Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) &
Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA)
FINAL REPORTS - JUNE 2020
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SEA
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HRA
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For details of consultation on the SEA Report click HERE
Because we allocated sites in the Plan, we were required to make strategic environmental and habitats regulations assessments of the Plan. This was a specialist task, so using technical support packages from Locality, AECOM was commissioned to undertake both assessments. The processes for both are dictated by national and EU regulations.
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As the title suggests, the SEA reviews any environmental impacts that might arise if the Plan's policies are implemented. More detail is given in the Scoping Report, which you can download from the link below.
That report sets out the proposed scope of work for the SEA, and that had first to be agreed by 3 specialist bodies, via a 5-week consultation - those bodies being Natural England, Historic England and the Environment Agency. While not obligatory, we also decided to invite the environmental team at Norfolk County Council to make comments. Once agreed, the Scoping Report provided a framework for the actual assessment. It was published on 5 February and the consultation ran until 11 March 2020. |
The HRA, as its title suggests, reviewed if any negative impacts on protected habitats might arise if the Plan's policies were implemented. Protected in this regard actually means 'internationally designated'. HRA involves a somewhat simpler process than the SEA.
The first stage of the assessment, based on the Regulation 14 (August 2019) version of the Plan, was completed by AECOM, and you can download the report from the link below. It explains more about what the HRA deals with. Under the regulations that govern HRA, we were required to consult only Natural England on the HRA report, and then only on the final report. However we decided to invite their comments on the initial version of the report, to get an earlier understanding of any concerns they may have. They confirmed they had no comments in April 2020. The report made a few recommendations for changes / additions to the text of various policies, which we agreed to implement in the next version of the Plan. They principally concerned additional measures to protect stone curlews. |
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Following consultation on the SEA Scoping Report with Natural England, Historic England, the Environment Agency and Norfolk County Council, AECOM evaluated what are termed 'reasonable alternatives', based on the Regulation 14 (August 2019) version of the Plan. In addition to the sites allocated in the Plan, the alternatives that were reviewed were:
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For the HRA, the consultation period is 3 weeks, and the first stage consultation ran from 21 February until 13 March. The only consultee was Natural England, and it had no comments.
AECOM then made a further assessment of any impacts based on the Plan's updated policies as they were in May 2020. The report of that assessment concluded that the Plan's policies have no significant adverse effects on designated sites. No further policy changes were recommended. Since Natural England had no comments on the earlier report and there had been no significant changes since then, there was no need to consult them again. The updated HRA report, 18 June 2020, forms part of the Regulation 14 consultation on the Plan that runs from june till August 2020 (details HERE) The final HRA report will be published to accompany the 6-week public consultation at the same time as the Regulation 16 publication of the Plan. |
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After weighing up the relative merits of the 5 options, the one for 9 sites / 70 houses was selected.
In May 2020 AECOM then reviewed that option in the light of updated Plan policies. The overall conclusion of that assessment was that the Plan's policies will have a positive effect with regard to environmental sustainability issues. One small addition was made to the Plan as a result of the SEA Report's recommendation: it concerned provision of infrastructure for electric vehicles. The SEA environmental report was published for a 6-week public consultation at the same time as the Plan underwent a third Regulation 14 consultation. You can find details of the SEA consultation HERE |