The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND IDENTIFICATION OF MITIGATION MEASURES

This section of the Environmental Report provides a summary of the key findings of the assessment of the Consultative Draft of SPP3. This represents a preferred alternative at this stage in the policy making process. The revised SPP3 may be further amended or supplemented as a result of future consultation, on both the content of the policy itself and the SEA.

Assessment of the Consultative Draft of SPP3 and its alternatives - summary of findings

A summary of the assessment findings in relation to each of the SEA topic areas is described below. The full assessment tables are provided in Appendix C.

In terms of biodiversity, flora and fauna, the revised SPP could have adverse effects as a result of its overall emphasis on releasing additional land to accommodate a growth in levels of housebuilding. Policies including support for new settlements could have particular implications for the loss or fragmentation of semi natural habitats. At the same time, however, several of the components of the consultative draft should provide benefits for biodiversity by building in quality and ensuring that new housing areas contribute to improved quality of life. Implicit support for landscaping, SUDS and open space being integrated into development areas should be beneficial, particularly where good practice is used to ensure these areas contribute to wider habitat networks. The emphasis within the SPP on taking a long term approach to housing land supply should also help to promote a more organic process of growth that supports natural heritage. A holistic approach to site selection could provide benefits for biodiversity, providing that this forms an integral part of capacity assessments.

Compared with the alternative of continuing with the existing SPP, the biodiversity effects of a substantial increase in land allocated to housing development, will be more significant. In practice, however, most of the actual policy impacts will be dependent on local level interpretation and application of the SPP, through development plans.

The revised SPP will generally support objectives relating to population and human health. The higher level of housing land supply, and emphasis on development quality and more flexible housing provision, should have positive effects on SEA criteria relating to housing and quality of life. The commitments to improved energy efficiency complement policies that aim to eliminate fuel poverty. Provision of open space should contribute to social and health objectives. Local authorities will provide benefits for residents of houses in multiple occupation and their surrounding community, if they develop clearer, more proactive guidance for this sector of the housing market. Provision for affordable housing should also benefit communities. The SPP may also, however, have more negative secondary effects on quality of life, depending on the scale and location of some developments. Mitigation that seeks to ensure community views are built into assessments of capacity is therefore recommended at the strategic and local development plan level.

Compared with the alternative of not revising SPP3, this policy would provide generally similar benefits for population and human health, as a result of its emphasis on providing more high quality, flexible and affordable housing. Additional negative secondary effects on communities might be expected from the revised SPP as a result of emphasis on increasing land supply for housing. Mitigation through appropriate site selection within development plans is required to avoid or minimise these effects.

In terms of climatic factors, the revised SPP generally complements criteria that seek to establish sustainable settlement patterns. However, there remains potential for adverse effects as a result of a lack of explicit consideration of the influence of climate change on long term capacity for development. This is particularly important in relation to policy on planning and flooding, although it is acknowledged the current SPP7 does include some provision for the impact of climate change. Climate change mitigation is promoted by the revised SPP3's references to energy efficiency in domestic properties, although there is scope to take this further by exploring scope for domestic microrenewables in more detail. The emphasis on provision of more adaptable housing developments should also minimise resource use by the housing sector over the long term. The policy support for new settlements may or may not contribute to the climate change mitigation and adaptation agendas, depending on the sites selected and the carbon footprint of the eventual developments. Integrated planning is required to link locational decisions with sustainable transport accessibility, assessment of future flood risk, and sustainable construction methods and materials.

As compared with the existing SPP3, the draft contains similar support for energy efficiency, but has improved references to sustainable development patterns and public transport accessibility. New settlement policy could increase the risk of negative effects on climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, but may provide substantial benefits if positively implemented through development plans. The existing SPP3 covers energy efficiency but makes no reference to microrenewable energy generation, thereby also making a limited contribution to reducing unsustainable energy consumption by the housing sector. The existing SPP lacks clear reference to long term flood risk.

The water environment could be adversely affected by the overall increase in housing land supply and development that is promoted by the Consultative Draft SPP. At present the draft SPP makes no explicit reference to the effects of development on water quality, and does not therefore help to limit further adverse effects such as diffuse pollution, and would potentially be at odds with the measures proposed in the forthcoming river basin management plans in the longer term. However, there will be a particular need for settlement expansion and new settlements to link with infrastructure upgrading to minimise risks to the water environment and quality of life more generally, and this partly reflected by a reference to infrastructure capacity in relation to new settlement planning and references to related policy in Annex D. The continuing support for SUDS, albeit implicit, should also benefit the water environment, and generate secondary positive effects for other environmental topics including landscape and biodiversity.

The existing SPP makes also no direct reference to water supplies or the effects of housing development on the water environment, thereby leading to similar risks including unmanaged diffuse pollution arising from urban development - identified as a key issue within the River Basin Management Plan for the Scotland River Basin District. These risks may have been lower if the existing SPP3 was retained, as a result of lower levels of land allocations for housing overall. Flooding references are limited to links with NPPG7 (pre-dating SPP7), but do provide a clear steer away from the functional flood plain and areas requiring flood defences. Benefits from SUDS should remain the same.

The revised SPP could have negative effects on soil as a result of an increased level of housing land supply, and acceptance of greenfield land release where it represents a more sustainable option overall, or potentially as a result of land take required to accommodate a new settlement. The general commitment to use of brownfield land and redevelopment should limit these effects to some extent. Conversely, an emphasis on mixed use developments within settlements, potentially higher density developments and more effective planning for HMOs should also provide benefits for soil by limiting greenfield development. There are, however, no specific references to the soil environment within the draft SPP.

