversity is confirmed by the Council’s Landscape Character Assessment which shows the Borough has three separate Landscape Areas as defined at a national level . 1.5 The Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) in Wokingham Borough are Heath Lake, Longmoor Bog, Sandford Mill, Lodgewood and Stanford End Mill and River Loddon).There are a number of other SSSIs within 2km of the Borough boundary (Temple Island Meadows, Rodbed Wood, Harpsden Woods, Bramshill, Wellington College Bog, Sandhurst to Owlsmoor Bogs and Heaths, Broadmoor to Bagshot Woods and Heaths, Wykery Copse). 1.6 The Borough also contains 3 Country Parks, 124 Wildlife Heritage Sites (WHS) and 7 Local Nature Reserves (LNR) covering an area of 79.4ha. and River Loddon and EmmBrook 5 1.7 14.2% of the Borough is covered by woodland, which amounts to 2550Ha (Berkshire Nature Conservation Forum BCNF). Wokingham Borough contains 14% of Berkshire woodland resource in only 14 % of its land areas. 1.8 The Borough has 17 priority Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species emphasising local wildlife value. 1.9 Approximately the southern third of the borough lies within5km of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area. The borough Council has recently opened a SANG at Rooks Nest Farm to provide mitigation measures. 2.8 Areas of the Borough lie within flood zones 2 and 3. 1.10 There are 16 Conservation Areas and 6 English Heritage Registered Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The Borough has 630 listed buildings (Grade I: 9, Grade II: 38, Grade II*: 580 and other: 3). The Borough also has 18 Scheduled Monuments. 1.11 The extent and condition of all habitats and species, included in Habitat Action Plans or Species Action Plans, has been produced at national, county or local level. 1.12 Geology contributes to the diversity of the sites and species above ground which is also needed to meet aggregate demand. 1.13 The Berkshire Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) currently notes over 1000 archaeological sites existing within the Borough, and that there are many more unidentified. There is a wealth of archaeology sites existing within the Borough that are currently undesignated but form an important part of the Borough’s heritage. 1.14 In developing the MDD DPD the council has had regard to these issues and will seek appropriate mitigation measures such as ensuring any development proposed through the MDD DPD has regard to PPS25, the Council’s SFRA and advice from the Environment Agency. 1.15 With regard to triple SSS1’s polices in the MDD DPD will need to reflect both PPS9 and Policy CP7 of the Core Strategy. The MDD DPD seeks to protect and conserve biodiversity and geological sites. 1.16 With regard to heritage the MDD DPD seeks to have polices which set out the principle for protecting and enhancing local heritage assets as well as nationally protected listed buildings.