Environmental Appraisal

Introduction

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It has long been a responsibility of the planning system to protect and enhance the local environment. Controls over our built heritage and most treasured areas of countryside are well established. However, in recent years, the remit has expanded to recognise the increasing concern expressed about global environmental change. A key challenge of the 1990's is to address the threats posed by global warming and the depletion of natural resources. Planners now need to incorporate the principles of sustainable development into the planning process.

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Sustainable development has been defined by the Brundtland Commission (1987) as:

'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

The word 'sustainable' is intended to reflect a policy and strategy for continued economic and social development, without detriment to the environment and the natural resources on the quality of which continued human activity and further development depend.

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The planning system has been identified as having special responsibilities in a sustainable development strategy for the UK (see Part A, paragraphs 2.7 - 2.9). The Government has clearly stated in planning guidance that the plan-ning system, and the preparation of development plans in particular, can contribute to the objectives of ensuring that development and growth are sustainable. Local authorities are required to draw up development plans in a way that takes environmental considerations comprehensively and consistently into account. The primary means by which this can be ensured is through conducting an 'environmental appraisal' of the plan. Such an appraisal is a process of identifying, quantifying, weighing up and reporting on the environment and other costs and benefits of the Local Plan's proposals. However, this need not be carried out to the same level of detail as is required for environmental assessments of particular development proposals. Instead, its purpose is to show that environmental concerns have been fully integrated into the plan-making process. The value and purpose of environmental
appraisal is:

• to clarify the environmental objectives of the development plan;
• to understand the implications for the environment of any policy option, or interacting group of policy options;
• to enable the implications for different, wide-ranging and potentially conflicting aspects of the environment to be considered; and
• to explain to users of the development plan how the policies have regard to environmental matters.

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The principles of such an appraisal process have been built into the preparation of the North Norfolk Local Plan. The Council aims to produce a Local Plan that is environmentally led through its emphasis upon the conservation and enhancement of the natural and built environment. The environmental appraisal of the Local Plan serves to identify those policies that will be successful in this aim and those that will fail to achieve it in certain aspects. The policies have been appraised in respect of their environmental impacts at both a local and global level.

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Environmental Stock Criteria

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An appraisal needs a baseline position, so that policies and proposals are considered in terms of the changes they are likely to make. Characterising the environment through an assessment of environmental stock provides that baseline. Policies can then be examined to see if they have a positive or negative impact on the stock. Using environmental stock in appraisal requires a prior attempt to catalogue and quantify all that has environmental value in the Local Plan area. Such a task is potentially enormous in that environmental knowledge is rapidly evolving and our understanding of which components of stock are important is increasing.

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Although it is often undesirable to view the environment as discrete units and processes, the identification of specific criteria aids the policy appraisal. It ensures a degree of consistency in approach throughout the different policy sections, and acts as an aide-memoire when considering the full range of potential environmental impacts. Three levels of concern are identified, namely:
global sustainability, local environmental resources, and local environmental quality. These address a wide range of environmental issues and are seen to consist of several key concerns.

Global Sustainability

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This concerns the ability of the earth to sustain a decent quality of life for future generations. It means that steps must be taken now to reduce consumption of finite resources, such as fossil fuels, and to address the issues of global warming and the effects of pollutants. The planning system has a key role to play in achieving this objective. For example, recent Government studies highlight the potential contribution of planning to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Planning may also influence the energy usage and subsequent emissions connected with the built environment. The Global Sustainability criteria are listed below.

Finite Mineral Resources

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This refers to the protection of reserves of fossil fuels and other minerals, which are necessary to sustain current forms of industrialisation and, indeed, lifestyles. Husbanding of scarce energy and mineral resources is a key sustainability goal. Planning has influence both directly, through development control, and indirectly through the amount and nature of development, the encouragement of reuse/rehabilitation and the promotion of recycling.

Transport Energy-Efficiency

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Transport currently accounts for one third of the UK's energy consumption and this figure is rising. It is also responsible for 20-25% of all carbon dioxide emissions. The Council recognises the detrimental effect that motorised transport has on the environment and is seeking to reverse the negative trends through a switch from private to public transport and other more environmentally-friendly modes of transport. There is a simultaneous desire to bring about a reduction in the need to travel for shopping, social and employment-related trips.

Built Environment Energy-Efficiency

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Buildings are major consumers of energy and account for half of Britain's carbon dioxide emissions. There are several ways in which planning can encourage a more efficient use of energy. There is much potential to save energy throughout the built environment through the siting of buildings, their layout and density, design, technical schemes, and reuse of materials. There is also the possibility to investigate the potential of Combined Heat and Power stations.

Renewable Energy Potential

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Increasing interest is now shown in the potential of exploiting wind, tidal, wave, water, geothermal and biofuel resources to develop new energy supplies. Policies should seek to safeguard this potential in line with Government support for this matter.

Rate of Carbon Dioxide Fixing

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Plants play an important role in maintaining a steady level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen and water. There is a need to protect existing woodlands and plan for new tree planting schemes to help offset the massive carbon dioxide emissions resulting from energy usage in transport. industry and domestic properties.

Local Environmental Resources

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There is a range of natural resources, such as air, water, and soil, which is essential to life on earth. It is important to protect the quality of these resources so as to ensure a healthy environment for both the people and the flora and fauna of the planet. Pollution is a major threat to rivers, seas, land and the atmosphere. Increasing pressures for development, modern agricultural practices, and the rising number of cars all contribute to a degradation of the local environmental resources. The Local Environmental Resources criteria are listed below.

