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ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND MEASURES ENVISAGED FOR PREVENTION, REDUCTION AND OFFSET OF ANY SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS
Alternatives to which SEA was applied
52. No specific alternatives to the proposed SPP were identified for the purposes of the assessment, as it was concluded that they would be neither 'reasonable' nor 'realistic' as a result of the limited scope of the review process. As a result, the assessment focused wholly on the draft version of the SPP as it emerged. Comments from the Consultation Authorities ( SNH, SEPA and The Scottish Ministers (Historic Scotland)) have been taken into account in concluding that this approach was appropriate.
Assessment methods
53. The emerging draft SPP was assessed against the range of environmental issues set out in Schedule 3 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. A standard assessment framework was assembled, and it was decided at the scoping stage that the assessment should focus on cultural heritage, landscape, biodiversity, flora and fauna, and climatic factors. This helped to ensure that the assessment focused on potentially significant environmental effects, as supported by the Directive and the Act. Other environmental characteristics were indirectly considered during the assessment, for example by ensuring that they formed part of the description of the current state of the Scottish environment.
SEA Objectives
54. The SEA objectives that are being used for the SEA of the National Planning Framework (see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/13152236/0 the NPF Scoping Report) provided a useful starting point for this assessment. At scoping, it was suggested that these are more wide-ranging than is necessary for the SEA of this SPP, because it focuses on one specific aspect of land use planning (the historic environment). Table 6 below sets out the currently proposed objectives and associated secondary criteria.
Table 6: SEA Objectives and Secondary Criteria to apply in the SEA of SPP 23
SEA Objectives | Criteria (for focusing the assessment on the historic environment) |
|---|
Safeguards or where appropriate enhances the historic environment | Protects/enhances (where appropriate) sites that are recognised for their architectural and/or archaeological heritage value, and their settings |
Recognises and reflects the heritage value of wider (non-designated) landscapes (including gardens and designed landscapes and townscapes) |
Harnesses the economic, cultural and social opportunities provided by the historic environment |
Respects and protects the character, diversity and special qualities of Scotland's landscapes. | Recognises and supports the cultural heritage value of designated and non-designated landscapes |
Helps to maintain regionally distinct landscapes, reflecting patterns of land use and historic settlement |
Protects or enhances biodiversity, flora or fauna | Contributes to or complements ecological enhancement, providing mutual benefits for cultural and natural heritage where possible |
Aims to ensure that planning for historic conservation does not lead to loss of, damage to or fragmentation of biodiversity sites |
Promotes the development of a sustainable settlement pattern and physical infrastructure | Takes into account the historic character of settlements and their surrounding landscapes in defining sustainable patterns of development |
Reduces potential conflict between infrastructure provision arising from settlement expansion and the historic environment |
Reduces energy consumption and/or CO2 emissions | Identifies how planning can help to maximise the contribution of the historic environment to energy conservation targets |
Helps to achieve adaptation to climate change that benefits the historic environment |
Encourages efficient use of land and resources | Recognises the intrinsic value of historic buildings and remains as non-renewable resources |
Recognises the potential resources issues arising from the use of traditional materials, and seeks to manage impacts where possible 27 |
Assessment of SPP 23 - Summary
55. The draft SPP was assessed using a standard SEA framework. A summary of the assessment findings is shown in Table 7, and the full findings are shown in Appendix B.
Table 7. Summary of assessment findings
Topic Area | Summary of findings |
|---|
Cultural heritage | - Overall positive effects expected - with the SPP helping to define the role of planning in protecting the historic environment. Many effects will only become clear when taken forward in SDPs, LDPs and through development management.
- Generally positive effects arising from recognition that heritage assets are a 'positive adaptable resource' and that adaptation and reuse provide opportunities for new and creative design.
- Conservation area appraisals and townscape audits should complement cultural heritage SEA objectives.
- Provisions for development plans, including policies for protection, conservation and enhancement should generally complement protected and less formally recognised cultural heritage assets.
