Strategic Environmental Assessment Development plans: 2 nd time around 13 May 2014

William Carlin Senior Policy Manager: Environmental Assessment Scottish Government Fiona Rice Policy and Advice Manage: Environmental Assessment SNH

Development Plans: What to consider second time around?

What does proportionate mean to you?  Balanced Matched Aligned × Small Little Wee

Proportionality Dictionary: Properly related in size, degree, or other measurable characteristics; corresponding: e.g. Punishment ought to be proportional to the crime.

The challenges Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 doesn’t cover the concept of 2 nd time assessments, Requires the ability to balance pragmatism and compliance, Development plans are high profile, can be a source of conflict, so risk of challenge is higher, How do you cover reasonable alternatives satisfactorily, There is no room for complacency.

Proportionality: learning to focus

An SEA of two halves THE ASSESSMENT THE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT In terms of 2 nd time around, the assessment stage is where greatest opportunities for proportionality rest. For example: Improved scoping, Opportunity to recycle some of the baseline data where possible, Assessment techniques already established, Refresh of some material rather than drafting from scratch. As the content of Environmental Report is outlined within the 2005 Act, practitioners have to indicate where significant environmental effects of a plan are likely to arise. New Development Plans cannot be treated as modifications to the previous plan and therefore have to cover the whole plan.

What you cannot ignore? What new environmental data has become available? Have new plans, programmes or strategies been produced that impact on yours? Has new legislation come into force? The CAs comments on the previous plan consultation? What has monitoring, if available discovered?

Where to start? The Development plan: What has been added? e.g. new housing allocations, roads, new growth targets or policies. What has been modified? e.g. vision; housing numbers; waste targets, What has been removed? e.g. potential mitigation policies What has stayed the same? e.g. policies, targets

Where to start? The previous assessment: What is new? e.g. air or water quality data, monitoring outputs, other PPS What has happened? e.g. flooding within plan area, drop in air quality What has stayed the same? e.g. elements of baseline, assessment method

What is important? Use scoping more effectively, Take the Consultation Authorities with you, Learn from your mistakes (Learning opportunities), Remember with the reasonable alternatives, nothing is set in stone Its not like modifications. Previous planNew × 

2nd time around Remember it’s about: reviewing what worked and what didn’t last time, opportunity to focus the assessment based on experience, using different methods of assessment where its beneficial, not setting unrealistic expectations of being able to slash the size of the previous assessment, clarity is more important than the size of the report.

Any questions?

In Groups Mind mapping exercise: SDP/LDP (15 mins) –Split into three groups, each covering one of the headings below and considering, based on personal experience within group, what is likely to have changed over the past 5 years? Environmental baseline, other plans and programmes, & internal policies

Mind map

Next Still in your groups look at the results from all the groups and consider what elements of the SDP/LDP assessment is likely to fall within the headings below. No change and no need to include within assessment. No real direct changes but covered within a broad assessment Some limited changes but not likely to be significant – light touch assessment A key change – cover in assessment as likely to have meaningful environmental effects Substantial change - assessment required and likely to appear in ER

Broad headings of LDP Housing needs / settlement strategy Retail / Supporting business Transport / infrastructure Design / Historic environment Energy / energy efficiency Natural Resources (incl. landscape, forestry, rivers) Waste management Education Sport Flooding Agriculture / Aquaculture