Water Conservation and Quality

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Water is a necessary component of life - besides drinking; it also has domestic, industrial and recreational uses. An appropriate level of water quality and supply is also important for the maintenance of wetland habitats. Planning impacts on the level and quality of watercourses through the nature and location of development, and the pattern of recreational use. Policies should seek to protect and improve the quality and supply of water in the various rivers and other water resources in North Norfolk, and the quality of water in the North Sea.

Land and Soil Quality

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It is important to retain the best agricultural land for future food production, and to safeguard land against contamination and dereliction. Loss of land and soil through erosion is another concern in some parts of North Norfolk.

Air Quality

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Pollutants in the atmosphere have negative effects on both the local environment and global sustainability. The main sources of pollution are traffic, industry and power stations. Planning influences the level and impact of traffic and the impact of noxious industry. Urban form and landscape policies can influence the rate of pollution absorption. Policies should look to reduce emissions of pollutants.

Wildlife Habitats

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There is a recognition of the needs of creatures other than humans. Flora and fauna are seen as important for aesthetic, recreational and sustainability reasons. Special protection should be given to designated sites, such as SSSIs and other sites of nature conservation importance, and enhancement carried out if possible.

Coastal Environment

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This is an important natural resource in North Norfolk that is vulnerable to pressures placed on it. It is important for several reasons, such as its ecology, its recreational value and its landscape and geology. Policies should seek to limit and offset the adverse effects of tourism and other human activities, flooding and coastal erosion on the quality of the coastal environment.

Local Environmental Quality

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The quality of the local environment impacts directly onto the lives of people. A safe and healthy environment enhances the quality of life. Aesthetic values are attached to attractive landscapes and buildings. Preservation of the local
environment may also have positive impacts of wider environmental significance. The Local Environmental Quality criteria are listed below.

Landscape

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The distinctiveness of the local landscape forms an important element in defining the character of North Norfolk. It is highly valued by residents and visitors, but is also subject to pressures for development. Some areas have been awarded special protection through statutory designations, such as the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Policies should aim to protect and enhance the landscape.

Townscape

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This concerns the form of the built environment in North Norfolk's towns and villages. Like the physical topography of North Norfolk, buildings contribute much to the unique character of the area. Policies should seek to integrate modern development sensitively with the past form, and enhance the built environment where possible.

Cultural Heritage

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Links to the past enrich our understanding of culture and place our current times in a historical context. Therefore, people attach special significance to historic buildings and artefacts. Policies should give regard to those features recognised through statutory designations such as Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

Open Space

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This refers to the protection of the countryside and the parks and other recreational land in towns and villages. They provide important opportunities for recreation, but also have visual and ecological qualities. It is desirable to protect and enhance these areas and to retain public access.

Quality of Life

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This recognises the major influence of environ-mental factors upon the quality of life experienced by people. Social and economic factors are important, but there are also key local environmental concerns, such as noise, smell, and health and safety conditions, that affect people. Pollutants and the risks created by dangerous installations need to be recognised and limited.

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Process

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The Environmental Stock criteria form a checklist against which individual policies can be assessed. This ensures that a comprehensive and consistent approach is taken. The following matrix allows the potential impacts of Local Plan policies on the various aspects of the environ-ment to be identified. Positive impacts are shown by a tick, negative impacts by a cross. Where an impact is likely but unpredictable or uncertain a '?' symbol is used. Where no significant impacts are found the square is left blank. The conclusions drawn from the exercise enable the Council to identify how effective the policies are in achieving the sustainable development objectives of the Local Plan.

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The appraisal has not been based on technical information, but on assumptions about the relationships between the environment and development. The process has not involved detailed studies into these relationships as would be expected with individual proposals. However, this method is in accordance with Government guidance, which defines the aims of policy appraisal to be quite different from those of the environmental assessment of projects.

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It should also be noted that the appraisal only considers the environmental effects of the Local Plan's policies and proposals. Economic or social objectives which are often used to justify the inclusion of policies are not the subject of this appraisal process.

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Conclusions

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The environmental appraisal provides an explicit, systematic and iterative review of the Local Plan's policies and proposals, and their individual and combined impacts on the environment. The appraisal has been an integral part of the plan-making process and will also inform subsequent reviews of the Local Plan.

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The Local Plan's policies are most successful in addressing issues concerning the quality of the local environment. For example, a third of all policies have positive implications for North Norfolk's landscape. Similar trends towards the protection of the quality of life, wildlife habitats, open spaces and local heritage have been identified. Policies concerned with a concentrated settlement structure, and the provision of alternatives to car-based journeys show awareness of global issues and make important contributions to achieving transport energy-efficiency and the conservation of finite mineral resources.

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Development in the countryside has been identified as having a detrimental impact upon the quality of the local landscape, and having implications for global sustainability issues through encouraging car-based journeys. This is best illustrated by the outcome of the appraisals of such policy issues as agricultural workers' dwellings, affordable housing, the reuse and adaptation of rural buildings, golf courses and major new roads.

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Environmental Appraisal Table (link opens in a new window) Note that Policies: 11, 12, 14, 15, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 35, 40, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 60, 63, 69, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 82, 89, 90, 91, 95, 96, 97, 98, 102, 103, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 121, 129, 130, 131, 135, 136, 137, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 148, 152 expired on 27/09/2007.