- Provisions for SDPs, including ensuring that the settlement strategy is informed by the capacity of settlements and areas of countryside to accommodate development without damage to their historic value.
- Provisions for LDPs, including detailed definition of the historic environment, detailed policies, an outline of management processes (designation of CAs, Article 4 Directions, enhancement programmes, and design guidance) and action planning.
- Encouragement of the use of model policies - including for listed buildings, demolition of listed buildings, conservation areas, archaeology and gardens and designed landscapes-should help to provide a more consistent approach to cultural heritage protection through the planning system.
- Planning authorities should ensure that development will not adversely affect the integrity and setting of designated wreck sites, as far as possible.
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Landscape | - Predominantly neutral or unknown effects are predicted, with particularly positive effects arising from specific commitments to the protection of gardens and designed landscapes.
- Archaeological excavation may be a practical solution for the historic environment, but could have localised or temporary effects on landscape quality.
|
Biodiversity, flora and fauna | - Explicit protection of designated wrecks would provide secondary benefits for biodiversity.
- Policies relating to archaeology and protection of unforeseen remains may or may not be incompatible with biodiversity protection objectives.
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Climatic factors | - Positive or negative potential effects when policy for historic environment considered in relation to climate change adaptation, particularly because the latter remains unclear. Will need to be tested further in development plan SEAs.
- As technical knowledge and the impacts of climate change on the historic environment become clearer, model policies and CA application criteria could be reviewed to avoid undermining energy conservation, and provide wider support for climate change adaptation.
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Other environmental issues | - Preservation of unforeseen remains may be difficult to reconcile with the wider requirements of the planning system - for example to ensure there is a sufficient and appropriate supply of land for housing development. This will require further exploration through development plans.
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Cultural Heritage
56. The overall impact of the SPP on the cultural heritage criteria is expected to be largely positive, with policy encouraging local authorities and developers to give appropriate consideration to the historic environment in producing development plans and individual schemes. Many impacts will, however, only become clear when policy is taken forward in SDPs, LDPs and at the level of development management.
57. Potential positive effects include recognition that heritage assets are a "positive adaptable resource" and that adaptation and re-use provide opportunities for new and creative design. Encouragement of the use of model policies should help to create a more consistent approach to recognition and protection of the historic environment as a whole throughout Scotland. Protection of cultural heritage is also likely to result in secondary benefits in relation to supporting tourism, from historic townscapes to wreck sites.
58. The SPP incorporates criteria for determining planning applications affecting conservation areas and their setting, including: refusal of those conflicting with CAs, viewing those with neutral effects as preserving the character or appearance of CAs and weighing up positive and negative effects as part of consideration of the proposal as a whole. The SPP also indicates that no listed building should be demolished unless it can be conclusively demonstrated that it has no viable use.
59. The recommendation that conservation area appraisals and townscape audits are prepared could help to gain a better understanding and measure of the historic environment resource, which together with provisions for strategic development plan and local development plan policy guidance will deliver a more consistent and clear planning policy framework.
60. The SPP's archaeology policy supports preservation in situ where possible, and if not the recording of remains. It notes that not all valuable resources are scheduled and draws attention to non-statutory registers, directing developers to make appropriate provision for excavation, recording, analysis, notification and publication.
61. The recognition of the potential value of "unforeseen remains" further contributes to the conservation of heritage and SPP 23 notes that these should be respected, recorded and protected where considered to be nationally important.
Landscape
62. As with cultural heritage, Scotland's landscapes are likely to be positively affected by SPP 23. The SPP makes provision for strategic development plans to include policies for the protection, conservation and enhancement of heritage assets and for local development plans to include detailed definition of the historic environment. At the local level, the SPP is likely to play a role in improving the long-term outlook for the historic environment by ensuring that heritage resources are built in to plans for long-term development and settlement expansion.
63. The assessment suggests that it could potentially be beneficial to look at the broader cultural heritage value of landscapes. Such characterisation could recognise the cultural heritage significance of natural heritage and landscape features and the landscape value of historic buildings and features and could be explored within the forthcoming review of SPP 14 Natural Heritage.