The existing SPP3 also makes no direct references to soil effects or vulnerabilities. There would be potentially lower risks to soil as a result of potentially lower levels of housing development.

The SPP will have mixed effects on air quality, depending on local level implementation. The high level commitment to prioritising areas for development which are accessible by public transport should help to reduce road congestion, thereby potentially reducing the need for some AQMAs. This will, however, require appropriate local implementation. The proposals for development plans to identify new settlements may have adverse effects on air quality, unless there are clear limitations on road transport generated by such developments. The contribution of improved energy efficiency and a shift to use of renewable energy sources within the domestic sector will have some positive effects.

The existing SPP would have similar effects on air quality, although the potential risk of exacerbating existing air quality issues may be higher as a result of the new policy emphasis on a significant increase in housing land supply.

At present the revised SPP implies a link to the objective of supporting sustainable waste management largely through reference to relevant policy and guidance in Annex D. Local implementation of the policy will provide an opportunity to positively contribute to sustainable waste management by ensuring new housing land allocations are linked with suitable waste infrastructure, and by promoting waste separation facilities as an integral part of quality residential developments.

The existing SPP3 makes no further contribution to sustainable waste management objectives.

Cultural heritage resources may be better protected by some aspects of the revised SPP, including improved planning of HMOs, more flexible housing design and a holistic approach to site selection, where this is related to assessments of capacity to accommodate development. The revised SPP provides potential benefits by cross referencing broader advice on the sensitive adaptation of traditional buildings. Heritage interests are reflected in the criteria for identifying sites for new settlements. However, an overall increase in housing development could also increase the risk of land take that leads to loss of known or unknown archaeological resources, and effects on the setting of some protected or historic buildings and townscapes - these effects may be localised and / or cumulative.

The existing SPP also requires consideration of the effects of housing on historic buildings, archaeology and cultural landscapes. There may have been a lower risk to historic resources arising from the existing SPP3, as a result of potentially lower levels of housing development.

The revised SPP should provide general benefits for landscape protection, as a result of reference to landscape context and principles of site selection. Further minor landscape benefits might be expected from improved settlement wide capacity assessments, and consideration of housing land supply over the long term. However, an increase in overall levels of housing development could have cumulative landscape effects, particularly on the edge of settlements. New settlements could provide either positive or negative landscape effects. Concentrated development in a single location could reduce pressure for settlement expansion, thereby reducing cumulative landscape effects. However, site selection should take landscape capacity into account to avoid significant adverse landscape effects in sensitive locations or vulnerable landscapes. The draft SPP might benefit from more specific references to the need for appropriate landscaping of new development to provide a clearer policy commitment to achieve this as an integral part of planning for housing.

The existing SPP makes various references to the need for high quality landscaping within and around new housing developments. The lower levels of development overall could mean that it would also result in lower risks of negative landscape effects. The existing SPP3 does not go as far as the proposed policy revision in terms of promoting sustainable and innovative settlement patterns, which could ideally reduce pressure on vulnerable landscapes.

Cumulative and synergistic effects

Localised cumulative effects could occur in relation to a range of environmental resources in locations where substantial development, including on some settlement edges and areas where new settlements are proposed. Table 6 below shows the expected effects of the SPP in summary, and highlights potentially cumulative effects from specific parts of the policy, and in relation to particular environmental resources.

Table 6: Summary of key effects

Analysis of these findings suggests that there could be cumulative negative effects from the overall emphasis on increased housing development. This will have possible repercussions for biodiversity, energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions, water, soils, the historic built environment and landscapes. Further positive or negative effects might be expected on health, depending on appropriate local level planning. The policy may or may not be compatible with wider commitments to sustainable settlement patterns that link with infrastructure availability, and efficient use of land and resources, depending on the effectiveness of local level implementation. Similarly negative cumulative effects are predicted as a result of new settlements, although the impacts of these effects will also be highly dependent on the way in which development plans respond to this agenda, through sustainable planning and site selection.

Overall, the Consultative Draft SPP performs well in relation to most of the environmental criteria, apart from its emphasis on achieving a step change in the level of housing development which is built. The possible cumulative effects of the potential increase in land take to support this objective, including broad support for new settlements may be significant, depending on local level implementation. However, the revised SPP will also help to ensure that local authorities proactively plan housing land allocations, providing an opportunity to build in environmental capacity and ensure that sustainable development patterns are delivered. Mitigation of these environmental effects within development plans is therefore crucial, and is recommended within the SPP itself.

Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of significant adverse effects

Schedule 3 paragraph 7 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires an explanation of "the measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse effects on the environment of implementing the plan or programme." Table 7 sets out any environmental problems that are likely to remain on implementation of the PPS and summarises proposed measures for the prevention, reduction and offset of significant adverse effects.

Table 7. Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects

The recommendations for the SPP itself that are noted in the above table will be considered further during the consultation period and may be incorporated into the final version where possible and appropriate. Local authorities have a key role to play in the mitigation measures identified above. Many of these measures have already been outlined within the SPP itself. Other national level policies, including SPP14 and SPP7 provide more specific guidance on managing the environmental effects of development, which is not explicitly restated within SPP3, but nevertheless remains an important consideration for development plans. The use of Annex D which sets out the interrelated policy and guidance relevant to the development of new housing seeks to highlight the key linkages to be taken into account in the application of the policy in SPP3.

« Previous | Contents | Next »