Sustainability Appraisal

A Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment must be carried out at each stage of preparing a new local plan or reviewing an existing local plan. These two legal requirements have been met through one integrated process and a report prepared called the Sustainability Appraisal.

The purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal is to identify and report on the likely social, economic and environmental effects of the plan and the extent to which sustainable development is expected to be achieved through its implementation.

There are five main stages to preparing a Sustainability Appraisal, these are:

1. Setting the context and objectives, establishing the baseline and deciding on the scope of the appraisal (Scoping report)
2. Developing and refining options and assessing effects
3. Preparing the sustainability appraisal report
4. Consulting on the emerging local plan and the sustainability appraisal report
5. Monitoring the significant effects of implementing the local plan

Local Plan review