Sustainable Development is often referred to as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Government requires that all local planning authorities test their plans using ‘Sustainability Appraisal’ to ensure that they do not conflict with the aims of sustainable development.

The Core Strategy sets out the spatial vision, spatial objectives and core policies for the development of the local planning authority area.  The Core Strategy will be influenced by a number of documents including the South East Plan (which is the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East), and the vision for the Borough that is contained within Stronger Together (which is the Community Strategy for Havant Borough, 2005-08).

 

The Council is required to conduct a Sustainability Appraisal as part of the process to produce the Core Strategy.  Sustainability Appraisal is a process where draft plans and programmes are repeatedly assessed to see how they contribute towards the aims of Sustainable Development.  It is an integral part of the plan-making process and allows the likely social, economic and environmental effects of an emerging Plan to be assessed to ensure that sustainability considerations are taken into account at each stage.

 

Sustainability Appraisal incorporates requirements by EU Directive 2001/42/EC that a Strategic Environmental Assessment is carried out on all Plans likely to have a significant effect on the environment.  Further information on the requirements for Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment can be found in the ODPM document Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Documents

 

To comply with the requirements for Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment the Council has produced a Scoping Report setting out the Council’s approach to conducting the Appraisal.

 

It is not the case that the Council’s final preferred option of the plan must be the most sustainable option identified by the final Sustainability Appraisal Environmental Report.  Instead, Sustainability Appraisal is a tool to be used during the preparation of a plan to inform the decision making process to ensure that sustainability considerations are taken fully into account.