Sustainability appraisal
The purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal is to promote sustainable development through a decision making framework which integrates environmental, social and economic considerations throughout the Local Plan drafting process.
The Sustainability Appraisal process examines how the emerging Local Plan performs against stated environmental, social and economic objectives.
The process has the following stages which assists in assessing which policy alternatives are the most sustainable:
- Stage A, scoping the context and objectives for the Local Plan, and establishing an evidenced baseline.
- Stage B, developing and refining alternatives and assessing effects
- Stage C, preparing a SA report
- Stage D, consulting on the Local Plan and SA report
- Stage E, post adoption reporting and monitoring
STAGE A
We have completed Stage A and produced a scoping report for the emerging local plan.
STAGE B
We have now begun Stage B and produced a Sustainability Appraisal for Potential Large Strategic Sites. This document forms part of a much larger Sustainability Assessment (SA) which follows the evidence gathering basis for the emerging Local Plan across the whole of the district. It is an iterative process which follows and reflects the local plan process.
A Sustainability Appraisal has now been produced to accompany the public consultation for the Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan (July-August 2024). It consists of the following documents: