SA/SEA Screening of Bishop's Tachbrook NDP

Details of Neighbourhood Plan

Name of Neighbourhood Plan

Bishop's Tachbrook Consultation Draft Neighbourhood Plan March 2019

Geographic Coverage of Plan

Bishop's Tachbrook Parish area.

Key topics / scope of plan

The Bishop's Tachbrook Neighbourhood Plan intends to ensure the parish of Bishop's Tachbrook is a fantastic place to live and work in.

The Draft Policy Section policies address the following subject matters

• Conserving and enhancing Bishop's Tachbrook
• Tach Brook Country Park
• Traffic management and transport improvements
• Improving accessibility for all
• Protecting local green space
• Protecting other open space
• Protection of community facilities
• Healthy, inclusive community
• Development within Bishop's Tachbrook
• Non-designated Heritage Assets and locally listed buildings
• Housing development with Bishop's Tachbrook village
• Securing a suitable mix of house types, tenures and sizes
• Responding to climate change

Key issues

Key issues/objectives that the plan is seeking to address include:-

1. To protect, enhance and give greater access to the natural environment of the area, including its landscape, geological assets, archaeological sites and wildlife habitats.

2. To promote healthy living and encourage sustainable transport (such as walking and cycling) to reduce demand on the local highway network and improve road safety.

3. To ensure the parish has the appropriate open space, recreation and community facilities to support present demand and future projected growth.

4. To protect and enhance the historic village centre of Bishop's Tachbrook by ensuring that any development within the Conservation Area is sympathetic with current buildings and landscape.

5. To ensure that new housing is in a suitable range of sizes, types and tenures, to meet assessed local needs for market and social homes.

6. To develop environmentally innovative solutions to overcoming constraints to development (e.g. flooding).

Date Screening opinion requested

26 February 2019

Person requesting screening opinion

Cllr Keith Wellsted – Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council

Local Authority Details

Warwick District Council

Name and Job Title of officer producing Screening Opinion

David Butler (Business Manager, Policy and Delivery)

Date of Assessment

04 March 2019

Conclusion of assessment

- Is an SEA required Y / N

No

Reason for conclusion

The characteristics of the Bishops Tachbrook NP and the likelihood for causing significant effects on the environment have been assessed. It is considered that

• The scale and location of housing development allocation proposed in the Neighbourhood Plan replicate those that have already been set out and subject to the SA of the adopted Local Plan (Warwick District Local Plan – adopted 2017). Given this, and the scope of other environmental matters/ policies within the neighbourhood plan (also subject to consideration in the Local Plan), it is considered unlikely that there will be any significant environmental effects arising from the Neighbourhood Plan that were not given detailed consideration in the Sustainability Appraisal of the Warwick District Local Plan – adopted 2017.

• The plan sets a framework for the consideration of a range of matters at the local level that due to their size, nature and location will not give rise to significant environmental effects.
• It is considered unlikely that the housing allocations / considerations set out within the Neighbourhood Plan will have such an influence on other plans and programmes so as to prejudice their sustainability/ cause significant environmental effects, particular as the significant allocations have already been assessed through the Sustainability of the adopted Local Plan.
• The Neighbourhood Plan ensures that any matters pertaining to the natural and historic environment are carefully managed / considered in future decisions.
• It is not considered that the scale of development proposed and issues to be addressed by the plan will have any transboundary environmental effects of a significant nature.
• The Neighbourhood Plan will help inform / shape planning decisions to ensure that there are no significant effects (individually or cumulatively) on the recognised special characteristics of the conservation area and its buildings of historic value.
• There are no sensitive sites such as SSSI's in the Parish

To conclude / summarise: it is the opinion of this screening report that the Bishops Tachbrook Neighbourhood Plan does not require a full SEA to be undertaken.

Name and Job Title of officer approving Screening Opinion

Dave Barber – Head of Development Services

Date of approval

04/03/19

Internal Consultation

Officer (name and job title)

Summary of Comments

External Consultation

Officer (name and job title)

Summary of Comments

Stage

Y / N

Reason

1. Is the plan or programme subject to preparation / adoption by a national, regional or local authority OR prepared by an authority for adoption through a legislative procedure by Parliament or Government? (Art. 2(a))

Y

This is a Neighbourhood Plan that is being prepared by a qualifying body (Bishop's Tachbrook Parish Council) under the Localism Act 2011. Once independently assessed and subjected to a referendum, it will need to be formally adopted by the Local Planning Authority to be brought into force. When adopted, Neighbourhood Plans are statutory planning documents. They will form part of the Local Development Framework and so will have significant weight in planning decisions.

2. Is the PP required by legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions? (Art. 2(a))

N

The neighbourhood plan is not a mandatory requirement; it is being prepared voluntarily at the discretion of the local qualifying body (The Parish Council) in line with the provisions of the Localism Act.

3. Is the PP prepared for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy, industry, transport, waste management, water management, telecommunications, tourism, town and country planning or land use, AND does it set a framework for future development consent of projects in Annexes I and II to the EIA Directive? (Art 3.2(a))

N

The plan is prepared for land use.

Proposed use:

Annex I- Not applicable (as no significant effects identified)

Annex II- See sections 4 and 8 (below)

The Plan will inform the determination of planning

applications (a form of development consent)

4. Will the PP, in view of its likely effect on sites, require an assessment for future development under Article 6 or 7 of the Habitats Directive?

(Art. 3.2 (b))

N

In view of Bishop's Tachbrook NP's minimal environmental effects, and general conformity with the Local Plan the HRA screening report (May 2013) prepared for the Warwick District Council Local Plan) is considered relevant. Therefore the Neighbourhood Plan does not require an assessment under Article 6 or 7 of the Habitats Directive.

5. Does the PP determine the use of small areas at local level, OR is it a

minor modification of a PP subject to Art. 3.2? (Art. 3.3)

Y

The Neighbourhood Plan does not identify any new land allocations beyond what is already included in the Local Plan. It simply adds local detail.

6. Does the PP set the framework for future development consent of projects (not just projects in annexes to the EIA Directive)? (Art 3.4)

Y

When adopted, Neighbourhood Plans will be statutory planning documents. They will form part of the Local Development Framework and so will have significant weight in planning decisions. The responsibility for issuing development consent will remain with the Local Authority.

7. Is the PP‟s sole purpose to serve the national defence or civil emergency, OR is it a financial or budget PP, OR is it co-financed by structural funds or EAGGF programmes 2000 to 2006/7? (Art 3.8, 3.9)

N

N/A

8. Is it likely to have a significant effect on the environment? (Art. 3.5)

N

The Neighbourhood Plan must be prepared in general conformity with the Local Plan. The development of the Local Plan is subject to a detailed SA which is considered compliant with European Directive 2001/42/EC the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive. A Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) of the Local Plan has also been produced and reported on separately that is also considered relevant in the assessment of the environmental effects of the Neighbourhood Plan. It is unlikely that it will have a significant effect on important Habitat / Biodiversity assets.