Draft Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report for Core
Strategy
The Core Strategy for Cheshire West and Cheshire is in
production. This is the key document in the Local Development
Framework (LDF), and sets out the spatial vision and core policies
for West Cheshire.
A Sustainability Appraisal is required under the Town and
Country Planning Act 2004. It assesses the policies within the Core
Strategy for their contribution towards sustainable development. As
part of this process an Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report has
been prepared to evaluate the policies and proposals in the Issues
and Options stage of the Core Strategy preparation. This appraisal
will build on the ‘sustainability framework’ developed in the
Scoping Report.
The Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report was open for
consultation for the 8 week period from Wednesday 11 November 2009
to Wednesday 13 January 2010, alongside the Core
Strategy Issues & Options report, updated Topic Papers and
Habitats Regulations Assessment (see further down this page for
details). To read the Interim Sustainability Appraisal please
click the link below which will take you to our consultation
website (comments will be available to view online as they are
processed by a planning officer):
Alternatively, you can download a PDF version
of the Interim Sustainability Appraisal (PDF 787 kb)
Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report for Core Strategy
As part of the Sustainability Appraisal process, a Scoping
Report is required to identify the baseline information on a wide
range of topics, with key trends and objectives for the area. A key
output of the Scoping Report is a proposed 'sustainability
framework'. This will be used to appraise the Core Strategy
policies and proposals as they emerge.
This Scoping Report was open for consultation for the statutory
5-week period from Friday 24 July to Friday 28 August 2009. To read
the consultation version of the Scoping Report click the link
below, which will take you to our consultation website (comments
and the council's response are also available to view here):
You can also view the amended PDF version of the Sustainability
Appraisal Scoping Report for Core Strategy - November 2009
(PDF, 1.08Mb)
Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening Determination for
Core Strategy
Under the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes
Regulations 2004, councils must carry out a Strategic Environmental
Assessment (SEA) of land-use and spatial plans. It is likely that
Development Plan Documents (DPDs), such as the Core Strategy
DPD
, will require
SEA
as they
will contain planning policies that influence land uses which will
be used to determine planning applications.
Following consultation with the statutory environmental bodies,
the council considers that the Core Strategy
DPD
is likely to have a
significant environmental effect and will therefore require a
SEA
. The
requirements of the
SEA
will be
incorporated into a Sustainability Appraisal.
The council has produced a
SEA
Screening
Determination for Core Strategy
DPD
(PDF 396 KB) which sets
out the consultation responses and the reasons for the
determination.
Alternatively, a copy of this Screening Determination will also
be available on request at the following council offices:
- 4 Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BE
- Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1AH
- The Forum, Chester, CH1 2HS
Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment Screening Report
There is a legal requirement for local
authorities to carry out a Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) for
plans and projects which have the potential to impact upon habitats
and species of European Importance. These habitats and
species are protected through the establishment and conservation of
a network of sites of nature conservation importance known as
Natura 2000.
The Natura 2000 network of sites are of
exceptional importance in respect of rare, endangered or vulnerable
natural habitats and species within the European Community.
These sites which are also referred to as European sites, and
consist of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection
Areas (SPAs) and Offshore Marine Site (OMS), although there are no
OMS designated at present. Additionally, although not
included in the Natura 2000 network of sites, there is also a legal
requirement to carry out Habitats Regulation Assessment for Ramsar
sites.
The council has now undertaken an initial
screening exercise, the first stage in the Habitats Regulations
Assessment process to identify Natura 2000 sites which could be
affected by the Cheshire West and Chester Core Strategy and the
policies it contains. The findings of this screening exercise are
presented in a HRA Screening Report.
Comments on the draft Screening Report were
invited between 11th November 2009 and 13th January 2010. The
Screening Report can still be viewed online by following the link
below (comments will be available to view online as they are
processed by a planning officer):
Further Information
If you require any further information on SEA, Sustainability
Appraisal, or Habitats Regulations Assessment, please contact
the Spatial Planning team on 01244 973140 or 01244
973659.