The Council is required to carry out a Sustainability Appraisal as part of the preparation of the documents that make up Local Development Framework.
The purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal process is to appraise the social, environmental and economic effects of the plan from the outset, providing a sound evidence base for the plan and forming an integrated part of the plan preparation process.
The Sustainability Appraisal assess how the policies set out in the Local Development Framework documents contribute to the principles of sustainable development. The recognised definition of sustainable development is:
'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' (World Commission on Environment and Development)
More about the Legislation and how the Sustainability Appraisal fits into the preparation of the Local Development Framework can be found on the Planning Advisory Service web site via the link provided under the useful website area of this page.