Sustainability Appraisal (SA) of the North West Leicestershire Local Plan (draft) Interim SA Report July 2015 CONTENTS 1. Background to the SA Report ............................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The SA process ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Schedule of legal compliance ............................................................................................................... 2 2. Introduction (To Part 1) .......................................................... 4 2.1 Scoping .................................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2 What is the plan seeking to achieve? ................................................................................................... 5 3. Key issues ............................................................................... 1 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 3.2 Population and Communities ............................................................................................................... 1 3.3 Housing ................................................................................................................................................. 1 3.4 Employment and the Economy ............................................................................................................ 1 3.5 Transport and Access ............................................................................................................................ 2 3.6 Air Quality and Noise ............................................................................................................................ 2 3.7 Climate Change ..................................................................................................................................... 2 3.8 Biodiversity and Geodiversity ............................................................................................................... 3 3.9 Landscape and Land ............................................................................................................................. 3 3.10 Cultural Heritage ................................................................................................................................... 3 3.11 Water .................................................................................................................................................... 3 3.12 Waste and Minerals .............................................................................................................................. 4 3.13 Consultation on the Scope of the SA .................................................................................................... 4 4. SA Framework ......................................................................... 5 4.1 The Framework ..................................................................................................................................... 5 4.2 Site Appraisal Framework ................................................................................................................... 11 5. Introduction (to Part 2) ......................................................... 15 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 15 5.2 Identifying and Appraising Alternatives ............................................................................................. 15 5.3 Structure of the Alternatives Appraisal .............................................................................................. 15 6. Housing growth .................................................................... 16 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 16 6.2 What are the Reasonable Alternatives ............................................................................................... 16 6.3 Unreasonable Alternatives ................................................................................................................. 16 6.4 Why has the Preferred Approach Been Selected? ............................................................................. 16 7. Housing distribution ............................................................. 18 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 18 7.2 What are the Reasonable Alternatives ............................................................................................... 18 7.3 Unreasonable Alternatives ................................................................................................................. 19 7.4 Why has the Preferred Approach Been Selected? ............................................................................. 19 8. Strategic site appraisal ........................................................ 21 8.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 21 8.2 What are the Reasonable Alternatives ............................................................................................... 21 8.3 Why has the Preferred Approach Been Selected? ............................................................................. 23 9. Affordable housing ............................................................... 24 9.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 24 9.2 What are the Reasonable Alternatives? ............................................................................................. 24 9.3 Why has the Preferred Approach Been Selected? ............................................................................. 24 10. Alternatives for other plan issues ....................................... 26 10.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 26 11. Introduction (to part 3 of the SA) ........................................ 28 12. Methodology ......................................................................... 28 12.1 Determining effects ............................................................................................................................ 28 12.2 Presenting findings ............................................................................................................................. 28 13. Appraisal findings ................................................................ 31 13.1 Housing ............................................................................................................................................... 31 13.2 Health and wellbeing .......................................................................................................................... 34 13.3 Communities, town and village centres ............................................................................................. 37 13.4 Economy and Employment ................................................................................................................. 40 13.5 Travel .................................................................................................................................................. 43 13.6 Climate Change (Flooding) .................................................................................................................. 46 13.7 Climate Change (low carbon energy) ................................................................................................. 48 13.8 Biodiversity and Geodiversity ............................................................................................................. 50 13.9 Landscape and Land ........................................................................................................................... 53 13.10 Built and historic environment ........................................................................................................... 56 13.11 Natural Resources ............................................................................................................................... 59 13.12 Pollution .............................................................................................................................................. 61 14. Mitigation and Enhancement ............................................... 65 15. Conclusions .......................................................................... 67 16. Next steps .............................................................................. 72 Appendices ................................................................................... 73 1. Background to the SA Report 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 AECOM (Formerly URS) is commissioned to undertake Sustainability Appraisal (SA) in support of the North West Leicestershire Local Plan.