Download Background Paper 3: How the plan addresses the key sustainability

Background Paper 3 – Key Sustainability Issues
THE YORKSHIRE & HUMBER PLAN
EXAMINATION IN PUBLIC
BACKGROUND PAPER 3
HOW THE PLAN ADRESSES KEY
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION
The draft Yorkshire and Humber Plan was submitted to Government in December
2005. It forms the new draft Regional Spatial Strategy for this Region. Public
consultation took place on the draft Plan between January and April 2006. The
Examination In Public to test the Plan is taking place in September/October 2006.
This background paper forms one of ten background papers prepared by the
Yorkshire and Humber Assembly (YHA) to help explain the Plan’s approach.
Specifically, this paper considers the main sustainability issues for the Regional
Spatial Strategy (RSS) for Yorkshire and Humber arising from the Sustainability
Appraisal (SA) by Levett–Therivel and EDAW (December 2005). It outlines:
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Background to the Sustainability Appraisal (section 2)
The main findings of the SA at the scoping and assessment stages (section
3)
The possible significant impacts identified by the SA (section 4)
The Plan’s approach to the possible significant impacts identified by the SA
(section 5)
Conclusions to the paper (section 6)
SECTION 2 – BACKGROUND TO THE SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL
The Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) Regulations 2004 require a SA of
RSSs in order to meet the requirements of the SEA Directive. Guidance produced
by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) provides advice on how
to conduct SAs. However, it should be noted that this advice was not in place for
much of the time when this SA was being prepared.
To help produce a good SA, the YHA commissioned a SEA baseline report from
Land Use Consultants (LUC) in 2003. This enabled the Regional Intelligence
Observatory, Yorkshire Futures, to establish an SEA baseline of data to help inform
the subsequent SA. The YHA also set up a steering group to help manage the SA
process.
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Background Paper 3 – Key Sustainability Issues
Consultants Levett-Therivel and EDAW undertook the SA of the RSS in three
stages, corresponding to the three respective consultation documents. The SA was
therefore an iterative process, to ensure the SA informed the preparation of the
draft Plan as it emerged.
The consultant’s final SA comprises a full report which is available on the
Assembly’s website (www.yhassembly.gov.uk). The full report includes a section
on how the draft Plan has changed and developed as a result of the SA findings at
each of the Plan preparation stages. The SA also includes a non-technical summary
(NTS) report. This was published in December 2005 as the Plan’s ‘Sustainability
Appraisal Report’, which formed one of the documents submitted to Government in
December 2005.
SECTION 3 – MAIN FINDINGS OF THE SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL
The scoping stage of the SA process identified key underlying “problems” or
“issues” facing the region as follows:
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Social inequalities (i.e. addressing health inequalities, growing disparities,
income levels, social exclusion)
Lifestyles and transport (i.e. increasing car-competitive mobility, increasing
dispersal between places where people live, work and shop, and increasing
patterns of consumption)
Regional economic prosperity (compared to regions in other parts of the
country)
Climate change (i.e. reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to
impacts of change)
Biodiversity (i.e. addressing significant decline in the 20th Century and
further threats from climate change)
Waste and resource consumption (i.e. increasing levels of consumption and
waste production)
Demographic trends (i.e. changes and demands arising from the region’s
ageing population)
Rural and urban landscapes (i.e. protecting and enhancing the unique sense
of place and character of the region’s settlements and rural areas).
Table 5.3 (page 66) of the draft Yorkshire and Humber Plan sets out how the draft
Plan has addressed these key sustainability issues in the Region by identifying
specific links between the sustainability issues and policies in the Plan.
The scoping stage also developed 15 SA/SEA objectives against which to test the
draft Plan, based on those in the existing Regional Sustainable Development
Framework (RSDF), SA template and the ODPM’s guidance on SAs (such as good
quality employment opportunities available to all, local needs met locally and
prudent and efficient use of energy).
