Sustainability Appraisal & Habitats Regulations Assessment
As we prepare the plan, we have to undertake various assessments including a Sustainability Assessment (SA). The SA is not something done as a sort of checklist at the end of the Local Plan process. It is integral part of the process and it guides us as we go along. We also have to carry out an assessment of the impact of the plan on protected animal species and where they live called a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA). The aim is to keep any harm to an absolute minimum and, if we cannot avoid it, then to do something to compensate for it. Both the SA/HRA will feed into and be used as a tool throughout the development of the new Local Plan.