Strategic Environmental Assessment

Development plans: 2nd time around

13 May 2014

William CarlinSenior Policy Manager:

Environmental AssessmentScottish Government

Fiona RicePolicy and Advice Manage: Environmental Assessment

SNH

Development Plans: What to consider second

time around?

What does proportionate mean to you?

• Balanced• Matched• Aligned

ו 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 2nd 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

New material

Some elements carried forward will have no Environmental link to new material

Some elements carried forward will have environmental links to new material

An SEA of two halves

THE ASSESSMENT THE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

In terms of 2nd 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 plan New ×

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