Wealden District Council Wealden Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report November 2020 How to Contact Us Planning Policy Wealden District Council Council Offices, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 2AX Telephone 01892 602008 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.wealden.gov.uk If you, or somebody you know, would like the information contained in this document in large print, Braille, audio tape/ CD or in another language please contact Wealden District Council on 01323 443322 or [email protected] Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3 The District .............................................................................................................. 5 The Local Plan ........................................................................................................ 5 2. Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment ..................... 7 European Directives ................................................................................................ 8 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2019 ................................................. 8 The Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report .......................................................... 9 Review of Policies, Plans and Programmes.......................................................... 10 Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) ............................................................. 10 3. Baseline Context and Sustainability Issues ....................................................... 12 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 12 3.2 Climate Change .......................................................................................... 14 3.3 Biodiversity .................................................................................................. 29 3.4 Landscape................................................................................................... 44 3.5 Water Resources ........................................................................................ 49 3.6 Flooding ...................................................................................................... 60 3.7 Soil and Land Contamination ...................................................................... 71 3.8 Air Quality.................................................................................................... 77 3.9 Waste and Recycling .................................................................................. 84 3.10 Historic Environment ................................................................................... 90 3.11 Population ................................................................................................... 95 3.12 Social Care................................................................................................ 103 3.13 Housing ..................................................................................................... 108 3.14 Health and Wellbeing ................................................................................ 121 3.15 Leisure, Recreation and Open Space ....................................................... 134 3.16 Education and Qualifications ..................................................................... 146 3.17 Economy and Employment ....................................................................... 152 3.18 Tourism ..................................................................................................... 163 3.19 Town Centres ............................................................................................ 168 3.20 Transport and Communications ................................................................ 174 4 Cross Boundary Implications ........................................................................... 182 5 Formulating Sustainability Appraisal Objectives and Framework .................... 184 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 184 SA Objectives ..................................................................................................... 184 SA Assessment Framework and Decision Making Guidance ............................. 187 Proposed methodology ....................................................................................... 195 1 | P a g e 6 Consulting on the Scope and Next Steps ........................................................ 196 Consultation process .......................................................................................... 196 What happens next? ........................................................................................... 196 Appendix A: Review of Plans, Policies and Programmes ....................................... 198 Appendix B: Compatibility of SA Objectives ........................................................... 263 Appendix C: Draft SA Monitoring Framework ......................................................... 264 Appendix D: Draft Policy Options Appraisal Matrix ................................................ 274 Appendix E: Draft Site Options Appraisal Matrix .................................................... 278 2 | P a g e 1. Introduction 1.1 Wealden District Council (WDC) is developing a new Local Plan for the area in order to bring planning policies up to date and ensure they are fit for purpose. The plan making process will involve collaboration and partnership working with neighbouring authorities as well as other relevant stakeholder’s i.e. environmental bodies, infrastructure providers, Parish and Town Councils and also our communities. Evidence base work will also be required to inform the direction of the plan. 1.2 To support the development of the new Local Plan, the Council is required to undertake a Sustainability Appraisal (SA). The purpose of the sustainability appraisal process is to test the social, environmental and economic effects of the plan from the outset. In doing so it will help ensure that decisions are made that contribute to achieving sustainable development, as required by the National Planning Policy Framework (2019). 1.3 The sustainability appraisal is integral to the plan making process and it performs a key role in providing a sound evidence base for the plan, as well as being an integrated part of the plan preparation process (see Figure 1). It will inform the decision making process and evaluation of alternatives and will help demonstrate that the plan is the most appropriate, given the reasonable alternatives. Ultimately, the Sustainability Appraisal is at the heart of plan making, generating options and alternatives to improve policy formulation. 3 | P a g e Figure 1: Relationship of the SA and Local Plan Process 4 | P a g e The District 1.4 Wealden District is defined as a mainly rural district and covers some 835 square kilometres, with around 53% of it being located within the High Weald AONB in the north and around 7% being within the South Downs National Park in the south. It currently has a population of around 161,475 with a forecast growth of 9.5% by 2038, based on trend based population projections. The district has an older age profile with a forecast growth in the over 65’s bracket of 33.3% by 2038, based on trend based population projections. 1.5 Within the district, the greatest proportion of employment is in the public administration, education and health sectors. In terms of the overall level of deprivation based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) statistics, Wealden is ranked 254 most deprived out of 317 Local Authorities nationally overall, with 1 being the most deprived. There are however pockets of deprivation within the district, for example within Hailsham. The Local Plan 1.6 The Local Plan will set out the vision and spatial development strategy for Wealden District for the period 2018-2038. The local plan will include both strategic and non-strategic planning policies. The plan will also identify site allocations for different land uses such as housing, employment, retail and leisure, health, education, open spaces as well as seek to address climate change and protect the natural and built environment. It will also provide development management policies to achieve the vision and ensure growth within the district is sustainable. 1.7 A key aspect for the Plan to address will be the provision of housing within the district. The standard methodology for calculating local housing need as outlined in the NPPF results in a significant increase in housing delivery of approximately 1,230 homes per year in Wealden, compared to the presently adopted target of 450 homes per year. This ‘standard method’ provides the starting point for assessing housing need within Wealden but is not a housing requirement. However, it is clear that Wealden will need a plan that supports a step change and maximises housing delivery. The Plan will need to deliver growth in the district, as well as respond to other important spatial planning objectives, such as protecting the environment and climate change. 1.8 The expected programme for developing the Local Plan and its associated documents, including the Sustainability Appraisal, is illustrated in Figure 2. 5 | P a g e Figure 2: Stages in the Wealden Local Plan preparation AUTUMN 2020 SPRING 2022 ONGOING High Level Early Regulation 18 Draft