Sustainability Appraisal
The sustainabilty appraisal (SA) of development plan documents (eg the Local Plan to 2032) in terms of the economic, social and environmental sustainability of their policies, must be undertaken during their preparation. The purpose of SA is to test the likely effects of proposed planning policies and to help make well informed choices about the policies to be included in terms of their contribution towards sustainable development objectives.
The SA fulfills the Council’s statutory duty to provide an environmental report which:
- identifies, evaluates and describes the likely significant effects on the environment of implementing the development plan document; and which also
- considers reasonable alternatives to the proposed policies in the document taking into account its objectives and geographical scope.
Briefly, the SA process involves the setting of a number of sustainability objectives which are used throughout the plan preparation process as a yardstick to measure the relative sustainability benefits of different policy options.
This information informs the selection of the preferred strategy. An SA report is prepared on the final strategy, which forms part of the Publication documentation. This is a key document in the examination process.
It should be noted that amended regulations taking effect in April 2009 have removed the requirement to subject Supplementary Planning Documents to the SA process.
Where are we in the SA process?
The existing SA baseline study and scoping report for the West Somerset Core Strategy has been prepared subject to consultation with the Government’s statutory environmental advisors: Natural England, English Heritage and the Environment Agency.
The Baseline Study / Scoping Report and Topic Papers of May 2009 are available to download here (under Related Documents). They are also available for viewing at the Council Offices in Minehead and Williton and at public libraries within the District.
A sustainability appraisal report was prepared on the Core Strategy Options Paper 2010. This can also be downloaded from this page.
As part of the preparation for the Local Plan to 2032 Preferred Strategy consultation a full Sustainability Appraisal report on the Draft Preferred Strategy will also be subject to public consultation.