Issue - decisions

Matter for Decision: To agree the response to the Huntingdonshire Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report consultation

Why the decision had to be made (and any alternative options):

 

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is consulting on a Sustainability Appraisal Scoping report between 1^st February and 15^th March 2023.

 

The consultation marks an initial consultation by HDC at the start of preparing a new Local Plan. In relation to this, HDC is also concurrently consulting on its Statement of Community Involvement. Officers are not recommending that the Councils make a response to that document.

 

Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is systematic process for assessing the extent to which the emerging plan will help to achieve sustainable development. It is an opportunity to consider ways by which the plan can contribute to improvements in economic, environmental and social conditions, as well as a means of identifying and mitigating any potential adverse effects that the plan might otherwise have. Completing the SA process helps meet legal requirements that Local Plans are subject to.

 

The first stage of producing the plan is a scoping stage, which the  Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report relates to. This is necessary to propose and agree the way that the plan is to be drawn up including the methodology for the SA process and to collect together the necessary information to produce the plan. A thorough understanding of the context of existing plans and policies and of the current baseline situation is needed in order to be able to predict the effects the plan may have, and to identify key issues that will need to be addressed.

 

The Scoping Report:

·      Identifies relevant plans programmes and strategies – to establish how the plan is affected by outside factors, to suggest ideas for how any constraints can be addressed, and to help identify environmental protection objectives

·      Collects baseline information - to provide an evidence base for environmental impacts, prediction of what will happen without the plan as well as what effects it could have, monitoring and to help in the development of SA objectives.

·      Draws upon the above two elements to identify key sustainability issues and problems; and

·      Draws on all of the above elements to identify SA objectives and supporting decision aiding questions, which together provide a means by which the sustainability performance of the plan and alternatives can be assessed.

 

Prior to this open consultation, Huntingdonshire District Council has consulted key environmental bodies comprising the Environment Agency, Natural England and Historic England regarding the Scoping Report. Their comments are published at appendix 2 to the Scoping Report.

 

Officers have drafted a proposed brief response to the consultation focused on water supply issues.

 

Response to the consultation

 

It is proposed that the response is joint with South Cambridgeshire District Council, which will separately be considering the response.

The proposed response can be found in Appendix A of this report.

The proposed consultation response focuses solely on the need for the Scoping Report to more fully recognise the significance and severity of the water supply challenge as being an issue relevant to preparation of a new Huntingdonshire Local Plan. This echoes the response of the Environment Agency to the Scoping Report.

Alternative options

The alternative options available are:

1.             Agree to submit the response in Appendix A, with possible minor amendments

2.             Agree an alternative response.

Executive Councillor’s decision: To submit the response in Appendix A: Huntingdonshire Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report consultation 2023 – response by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council

 

Reasons for the decision: The proposed response addresses issues raised by the consultation.

 

Scrutiny consideration: The Chair and Spokespersons of Planning & Transport Scrutiny Committee were consulted prior to the action being authorised.

Report: Appendix A: Huntingdonshire Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report consultation 2023 – response by Cambridge City

Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council

 

Conflict of interest: None

 

Comments: None were made by the Chair and Opposition Spokes.

 

Appendix A: Huntingdonshire Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report consultation 2023 – response by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council

The Councils would like to raise one specific issue regarding the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping report regarding water supply.

In broad terms we echo the views expressed in the Environment Agency’s response to the Scoping Report, regarding the need to more fully recognise the significance and severity of the water supply challenge as being an issue relevant to preparation of a new Huntingdonshire Local Plan. As set out in our Greater Cambridge Local Plan Development Strategy Update from January 2023, provision of a sustainable future water supply is a very substantial challenge for our emerging Local Plan and we consider that many of the underlying issues are likely to relevant to Huntingdonshire. We would strongly suggest this issue should be more fully recognised in the document, including in the Sustainability Issues, SA Objective, and decision aiding questions.

We have no further comments to make regarding the document.