Sustainability Appraisal of the North West of England Plan - Regional Spatial Strategy to 2021

 Please note Regional Strategies / Regional Spatial Strategies were revoked with immediate effect on 6th July 2010. 
 

Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) aim to ensure that a strategy is environmentally sound and promotes development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

SA and SEA provide data about environmental, social and economic conditions in a region, identify the impacts of a strategy on those conditions, and propose ways of minimising any negative impacts and enhancing positive ones.

Legislation requires that both an SEA and SA are carried out on a Regional Spatial Strategy.  As many of the requirements overlap they are typically carried out jointly.

It is important that they are carried out throughout the process of preparing a plan, and not just undertaken at the end of the process.  This approach was taken in the North West, with the key stages being:

Nov 04 - DEVELOPMENT OF AN APPRAISAL FRAMEWORK

The appraisal framework set out the objectives, targets and indicators against which the Spatial Strategy was to be appraised

Click here to download the North West RSS Appraisal Framework documents

Dec 04/Jan 05 - APPRAISE RSS OBJECTIVES

The RSS objectives were appraised against the objectives set out in the Appraisal Framework. The results of those have been included in the Scoping Report (see next stage)

Jan/Feb 05 - PREPARE SCOPING REPORT AND ISSUE FOR CONSULTATION

The scoping report reported on other plans and programmes relevant to the plan, baseline information, the appraisal framework and broad options to be considered in more detail

Click here to download the RSS Scoping Report
Click here to download the Analysis of Scoping Report responses

March - May 05 - APPRAISAL OPTIONS/ALTERNATIVES

An appraisal of options was undertaken using the agreed appraisal framework

Click here to download Options Appraisal Report

June - Nov 05 - APPRAISE POLICIES

A set of guidance notes were prepared to help those involved in developing RSS policies to ensure that sustainability and health were embedded as fully as possible into policies

Click here to download Sustainability Guidance Notes for RSS policy writers
Click here to download Health Guidance Notes for RSS policy writers

Nov 05 - APPRAISALS PERFORMED ON INTERIM DRAFT RSS POLICIES

An initial desktop study was undertaken followed by two workshops which provided an opportunity for input and comment from an independent group of appraisers. These considered key issues and the extent to which the Interim Working Draft RSS policies addressed those issues.

A special workshop was also held to focus specifically on Waste Management policies.

Click here to download the Report of the Sustainability Appraisal of the RSS Interim Draft Policies.
Click here to download main points arising from the Sustainability Appraisal of the RSS Waste Management policies.

Dec 05 - Jan 06 - PREPARE APPRAISAL REPORT

A comprehensive appraisal report setting out the methodology adopted, details of the appraisal of both the options and the policies and monitoring proposals was prepared. This report was considered alongside the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy at a meeting of the members of 4NW predecessor (North West Regional Assembly) on 13th January 2006. It was submitted to Government alongside the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy on 30th January 2006.

Click here to download the completed SA/SEA report

2006 - JAN 2007 - HABITATS REGULATION ASSESSMENT (HRA)(Appropriate Assessment)

This is required under a European Directive to assess the impact of the plan on the European Union-wide network of protected areas known as Natura 2000 and Ramsar sites.

Stage 1, which is known as Screening and Avoidance was undertaken in 2006 and a report was published in January 2007.  Click here to access the stage 1 report.
2007 - FURTHER HRA WORK

Further stages of the HRA were carried out during 2007 and a report was published in December 2007.  Click here to download the report.
MARCH 2008 - SECRETARY OF STATE'S PROPOSED CHANGES

An HRA report was also published alongside the Secretary of State's Proposed Changes. Click here to download the report.

An Equality and Health Impact Assessment was published alongside the Secretary of State's Proposed Changes.  Click here to download the report.
SEPTEMBER 2008 - ADOPTED REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY 

A final HRA report was published alongside the adopted version of the Regional Spatial Strategy in September 2008.  Click here to download the report.

Click here to download the Equality and Health Impact Assessment of the adopted Regional Spatial Strategy.

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