Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper Sustainability Appraisal Report Prepared for Somerset County Council by LUC December 2012 Project Title: Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper Sustainability Appraisal Report Client: Somerset County Council Version Date Version Details Prepared by Checked by Approved by Principal 1 05.11.12 First Draft Report Ifan Gwilym Catrin Owen Jeremy Owen Catrin Owen 2 16.11.12 Final Report Ifan Gwilym Catrin Owen Jeremy Owen Catrin Owen Jeremy Owen 3 14.12.12 Final Report – signed-off Ifan Gwilym Catrin Owen Jeremy Owen version Catrin Owen Jeremy Owen J:\CURRENT PROJECTS\4600s\4629 Somerset Minerals\4629.01\B Project Working\2012 Project restart\SA Report\4629_SomersetMineralsSA_20121116_v3_0.docx Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper Sustainability Appraisal Report Prepared for Somerset County Council by LUC December 2012 Planning & EIA LUC BRISTOL Offices also in: Land Use Consultants Ltd Registered in England Design 14 Great George Street London Registered number: 2549296 Landscape Planning Bristol BS1 5RH Glasgow Registered Office: Landscape Management Tel:0117 929 1997 Edinburgh 43 Chalton Street Ecology Fax:0117 929 1998 London NW1 1JD LUC uses 100% recycled paper Mapping & Visualisation [email protected] FS 566056 EMS 566057 Contents 1 Non-Technical Summary 1 2 Introduction 30 3 Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper 34 4 Appraisal Methodology 41 5 Environmental, social and economic policy objectives of relevant plans and programmes 45 6 Sustainability Context for Minerals Development in Somerset 49 7 SA Framework 67 8 Appraisal of the Core Strategy Components 70 9 Appraisal findings by SA objective 104 10 Monitoring 119 Appendices Appendix 1: Relevant documents, plans and strategies Appendix 2: Appraisal matrices from the Interim SEA/SA Report Appendix 3: SA of Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper appraisal matrices 1 Non-Technical Summary Introduction 1.1 This Sustainability Appraisal Report (Non-Technical Summary) relates to the Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper, which is being produced by Somerset County Council. Plans and strategies such as the Somerset Minerals Plan are subject to a process called Sustainability Appraisal, which assesses the potential impacts of a plan on social, economic, and environmental issues. Somerset County Council has commissioned independent consultants (LUC) to carry out SA of the emerging Minerals Plan on its behalf. This Non-Technical Summary relates to the full SA Report for the Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper (November 2012), and should be read alongside those two documents. The Somerset Minerals Plan 1.2 The Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper contains the draft wording of policies that will shape future minerals development within Somerset. The purpose of the Minerals Plan is to ensure that policy is defined for long enough to provide the minerals industry with a clear picture of the future to enable decisions about investment to be made. It gives certainty to local communities about minerals development in their area in terms of where activity is now and is likely to be over the next plan period. It also sets out what limits and controls should be placed on minerals activity to ensure any negative environmental and community impacts are mitigated as far as possible and at an acceptable level. 1.3 The final Minerals Plan is expected to be adopted in 2014, and should cover the period up to 2030. It has to consider the need to contribute towards national, regional and local need for minerals together with social, environmental and economic considerations. Once adopted the Somerset Minerals Plan will replace the ‘saved’ policies from the Somerset Minerals Local Plan that was adopted in 2004. Sustainability Appraisal Methodology Stage A: Setting the Context and Objectives, Establishing the Baseline and Deciding on the Scope 1.4 The Sustainability Appraisal process began in 2007 when the original Scoping Report for the Minerals and Waste Development Framework was sent to the three statutory consultation bodies for consultation (Natural England, English Heritage and the Environment Agency) alongside other key stakeholders. This report was produced by Scott Wilson on behalf of Somerset County Council and comprised a review of baseline information, relevant policy objectives, and the development of a framework of sustainability objectives and indicators. 1.5 Comments were received and taken in to account and incorporated, alongside those of LUC with regards to minerals, in a revised Scoping Report in October 2010. This revised Scoping Report was also made available for comment by the statutory consultees and other interested stakeholders. 1.6 The final Scoping Report was published in February 2011. Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options 1 December 2012 Sustainability Appraisal Report Stage B: Developing and Refining Options and Assessing Effects 1.7 Developing options for a plan is an iterative process usually involving a number of consultations with public and stakeholders. The Sustainability Appraisal can help to identify where there may be other ‘reasonable alternatives’ to the options being considered for a plan. 1.8 The options/reasonable alternatives for Somerset’s Minerals Plan have been investigated through the plan development process, first through consultation on a series of topic papers, and then through publication of the Minerals Options Paper in December 2011. At each stage LUC provided advice on the refinement of options for the Minerals Plan, culminating with the production of the Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report in 2011. 1.9 The Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report was drafted in mid-2011, appraising the issues and options set out in the draft Minerals Options Paper, July 2011. The final Interim SEA/SA Report (December 2011) provided an appraisal of the original (July 2011) and additional (December 2011) policy options for completeness. The Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report was published for consultation alongside the final Minerals Options Paper in December 2011. No comments were received on the Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report. Stage C: Preparing the Sustainability Appraisal Report 1.10 The Sustainability Appraisal Report describes the process undertaken to date in carrying out the appraisal of the Somerset Minerals Plan. It sets out the findings of the appraisal of the Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper, highlighting any likely significant effects (both positive and negative), making recommendations for improvements and clarifications to the Plan. Stage D: Consulting on the Submission Plan and SA Report 1.11 Somerset County Council is inviting representations on the Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper and the SA Report. Stage E: Monitoring Implementation of the Plan 1.12 The final section of the Sustainability Appraisal Report sets out recommendations for monitoring the significant social, environmental and economic effects of implementing the Somerset Minerals Plan. These monitoring proposals should be considered within the context of the broader monitoring framework for the Minerals Plan and the Somerset County Council Annual Monitoring Report. Difficulties encountered 1.13 Sustainability Appraisal inevitably relies on an element of subjective judgement. In predicting and assessing the sustainability effects of the Minerals Plan Preferred Options Paper the appraisal has drawn on the analysis of the baseline situation, the characteristics of Somerset and the sustainability issues the County faces, plus professional experience. 1.14 The experience of the Sustainability Appraisal team, plus helpful guidance and information from Somerset County Council, has enabled the SA to progress with no identifiable technical deficiencies or lack of know how. This has been possible in part to the detailed work undertaken by Somerset County Council in developing the evidence base for the Minerals Plan. Policy Context 1.15 The Somerset Minerals Plan is influenced by, and should have regard to, the relevant environmental, social and economic objectives at international, national, regional and local levels. There is a large number of potentially relevant policy documents. Those that are particularly important for the Somerset Minerals Plan are summarised below. Somerset Minerals Plan Preferred Options 2 December 2012 Sustainability Appraisal Report Kyoto Protocol 1.16 The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that sets binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The emerging Minerals Plan will need to comply with the Protocol, and ensure that mineral extraction helps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions where possible. Water Framework Directive 1.17 The emerging Minerals Plan will need to comply with the European Union’s Water Framework Directive, which protects inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwaters. It aims to reduce pollution of groundwater and prevents its further pollution, which may impact mineral operations. Air Quality Directive 1.18 The European Union’s Directive on ambient air quality assessment and management aims to “avoid, prevent and reduce harmful effects of ambient noise pollution on human health and the environment”. The emerging Minerals Plan will need to comply with the Directive, and ensure that harmful effects on air quality from mineral extraction activities in Somerset will be avoided where possible. Habitats Directive 1.19 The emerging Minerals Plan will also need to comply