Biodiversity, flora and fauna
64. The baseline assessment noted the wide range of habitats and protected species in Scotland, and the ongoing commitment to ensuring that these reach favourable condition.
65. The SPP could have a generally positive effect on biodiversity through consideration of the settings of protected sites and buildings, and by protection and enhancement (where appropriate) of gardens and designed landscapes. Planning authorities should also ensure that development will not adversely affect the integrity and setting of designated wreck sites, which will have a positive effect given their biodiversity interest.
66. There are possible tensions between archaeology and biodiversity at individual locations, where archaeological investigation may be incompatible with the protection of the natural heritage - leading to disturbance or loss of or damage to habitats. However this is likely to be limited in extent, as supported by Map 3 which shows the relative distribution of historic and natural environment designations. This emphasises that many cultural heritage remains tend to be in and around settlements, whilst natural heritage value tends to arise more frequently but not exclusively in more peripheral areas, when viewed from a national perspective. However, there will be exceptions to this general rule that require careful management through the planning system.
Climatic factors
67. Baseline and contextual analysis showed that climate change is already having an impact in Scotland, emphasising the need for a more ambitious programme of action to tackle the issue.
68. In terms of mitigation, the SEA objectives particularly focus the assessment on the effects of the SPP on the wider commitment to reducing harmful emissions through helping to maximise the contribution of the historic environment to energy conservation targets and helping to achieve adaptation to climate change that benefits the historic environment.
69. There are likely to be positive effects flowing from SPP 23 in the recognition of the historic environment as an adaptable resource, but there may be inherent tensions elsewhere where measures to reduce carbon emissions impact on listed buildings and conservation areas. The cumulative impact of double glazing, solar panels, wind turbines and other technologies may have a negative impact on the conservation of heritage assets.
Assessment of cumulative effects
70. Positive cumulative effects are likely to result from SPP 23, given its inherent aim of improving consistency across local authority and plan areas. A clear direction for strategic development plans and local development plans as contained in the SPP, together with support for the preparation of conservation area appraisals and townscape audits, will deliver a more comprehensive planning policy framework for the protection, conservation and enhancement of the historic environment. No significant adverse cumulative effects have been identified from the assessment.
Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of significant adverse effects
71. 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 8 sets out any environmental problems that are likely to remain on implementation of SPP 23 and summarises proposed measures for the prevention, reduction and offset of significant adverse effects.
Table 8. Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects from SPP 23
SEA issue | Proposed measures for the reduction/prevention and offset of significant adverse effects | Suggested responsible party |
|---|
Potential effects of development and reuse of historic buildings on their integrity and setting. | Ensuring that planning authorities promote high quality design to minimise adverse effects of development on the wider built heritage, and successfully accommodate change within and around historic buildings. | Local authorities Historic Scotland Architecture + Design Scotland |
Potentially adverse effects of cultural heritage protection and enhancement on natural heritage. | Development management to ensure that solutions for cultural heritage also reflect potential ecological sensitivities. | Local authorities Scottish Natural Heritage Historic Scotland |
Requirement for archaeological excavation potentially impacting on natural heritage | Consider scope for archaeological protocols to build in sensitivity to natural heritage resources. | Local authorities Historic Scotland |
Need to accommodate energy efficiency and micro-renewables within historic building stock. | Provide further advice on how energy efficiency and micro-renewables can be accommodated into historic buildings. | Historic Scotland |
Need to recognise the positive value of wider historic landscapes. | Ensure development plans build characterisation of the historic environment, including wider cultural landscapes, into forward strategies that positively harness historic resources to help maintain quality of life and investment. | Local authorities Scottish Government |
Need to adapt to climate change without prejudicing integrity of historic environment. | Give further consideration to implications of climate change adaptation for the historic environment. Ensure that adaptation measures are developed to protect historic resources. | Local authorities Scottish Government role in developing national adaptation strategy |
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