Sustainability Appraisal

What is a Sustainability Appraisal?

Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is mandatory for Development Plan Documents (DPDs). It is also necessary to conduct an environmental assessment in accordance with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Regulations (as amended).

The SEA Regulations remain in force post-Brexit and it is a legal requirement for the Plan to be subject to SA and SEA throughout its preparation. SA and SEA are tools used at the plan-making stage to assess the likely effects of the Plan when judged against reasonable alternatives.

Land Use Consultants (LUC) has carried out a SA, incorporating SEA, of the Draft Plan for the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community on behalf of the Councils, and the SA report is available to view here.

You can view the SA by downloading the report here

SA is an iterative process and further SA work will take place as the plan progresses.

The SA appraised the policies and reasonable alternatives and considered the Plan’s cumulative effects. Taken as a whole, the SA concluded that the Draft Plan sets out a positive plan for the achievement of the Garden Community. The policies of the plan set a high standard which development will be required to meet and it is considered consistent with the principles of sustainable development.