Introduction

The Government’s sustainable development objectives are identified in the “Sustainable Development Strategy: A Better Quality of Life” (DETR 1999). The four objectives are:

a) Social progress that recognises the needs of everyone

b) Effective protection of the environment

c) Prudent use of natural resources

d) Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment

The planning system, and in particular development plans, can make a significant contribution to the achievement of the Government’s objectives for sustainable development. This sustainability appraisal will be used to illustrate the extent to which the key objectives, policies and proposals in the Local Plan reflect the principles of sustainable development.

Government Guidance

The expectation for local planning authorities to carry out a full environmental appraisal of their development plan is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 12 (PPG12). The appraisal process is one that involves identifying, quantifying, weighing up and reporting on the environmental impact of local plan policies and proposals. Sustainable development is not restricted to environmental concerns. PPG12 states the appraisal methodologies can be extended to incorporate economic and social issues in addition to environmental issues, therefore creating a wider appraisal.

The Government published “Environmental Appraisal of Development Plans: A good practice guide” in 1993, which sets out a general framework for local authorities to apply to particular local circumstances. The publication “Planning for Sustainable Development: Towards Better Practice” (DETR 1998) encourages the extension of the appraisal to cover sustainable development objectives and not just environmental concerns.

PPG11, `Regional Planning`, published in October 2000, emphasises that Regional Planning Bodies should carry out a sustainability appraisal as an integral part of the preparation of the Plan. The DTLR published a good practice guide on the “Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Guidance” in 2000. This sets out a number of sustainability objectives and targets against which each policy can be appraised.

Based on the above, in 2000, The East Midlands Regional Assembly produced “A Step by Step Guide to Sustainability Appraisal” which provides further guidance on the Regionally agreed objectives and targets that can be used in the appraisal of Plan policies. Alongside this document, a checklist of objectives has been produced which consider social, economic and environmental themes. These objectives are broadly consistent with the Council’s objectives and priorities, which seek to raise the social, economic and environmental well being of the district’s residents. Based on the above documents, a set of objectives for use in the appraisal of this Local Plan has been devised.

Methodology

The Council has assessed the policies and proposals of the Local Plan against the following nine objectives. The first three objectives seek to address social factors, the next four address environmental factors and the final three address economic factors. They are as follows:

Social Objectives

1. To tackle crime and make the district safer
2. To promote equality of opportunity by ensuring new development is accessible to all sections of the population
3. To promote healthy communities and lifestyles

Environmental Objectives

4. To protect and conserve the environment
5. To ensure that development reflects the principles of sustainable development
6. To work towards a clean and well-maintained district
7. To ensure that development reflects the principles of good design

Economic Objectives

8. To regenerate the economy and help to build communities by creating investment and employment opportunities
9. To improve housing provision and maintenance

These objectives have firstly been assessed against the Government’s four sustainable development objectives as described above to ensure their consistency with these.

Each of the objectives includes a number of criteria. Each policy will be considered against the criteria to determine whether the policy is taking the objective forward or helping to achieve the objective. Therefore, the criteria act as an indicator to determine the performance of policies against the objectives.

The effects the criteria have in taking the objective forward can be classified as follows -

Comments on Sustainability Appraisal

This section provides a summary of policies and proposals in each chapter of the Local Plan and their performance with regard to sustainability.

General Strategy

The locations of major developed sites within the Green Belt do not conform to sustainable development principles. However, the policy relating to these sites does control development within these sites, taking account of their sensitive location. Otherwise, the policies generally support the Plan’s objectives.

Natural Environment

As would be expected, the policies in this chapter perform well against the majority of the environmental objectives and thus achieve their overall aim. The policies have a neutral effect on achieving both the social and the economic objectives.

Built Environment

The policies of this chapter perform well against the Local Plan’s environmental objectives. The performance against the social and economic objectives is not so clear cut, but still indicates a positive approach to these objectives.

Employment

The policies generally perform very well against the objectives, with the majority having a positive or very positive effect on achieving at least two thirds of the objectives. Although a couple of the allocations are on greenfield land, the locations have been chosen to minimise the effect on the environment and to relate well to existing development, in accordance with the sequential approach to site selection. It is accepted that Policy E9 – Employment Development in the Countryside and Policy E12-Camping and Caravan Sites allow developments, which are not easily accessible to the majority of the population. However, some modest and appropriate development is necessary to maintain and improve the vitality and viability of rural areas and to promote rural diversification.

Housing

All policies have been found to be beneficial in delivering the requirements of the majority of the objectives. The sites allocated for residential development have all been systematically assessed against PPG3 site selection criteria to ensure that they meet the aims of sustainable development.

Town Centres and Retailing

The policies within this chapter have all been devised and formulated in order to promote and achieve the aims of sustainable development. However, Policies SH10 and SH11 permit certain developments in the countryside, which are not accessible to the majority of the population and therefore fail on sustainability grounds. It is considered, however, that such developments can be justified because they seek to provide a valuable service to the rural communities and promote rural diversification in accordance with Government guidance.

Transport

Recreation and Leisure

The policies of this chapter generally support and help to achieve the overall objectives of the Plan, particularly the social and environmental objectives.

Community Facilities, Services and Utilities

The policies of this chapter generally help to achieve the overall sustainable objectives of the Plan. These policies are particularly strong in terms of protecting and enhancing the environment.