Last update:
3rd August 2007
Quick links:
Background
SEAs & SAs in the South West
Key stages of SEA
SW draft
Regional Spatial Strategy
Communities
& Local Government guidance
|
Sustainability Appraisals & Strategic Environmental
Assessments
What are Sustainability Appraisals
& Strategic Environmental Assessments?
Sustainable development is central to the reformed planning system. The
purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal, mandatory under
the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, is to promote sustainable
development through the integration of social, environmental and economic
considerations into the preparation of revisions of Regional Spatial Strategies
and for new or revised Development Plan Documents (DPD) and Supplementary
Planning Documents.
In addition, when preparing RSS revisions or new and revised DPDs and
SPDs, Regional Planning Bodies and Local Planning Authorities must also
conduct an environmental assessment in accordance with the requirements
of European Directive 2001/42/EC. Strategic Environmental Assessment
(SEA) is a process to ensure that the significant environmental effects
arising from policies, plans and programmes are identified, assessed,
mitigated, communicated to decision-makers, monitored and that opportunities
for public involvement are provided.
SEA has become an important instrument to help to achieve sustainable
development in public planning and policy making. The importance of SEA
is widely recognised. Particular benefits of SEA include:
- To support sustainable development
- To improve the evidence base for strategic decisions
- To facilitate and respond to consultation with stakeholders
- To streamline other processes such as Environmental Impact Assessments
of individual development projects
Strategic Environmental Assessment & Sustainability
Appraisals in the South West
 Strategic
Environmental Assessments & Sustainability Appraisals are being completed
throughout the region. In order to make best use of the current processes
and information now available, we have mapped all of those that we are
aware of in Google Map.
Download the latest
version of this map here.
What is a Strategic Environmental Assessment
- key stages
For simplicity, SEA can be broken down into different activities conducted
alongside the development of the plan or programme and consideration of
alternative options. Government guidance in England outlines five stages
for SEA which are shown in the diagram below.
More information is available from the Strategic
Environmental Assessment website. Examples
of current SEAs is also available here.
Stage A: Context & Baseline |
The availability of background information must be considered,
objectives and indicators proposed. |
Stage B: Scope & Alternatives |
The plan making authority decides the likely scope of the environmental
report, and what level of detail to be examined. The statutory environmental
bodies shall be consulted in this process. At this stage, reasonable
alternatives to the plan need to be identified. |
Stage C: Assessment & Mitigation |
The authorities need to assess the likely effects on the environment
of the evolving plan, and its alternatives. Where there are significant
adverse effects as a result of the plan, information needs to be
provided on how these will be reduced, prevented or offset. |
Stage D: Consultation & Report |
The environmental report is a key output to SEA and should be
available for consultation at the same time as the draft plan. After
consultation responses have been received, a statement must be made
regarding how the Environmental Report and consultation responses
have been taken into account in the evolving plan. |
Stage E: Monitoring |
Monitoring of the significant environmental effects of implementing
the plan. This allows any unforeseen adverse effects of the plan
to be recognised and dealt with. Monitoring also enables future
predictions to be made more accurately and provides baseline information
for future plans. |
|
