Sustainability Appraisal of the Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan

Ended on the 22 April 2014

Non-Technical Summary

A Non-Technical Summary of the Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan Sustainability Appraisal Report has been prepared to provide an overview of the assessment, in line with requirements of Annex I of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive.

This Sustainability Appraisal of Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan provides a supplement to the Sustainability Appraisal of the Development Management Plan, published in November 2012. The revised document focuses on the changes to the Development Management Plan only, rather than being a complete appraisal of the entire revised Plan. The significant changes used as the basis for this appraisal are set out in Appendix D of the Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan.

This supplementary report is required to ensure that the potential social, environmental and economic effects of the significant changes to the Development Management Plan are fully assessed for their significant sustainability impacts, and reported on as part of the plan making process.

Context and legislation

The earlier Sustainability Appraisal Report (November 2012) considers in detail the requirements of the SEA Directive as listed in (a) to (d) below. The outcome of each criterion is integral to the assessment undertaken in this supplement, although the detail is not repeated in this report.

Contents, main objectives of the Plan and relationship with other relevant plans and programmes
The relevant aspects of the current state of the environment, and the likely evolution thereof without implementation of the Plan
The environmental characteristics of the area
Any existing environmental problems

The remaining requirements of the SEA Directive are explained in turn below, and are signposted in full in Appendix A.

Environmental protection objectives
Likely significant effects on the environment
Mitigation measures
Reasons for selecting alternatives
Measures for monitoring

Sustainability objectives

The objectives used to assess the sustainability implications of the significant changes in the Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan are listed below. These were developed and refined as part of the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping process, preceding this report.

Social objectives

More opportunities are provided for everyone to live in a decent, sustainably constructed and affordable home suitable to their need
The health and well-being of the population is improved and inequalities in health are reduced
Levels of poverty and social exclusion are reduced and the deprivation gap is closed between the more deprived areas in Hastings and the rest of the town
Opportunities are available for everyone to acquire new skills, and the education and skills of the population improve
All sectors of the community have improved accessibility to services, facilities, jobs, and social, cultural and recreational opportunities, including access to the countryside and the historic environment
Safe and secure environments are created and there is a reduction in crime and the fear of crime
Vibrant and locally distinctive communities are created and sustained

Environmental protection objectives

Land and buildings are used more efficiently and the best use is made of previously developed land
Biodiversity is protected, conserved and enhanced
The risk of flooding (fluvial and tidal) and coastal erosion is managed and reduced, now and in the future
Parks and gardens, countryside, and the historic environment / townscape and landscape are protected, enhanced and made more accessible
Air pollution from transport and land use planning is reduced, and air quality continues to improve
The causes of climate change are addressed through reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through zero / low carbon development (mitigation) and ensure the town is prepared for its impacts (adaptation)
The risk of pollution to all water resources is reduced, water quality is improved and water consumption is reduced
The use of sustainable energy and renewable energy technologies is maximised in new development, and in existing buildings
Through waste re-use, recycling and minimisation, the amount of waste for disposal is reduced
Road congestion and pollution levels are reduced, and there is less car dependency and greater travel choice

Economic objectives

There are high and stable levels of employment and rewarding and satisfying employment opportunities for all
Economic revival in the more deprived areas of the town is stimulated and successfully achieved
The sustained economic growth of the town is achieved and linked closely to social regeneration
Indigenous and inward investment is encouraged and accommodated

Likely significant effects

As part of the Sustainability Appraisal process, we are required to determine the likely significant effects of the significant changes to the Development Management Plan on the social, environmental and economic sustainability objectives. It is also necessary to consider how these effects could impact the sustainability objectives, when looked at ‘in-combination’ with each other, and existing Plan policies. This process is known as assessing ‘cumulative’ or ‘synergistic’ effects.

Table 1 below provides a summary of the results of the main assessment in terms of the policy changes. The results of the sites assessment follow in table 2.

