Sustainability Appraisal

Sustainability Appraisal is a process that aims to ensure that plans achieve sustainable development. It does this by assessing how the plan's policies will impact on social, environmental and economic considerations and by recommending the most sustainable options available. Where a policy is likely to result in a negative social, environmental or economic effect, the appraisal process will recommend ways of lessening the effect or offsetting it.

As is common practice in England, the Sustainability Appraisal process used for the Joint Core Strategy has been designed to incorporate the requirements of the European Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive.

A Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report was produced and consulted on in October 2008. The Scoping Report set out a framework of Sustainability Objectives that would be used to assess the Joint Core Strategy. This has now been revised to take account of consultation responses received and agreed with the statutory consultees for the Sustainability Appraisal process: the Environment Agency, English Heritage and Natural England. The revised Sustainability Appraisal Framework will now be used to appraise emerging policy options for the Joint Core Strategy.

The original Scoping Report, a Schedule of Consultation Comments and the revised Sustainability Appraisal Framework are all available to download at the foot of this page.

A full Sustainability Appraisal Report, including a full update of the data included in the Scoping Report, will be produced alongside the Developing Preferred Options Joint Core Strategy in September 2010.

- Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report (Joint Core Strategy)| (October 2008)
- Appendices|

- Schedule of Consultation Comments| (February 2009)
- Revised Sustainability Appraisal Framework| (November 2009)