The SA also analysed the draft Plan’s links to 38 other plans and programmes, the
need for the draft Plan and other emerging regional strategies (e.g. housing,
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Background Paper 3 – Key Sustainability Issues
economic) to be mutually supportive. The “assessment” of the Plan’s policies is
summarised in Tables 0.2 and 0.3 in the ‘Sustainability Appraisal Report’. Overall
the assessment stage of the SA found that the draft Plan provided:
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Very positive support for good quality employment opportunities, economic
growth, conditions for business success and education and training
opportunities to help build skills capacity
Positive promotion of vibrant rural and urban communities, walking, cycling,
health facilities, safety/security of people and property
Very positive promotion of local needs being met locally through a
consistent focus on towns and cities, with related reduced need to travel
and positive support for a transport network that minimises detrimental
impacts through urban focus and support for public transport
Positive promotion of a quality built environment and efficient land use that
utilises travel through support for accessibility, efficiency and local
distinctiveness
Positive contribution to biodiversity, attractive natural environment, minimal
pollution levels and minimising greenhouse gas emissions, whilst adapting
to effects of climate change
Positive contribution to prudent/ efficient use of energy and natural
resources (including renewable energy) with minimal production of waste
Positive contribution to global sustainability through focus on urban areas,
public transport, job creation and environmental protection.
Overall, the SA report is very positive about the draft Plan. In particular, it shows
how the RSS will have a positive impact in terms of the 15 SA/SEA objectives by
which the RSS was appraised.
However, it does state that the draft Plan will only work if many things outside its
control are done, and that it has “few teeth”. The SA recognises that many factors
are determined by national Government, and that unless national policy changes,
the Plan can only slow down unsustainable trends.
SECTION 4 – POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS
The SA identified potential significant impacts of the draft Plan, both positive and
negative. The potential significant negative impacts include:
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Air travel, which is expected to treble by 2030, and the perception of
airports as an opportunity for spin-off development (“The RSS could
challenge government policy and prevent further airport expansion, but
does not do so”)
Road development is promoted by policies C1, SY1, H1 (though “overall this
aspect of the RSS has improved greatly over time”)
Economy chapter provides an ‘old-style’ approach focusing on employment
land rather than a holistic economic spatial strategy, does not address
economic/social disparities/inequalities, and does not prioritise accordingly
(especially important for Humber and S Yorkshire)
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Background Paper 3 – Key Sustainability Issues
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Climate change targets unlikely to be met under current trends and RSS
does not go beyond national standards to deal with this issue
Cumulative impacts on the Humber Estuary (i.e. through port development,
related transport infrastructure, increased transport-related freight by water,
regeneration in Hull and Grimsby, regional airports and increased use of
related transport corridors together with coastal squeeze from climate
change, especially in terms of Biodiversity).
Individual projects listed in draft RSS (regionally significant development
areas at the Waverley–Orgreave AMP site, Robin Hood airport, port
development at the Humber including Port Logistics/Humber Bank SITE, and
the Spallation project near Selby).
The SA also found that even where the draft Plan has positive impacts, it may
not be able to rely on wider trends due to individuals’ behaviour, government
policies (e.g. roads, air travel) and other factors (e.g. power generators choice
of fuel) to ensure delivery. The SA assessed the significant (negative)
cumulative impacts of the Plan with these other plans/trends will be increased:
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Travel by car and air
Greenhouse gas emissions
Water demands and decreased water provision
Waste generation and disposal to landfill
Impacts on the landscape, including light pollution and loss of tranquillity
The potential significant positive impacts include:
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Reduced social inequalities
Increased economic prosperity.
SECTION 5 – THE PLAN’S APPROACH TO THE POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT
IMPACTS IDENTIFIED BY THE SA
This section sets out how the draft Plan has considered and addressed the above
findings arising from the SA.
Air travel:
 Central government sets aviation policy and determines the overall
approach to developing airports. The Air Transport White Paper (2003)
provides a strategic framework for the development of airport capacity in
the UK over the next 30 years, setting out conclusions airport-by-airport.
 At a regional level the Regional Sustainable Development Framework
(RSDF) and in future the Integrated Regional Framework (IRF) provide a
means to try to influence behaviour.
 There is a significant level of movement from the Region to airports outside
of the Region
 The Plan’s policy on aviation focuses on surface access and other relevant
spatial impacts – the context for growth is set nationally.
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Background Paper 3 – Key Sustainability Issues
Road development:
 Traffic growth is a key sustainability issue in the Region, alongside other
issues such as regional economic prosperity (compared with other regions),
social inequalities (i.e. health inequalities, growing disparities, income levels,
social exclusion) and demographic trends (i.e. an ageing population).
