Sustainability appraisal

Sustainability appraisal is a tool which enables the environmental, social and economic effects of the plan to be assessed. At key stages, the plan is considered against a number of sustainability objectives and the results of these assessments are then used in the further development of the plan.

Sustainability appraisal of proposed changes to the minerals and waste plan

Following the six week consultation in November 2016 a number of proposed changes were identified to the draft minerals and waste plan. As a result it is necessary to present the changes for feedback on legal compliance and soundness.The changes have been assessed against the sustainability appraisal framework. See the  sustainability appraisal of proposed changes to the minerals and waste plan here (pdf / 4 MB).

Sustainability appraisal of publication stage policies and sites

This report sets out the findings of the sustainability appraisal on the joint plan. The full sustainability appraisal report (volume 1) includes details of how the sustainability appraisal was carried out and its key findings. It includes the following key chapters:

• Chapter 2 sets out the methodology we have followed to carry out the sustainability appraisal, including how we have predicted the likely significant effects of policies and sites;
• Chapter 3 summarises the key findings of our review of the strategic context of the plan and examines the likely evolution of baseline environmental, social and economic data for the plan;
• Chapter 4 shows how we have developed a 'sustainability appraisal framework' in order to appraise the effects of the joint plan. The full updated draft sustainability appraisal framework is at appendix 1;
• Chapter 5 shows how we have sought to review reasonable alternatives to meet the requirements the SEA Directive.
• Chapter 6 summarises the appraisal findings for policies, sites and areas of search. Appendix 2 shows the full policy assessments, while appendix 3 (separated into geographical area sub chapters) includes the full site and area assessments;
• Chapter 7 sets out the limitations of the assessment process as well as the uncertainties encountered;
• Chapter 8 includes the proposed indicators by which we will monitor the plan; and
• Chapter 9 concludes the report. 

There are a series of appendices, which detail the assessment of the policies and sites, which accompany the report. The documents are available to view below.

Draft sustainability appraisal of preferred options

The sustainability appraisal process has played an important part in helping to shape the preferred options of the minerals and waste joint plan.

The draft appraisal has been carried out in two parts:

An appraisal of preferred policies

This looks at the preferred policies of the joint plan and tests their performance against a series of 'sustainability objectives' that have been defined through earlier consultation. These objectives include objectives relating to the environment, the economy and social issues; for example, objectives to reduce air and water pollution or to support the economy. Volume 1 summarises the findings of this assessment, while the separate appendix contains the full detailed policy assessments for each preferred policy.

Preferred options

An appraisal of preferred sites

Individual sites have also been considered in terms of their contribution to the sustainability objectives. As there are a lot of sites we have broken the assessment down into a separate report for each district, as well as a report for the North York Moors and the City of York. A short introductory report gives more detail about the process by which these sites were assessed.

Preferred sites

Scoping report

The scoping report is the first part of the sustainability appraisal process. It identifies the environmental, social and economic conditions and issues in the plan area (the 'baseline') and it establishes the objectives or goals against which a plan is assessed.

A core feature of the scoping report is the 'sustainability appraisal framework'. This framework consists of a number of sustainability objectives, identified through consideration of sustainability issues relevant to the area. As part of the joint plan first consultation in May and June 2013 consultation took place on a draft scoping report. The comments received, as summarised in the consultation outcomes report, have been considered in finalising the scoping report which is available to view below.

•  Volume 1 - scoping report (pdf / 881 KB)
•  Volume 2 - scoping report baseline (pdf / 2 MB)
•  Volume 3 - scoping report appendices (pdf / 1 MB)
•  Consultation outcomes report (pdf / 1 MB)

Assessing the joint plan

The first 'appraisal stage' of the sustainability appraisal was to undertake an assessment of the vision, objectives and all of the options presented during the minerals and waste joint plan issues and options consultation. Sustainability appraisal plays an important role at this stage as its conclusions will help to inform selection of preferred options later on. After undertaking this work we undertook a consultation on the results of this work in early 2014. We are currently preparing a consultation outcomes report summarising the responses received and how these have been taken into account. This report will be published shortly alongside a finalised version of the sustainability appraisal.

You can view the sustainability appraisal documents that we consulted on during the issues and options consultation below. The full assessments of the vision and objectives and summaries of the options assessments are contained in volume 1 of the sustainability appraisal update report whilst full assessments of the options are contained in volume 2.

•  Volume 1 (pdf / 5 MB)
•  Volume 2 (pdf / 9 MB)
•  Non-technical summary (pdf / 1 MB)

Following the issues and options consultation the sustainability appraisal team assessed a number of additional options that were generated through the consultation. You can view the findings in the  sustainability appraisal update report (pdf / 11 MB).

Other environmental assessment work on the joint plan

Assessment of the effects of the joint plan on wildlife sites of European importance is required by law. The habitats regulations assessment considers how significant any impacts are likely to be, and identifies whether they can be reduced to protect the sites. You can view the work undertaken to date on habitats regulations assessment to date by visiting the habitats regulation assessment page.

Government guidance recommends that sustainability appraisal should be supported by a strategic flood risk assessment (SFRA). This allows us to assess the vulnerability of potential minerals and waste sites to flood risk. Separate SFRAs have been carried out York and in the North York Moors, while North Yorkshire's strategic flood risk assessment work is nearing completion. For further information, visit:

• North Yorkshire strategic flood risk assessment 
• North East Yorkshire strategic flood risk assessment
• York strategic flood risk assessment