Wiltshire Core Strategy Pre-Submission Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment
Introduction
Wiltshire Council is in the process of preparing a Core Strategy document which, when adopted, will be the key document within the council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) for Wiltshire. The Core Strategy addresses the spatial implications of economic, social and environmental change, setting the framework for future development across Wiltshire, and will replace the current Local Plans of the former Wiltshire district councils. The Core Strategy will guide development and be the main consideration in decision making.
The Wiltshire Core Strategy Pre-Submission Document, which is also subject to public consultation at this time, provides the final opportunity for public consultation on changes to the Wiltshire Core Strategy before it is submitted to the Secretary of State for an Examination in Public. It is available to view and comment upon in the consultation portal at http://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/portal.
This Sustainability Appraisal Report has been published to accompany the Pre-Submission Core Strategy document. Sustainability appraisal is a process that is carried out as an integral part of developing the Core Strategy, with the aim of promoting sustainable development through the integration of social, environmental and economic considerations. It is a requirement of national and European legislation and is subject to the same level of public consultation and scrutiny as the Core Strategy.
Sustainability appraisal is an ongoing and iterative process, influencing the Core Strategy as it develops. This report follows on from a first draft of the Sustainability Appraisal Report, published in October 2009, which accompanied the document ‘Wiltshire 2026’, and an Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report which accompanied the second iteration of the Core Strategy, published in June 2011.
Habitat Regulations Assessment
A Habitat Regulations Assessment has also been undertaken as European legislation requires the integrity of internationally important wildlife sites to be protected.
How to comment
The consultation will last for six weeks, running from Monday 20 February until 5pm on Monday 2 April, 2012.
The Sustainability Appraisal Report, its appendices and a non-technical summary are available to view and download from the box below, under the 'Supporting Documents' tab. The Habitat Regulations Assessment Report and a non-technical summary are also included with the supporting documents.
You can comment on the Sustainability Appraisal by using the online response form. To do this, you need to be logged into your Objective account and click on the 'Start Survey' icon below. This will take you to the response form where you can enter your answers to the specific questions about the Sustainability Appraisal and any general comments you may wish to make. There is also the opportunity to upload documents in support of your comments.
If you do not have an Objective account already, just click on the 'Login/ Register' option on the bar along the top of the screen to begin the simple registration process.
Please be aware that all responses will be publicly available and cannot be treated as confidential.
Next steps
The representations received during this formal round of consultation will be passed to the Planning Inspectorate, who will appoint an inspector to conduct an Examination in Public, possibly later this year.
The council will publish details of the examination in public on its website.
The event is not currently available for consultation.