 The Plan’s core approach sets out to ‘facilitate fewer and shorter journeys
with less reliance on the car and increased opportunities for using public
transport, cycling and walking’ (Policy YH1).
 A focus on public transport is embedded throughout the Plan’s core and sub
area approaches and the Regional Transport Strategy
 The Regional Transport Strategy (policy T1) seeks to reduce travel demand
and achieve a shift to modes with less environmental impact
 The Plan’s sub area policies do include a limited number of proposals to
improve road capacity – these are targeted to support the delivery of the
Plan’s core and sub area approaches (e.g. improving access to the Humber
Ports) and mainly form part of multi-modal solutions (e.g. improved road
and rail links to the Humber ports)
Economy:
 The Regional Economic Strategy (prepared by the Regional Development
Agency) provides the key focus for improving the Region’s economy
 Background paper 8 demonstrates how the Plan supports a more
competitive regional economy
 The Economy section of the Plan includes seven policies - as well as policies
on employment land supply there are also policies to promote a successful
and competitive economy, town centres and major facilities, regional priority
sectors and clusters, tourism and the rural economy
 These polices support the RDA’s Regional Economic Strategy
 The core and sub area approaches in the Draft Plan also form critical parts
of the Plan’s approach to addressing economic growth, economic disparities
and social inequalities.
 The Plan has also sought to integrate its approach to housing and
employment growth (see Background Papers 2 and 8).
Climate change:
 The draft Plan is one of many programmes and strategies that can help to
meet climate change targets, but its contribution is concerned with the
spatial issues – how we use and manage places and we move about.
 The Plan sets out a Core Approach policy on Climate Change (YH2) which
includes specific mitigation targets; a regionally specific and distinctive
policy, developed within and by the Region; a variety of measures to
address mitigation measures and adaptation as appropriate to an RSS (for
further details see Background Paper 10 on resource consumption).
Cumulative impacts on the Humber Estuary:
 Although the SA says the draft Plan promotes port development on the
Humber Estuary, the Humber ports do already exist (i.e. regardless of the
Plan’s policies)
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Background Paper 3 – Key Sustainability Issues
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The Plan’s policies focus on the future role of the ports, and in particular,
access to the Ports in seeking to make the most of the Humber ports for the
Humber sub area, the Region and the UK
Making better use of the capacity of the Humber ports can ease congestion
nationally by shifting traffic away from the UK’s southern ports and
motorway system and increase the use of sea shipment and waterways
Employment growth associated with the Humber ports would help to reduce
social exclusion in the Humber sub area and improve economic conditions in
area that has experienced a significant structural economic change
The Humber Estuary sub area requires plans, strategies, and major
investment decisions in the Region to protect and enhance the bio-diversity
and landscape character of the Humber Estuary
It is important to note an Appropriate Assessment of the draft plan’s policies
(as required by the EC Habitats Directive and relevant case law) is currently
underway which will examine this issues more closely for the EiP
Individual projects:
 A limited number of proposals (such as the Waverley/Orgreave Advanced
Manufacturing Park, the Humber Bank site and the Spallation Project at
Selby) are included in the sub area policies of the Plan
 These proposals are included due to their strategic significance to the
relevant sub area and the Region as a whole
 Such proposals (at a project level) will be subject to an environmental
impact assessment, which will examine and seek to mitigate any significant
adverse effects.
SECTION 6 – CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the SA is very positive about the Plan. In particular, it shows how the Plan
will have a positive impact in terms of the 15 SA/SEA objectives by which the Plan
was appraised. The SA does conclude that: the Plan will only work if many of the
things outside its control are also done; the Plan makes a good attempt to identify
these issues and the ways other organisations can be encouraged to implement
them, but “it has few teeth”. It states - “Unless government changes policy, and
empowers local authorities and other agencies to do so, this RSS (like other RSSs)
will not do any more than slow down some unsustainable trends”.
The Plan has taken into account the findings of the SA throughout the Plan
preparation and related SA process, and changes have been made as a result to
achieve a more sustainable approach. In a Region with a generally high
environmental quality, overall relatively low economic prosperity and very high
social inequalities, the draft Plan has sought to achieve the right balance in terms
of providing for more sustainable patterns and forms of development, investment
and activity in the Yorkshire and Humber Region.
Yorkshire and Humber Assembly
July 2006
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