Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Stoke- on-Trent City Council Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report 2016 Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report For further information on this document or to obtain it in other formats, please contact one of the Councils at: Stoke-on-Trent City Council Planning and Transportation Policy Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01782 236339 Website: www.stoke.gov.uk/planningpolicy Or: Planning Policy Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Civic Offices Merrial Street Newcastle-under-Lyme Staffordshire ST5 2AG Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01782 742467 Website: http://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/planningpolicy Page 2 CONTENTS NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY ............................................................................................. 4 DRAFT SCOPING REPORT ................................................................................................. 7 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 7 OTHER PLANS AND PROGRAMMES .............................................................................18 REQUIREMENTS AND STAGES IN THE PROCESS ....................................................... 46 BASELINE DATA..................................................................................................................51 BASELINE REQUIREMENTS ..................................................................................... 51 ENVIRONMENTAL ................................................................................................... 52 SOCIAL ................................................................................................................. 67 ECONOMIC .......................................................................................................... 101 SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL OBJECTIVES .............................................................. 112 BASELINE CONDITION, FUTURE TRENDS AND LINKS TO SA OBJECTIVES ................... 122 PROPOSED METHODOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL ................................. 166 SA TEAM APPROACH ........................................................................................... 180 APPENDIX 1 – OTHER PLANS AND PROGRAMMES ...............................................183 APPENDIX 2 - CONSULTATION LIST FOR THE SA SCOPING REPORT .............190 APPENDIX 3 - GLOSSARY ..............................................................................................191 Page 3 NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY What is Sustainability Appraisal? i. Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is a process whereby the potential social, environmental and economic effects of a plan or project are identified and assessed. Mitigation or compensatory measures which may be required to overcome any negative effects are also identified as part of the appraisal process. This SA Scoping Report identifies the requirements under the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive1 and the approach to SA included in the document incorporates SEA requirements. There is a Glossary at Appendix 3 which provides a definition of the terms used within this document. What have we done in the past? ii. The 2009 adopted Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Core Spatial Strategy was informed by a process of SA. The document states, “Sustainability appraisal has been integrated throughout the plan making process, from the earliest options presented through to the final submission Core Spatial Strategy. Results from the various stages of appraisal have provided key evidence for the identification of, and justification for, the preferred strategies and policies included in this Core Spatial Strategy.”2 The councils have also undertaken SAs of other planning documents where required. Why do we need to change? iii. The previous approach to sustainability appraisal needed to be updated and refreshed to take into account changes to national planning policy, with the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework in 2012 and the Planning Practice Guidance in 2014. The councils are also in the early stages of producing a Joint Local Plan, which once adopted will replace the Core Spatial Strategy and Saved Local Plan policies of both councils. A new SA Scoping Report is required in order to test the potential sustainability of proposed new planning policies and site allocations within the new Joint Local Plan. The baseline data used in the SA for the Core Spatial Strategy also required updating. This SA Scoping Report has looked again at what relevant baseline data is available now and what is likely to be available in the future in order to include information that can be considered relevant within the document. Where possible this includes information on historic and likely future trends and also considers the likely future ‘evolution’ of the area without a plan or 1 Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment 2 Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Core Spatial Strategy 2006-2026 adopted October 2009 Page 4 programme in place. To provide the context for this, other plans and programmes that are relevant are identified in the SA Scoping Report. How has the approach changed? iv. Consultation with the specific consultation bodies3 and neighbouring local planning authorities took place between Wednesday 5th August and Wednesday 9th September 2015. Having taken in to account their comments, this final SA Scoping Report now provides the methodology for how Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council will approach sustainability appraisal in the future as part of the Joint Local Plan preparation process. The updated baseline data has been used to inform the SA process, including setting the new Sustainability Objectives and assessing the potential short, medium, long term and cumulative effects of Joint Local Plan policies and site allocations on the social, economic and environmental conditions of the area. What will SA be applied to? v. The SA methodology set out in this Scoping Report will be used to undertake assessments of proposed Joint Local Plan policies and site allocations and, where considered to be required, Supplementary Planning Documents. vi. Whilst there is no legal requirement for Neighbourhood Plans to have a SA the Planning Practice Guidance states that the qualifying body (the Town or Parish Council, or the designated Neighbourhood/Business Forum) is required to set out how its plan or order will contribute to achieving sustainable development4. In line with the Planning Practice Guidance, both councils consider that the approach to SA set out within this report for the Joint Local Plan could also be used for assessing Neighbourhood Plans5. vii. The Planning Practice Guidance states that whether or not a draft Neighbourhood Plan requires a SEA depends on what is being proposed. It identifies the following situations where an SEA may be required: “a neighbourhood plan allocates sites for development the neighbourhood area contains sensitive natural or heritage assets that may be affected by the proposals in the plan the neighbourhood plan is likely to have significant environmental effects that have not already been considered and dealt with through a sustainability appraisal of the Local Plan”6 3 Planning Practice Guidance (2014) identifies that Regulation 4 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 “defines certain organisations with environmental responsibilities as consultation bodies. In England the consultation bodies are English Heritage, Natural England and the Environment Agency.” Paragraph: 015 Reference ID: 11-015-20140306 4 Planning Practice Guidance (2014) Paragraph: 026 Reference ID: 11-026-20140306 5 Planning Practice Guidance (2014) Paragraph: 026 Reference ID: 11-026-20140306 6 Planning Practice Guidance (2014) Paragraph: 046 Reference ID: 11-046-20150209 Page 5 How will Sustainability Appraisal be undertaken? viii. The SA process that the councils will use for assessing the Joint Local Plan is set out in this document. This includes detailed explanation of the assessments to be undertaken at the different stages in the plan preparation process, including the SA objectives to be used to assess plans and policies. Page 6 Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report Introduction Locational Context 1.1 The maps below show the locational context of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent (edged black on the map). The area is located between Manchester and Birmingham. It is also in close proximity of the Peak District National Park, located to the east, and Derby is located to the south east of Stoke-on-Trent. The county town of Stafford is to the south. Map 1: Locational Context Page 7 Map 2: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council Administrative Areas Page 8 Map 3: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Wards Page 9 Map 4: Stoke-on-Trent City Council Wards Page 10 Reason for preparing a new Scoping Report 1.2 In light of changes to national planning policy through the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)7 in 2012 and the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG)8 in 2014, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council have prepared this new Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Scoping Report. This will primarily be used to assess