SA ref	Significant Change - policy	Likely significant effects
RSD/2	New policy LP1: Overall Approach and supporting text	Mainly positive effects – ensuring all applications for development take account of Plan policy will minimise delays, although uncertainty over whether this will significantly impact on development that comes forward
RSD/3	Amendments to Policy DM1: Design Principles and supporting text	Limited sustainability effects – minor amendments provide additional protection to heritage, landscape and visual amenity but it does not change the focus of the policy
RSD/4	Amendments to Policy DM2 and supporting text	Positive effects – amendments help ensure more efficient use of land and additional protection to environmental considerations
RSD/6	Amendments to policy DM3: General Amenity	Positive effects – amendments highlight safety and the health and well being of residents, and enhance the policy in sustainability terms
RSD/8	Amendments to Policy DM4: General Access	Positive effects – highlighting the need for safety consideration in terms of access requirements and need for transport assessment improves the policy when compared against alternative, particularly in terms of environmental objectives
RSD/10	New paragraph highlighting importance of water quality	Limited effects – additional information regarding information requirements has only limited effect on the objectives but does contribute positively to minimising water pollution
RSD/13	Amendment to Policy HC1: Conversion of Existing Dwellings and supporting text	Positive effect of minor amendment in terms of protecting heritage assets, although some uncertainty over whether impact on housing mix will be particularly significant
RSD/14	Amendment to Policy HC2: Residential Institutions and Student Accommodation and supporting text	Limited sustainability effects – amendments mostly relate to clarification of the type of student accommodation
RSD/16	Amendments to Policy HN2: Changing Doors, Windows and Roofs in Conservation Areas and supporting text	Positive effects – policy is strengthened by the inclusion of roofs, although no additional sustainability effects are recorded in respect of the remaining sustainability objectives
RSD/19	Re-drafted policy HN7: Green Infrastructure in New Developments and supporting text	Significant positive effects – re-drafting of policy provides further weight to provision of green infrastructure in new development and significantly enhances environmental objectives in particular
RSD/20	New policy HN8: Biodiversity and Green Space and supporting text	Significant positive effects – policy provides further weight to improving biodiversity and resisting loss of green space and significantly enhances environmental objectives in particular
RSD/21	New Policy HN9: Aras of Landscape Value supporting text	Positive effects – new policy provides additional protection to protecting areas of landscape value, resulting in positive effects on environmental objectives
RSD/22	Re-drafted policy HN10: Amenity Green Spaces and supporting text	Positive effects mostly on environmental objectives although the re-drafted policy does not provide any additional sustainability effects to its alternatives in the earlier version of the Plan
RSD/23	New paragraphs relating to street trading and markets	Positive sustainability effects in terms of making the most efficient use of land and creating vibrant communities. The outcome of the change is unlikely to have a significant impact on economic objectives
RSD/28	Amendment to Policy CC1: Caravan, Camping and Chalet Sites and supporting text	Limited sustainability effects – the amendments will positively affect environmental objectives by providing protection to accessible green space, and could impact positively on economic objectives by requiring flexibility in the proportion of the site used for particular types of accommodation

Table 1: Summary of likely significant effects of policy amendments

SA Ref	Site no.	Significant change - sites	Have constraints or other issues been addressed been reflected in the Plan?
RSD/31	LRA10	New site at Land North of Downey Close	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/35	GH12	New site at 63 Wishing Tree Road North (Former Wishing Tree Public House)	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/36	GH13	New site at 133 Battle Road (Former Tivoli Tavern)	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/37	FB2	Potential site capacity at Former West St Leonards Primary School increased	Yes – potential constraints identified as part of the assessment are addressed in site policy. Takes account of flood risk and provision of green space in particular
RSD/38	FB6	Potential site capacity at Cinque Ports Way, Former Stamco Timber Yard and TA Centre decreased, and site boundary amended	Yes – potential constraints identified as part of the assessment are addressed in site policy. Takes account of flood risk, connectivity in terms of walking and cycling. Amendments are reflective of these needs
RSD/40	FB13	New site at Hastings Garden Centre, Bexhill Road	Yes – potential constraints identified as part of the assessment are addressed in site policy. Flood risk reduced following updated information, and policy takes account of sites location in an Archaeological Notification Area and proximity to a Local Wildlife Site
RSD/41	FB14	New site at Land north of 31 Fern Road	Yes – potential constraints identified as part of the assessment are addressed in site policy. Takes account of ecological issues given the proximity of the site to protected green space
RSD/42	FB15	New site at Land north of 14 Fern Road	Yes – potential constraints identified as part of the assessment are addressed in site policy. Takes account of ecological issues given the proximity of the site to protected green space
RSD/44	SH3	Potential site capacity at Hurst Court reduced, and site boundary amended	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/47	SH7	Potential site capacity at 191 The Ridge reduced	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/48	SAP4	Potential site capacity at 347-349 London Road reduced	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/50	SAP7	New site at Bilmore Corner, Battle Road	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/51	SAP8	New site at 4 Wykeham Road	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/55	MBL8	New site at Caple Ne Ferne, 2 Albany Road	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/56	CLB3	Potential site capacity at Sorting Office, Kings Road increased	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/61	HOV4	Potential site capacity at The Cheviots/Cotswold close increased, and site boundary amended	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/62	HOV5	Potential site capacity at 87-221 (odds) Farley Bank reduced	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required
RSD/63	HOV6	Potential site capacity at Ore Business Park, Farley Bank reduced	N/A – no further amendment to site policies required

Table 2: Summary of likely significant effects of the sites assessment, and whether changes required to the Development Management Plan

Mitigation measures

Given the limited impact of the significant changes to the Development Management Plan (no negative sustainability effects were identified in the policy assessment, and constraints to sites have been addressed in site policies) no other mitigation measures have been proposed. Neither is any further action suggested, nor mitigation measures required as a result of the assessment of cumulative and synergistic effects.

Selection of alternatives

The sustainability appraisal process requires us to consider alternative options, and to assess sustainability implications of these. As the Development Management Plan preparation process is now nearing completion, alternatives were mostly selected through the earlier Sustainability Appraisal process, and reported on in the Final Sustainability Appraisal Report. However, for completeness, this report has undertaken an assessment in comparison with the alternatives in the earlier version of the Development Management Plan – the Proposed Submission Version (January 2013). In all cases, the significant changes as set out in this assessment have been selected as the most appropriate option to proceed with (see Appendix C).

Monitoring

The detailed information regarding Plan finalisation, adoption and monitoring is set out in the Sustainability Appraisal of the Development Management Plan (November 2012). The Council will continuously monitor the effects of the policies in sustainability terms and report on the outcome of this through the Local Plan Monitoring Report. Further information on this report is available on our website at http://gov.uk/environment_planning/planning/localplan/monitoring/

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