Evidence base and monitoring

A range of supporting evidence base and other documentation is required to underpin the Local Plan Part 2. The suites of documents below are necessary to ensure the “soundness” of the Plan.

Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment

Required to support the preparation of development plan documents (including the Local Plan), under The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No 1633). Specifically, Sustainability Appraisal/ Strategic Environmental Assessment provides the necessary objective assessment of all “reasonable alternative” approaches and/ or the mitigation of potential negative impacts of the Plan

• Sustainability Appraisal – Final report (January 2021)
• Sustainability Appraisal - Non Technical Summary (January 2021)
• Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report (January 2017)
• Sustainability Appraisal of the Submission North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy (AECOM, June 2015)

Habitat Regulations Assessment

Required to support the preparation of development plan documents (including the Local Plan), under The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (SI 2017 No 1012). Habitat Regulations Assessment is necessary to ensure that the Plan will not have any significant adverse impacts upon the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area (SPA)/ Ramsar site, which stretches along the Nene Valley between Billing (Northampton) and Thorpe Waterville.

• Habitat Regulations Assessment – Final report (January 2021)
• Habitat Regulations Assessment – Screening Opinion (January 2017)
• Functional linkage – a review of authoritative decisions (Natural England, February 2016)
• North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Habitat Regulations Assessment Addendum (AECOM, June 2015)
• North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Habitats Regulations Assessment (AECOM, January 2015)

Equalities Impact Assessment/Health Impact Assessment

The 1998 Human Rights Act and 2010 Equality Act require development plans to be assessed for any potential impacts upon minority groups, referred to in the legislation as groups with “protected characteristics”.  Accordingly, it is necessary for the Local Plan to be supported by an Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA), to demonstrate that it has been prepared in compliance with the Human Rights and Equality Acts.

The obligations for the Local Plan to be supported by Sustainability Appraisal and EIA are supplemented by a recent additional requirement to deliver local strategies to improve health, social and cultural well-being for all sections of the community.  This has introduced an additional requirement to prepare a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to assess the likely impacts of the Plan and its policies for health and wellbeing.
 

National Planning Policy Framework requirements

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires the preparation of a range of studies and assessments to underpin the Local Plan. The studies below have been prepared to fulfil these national policy requirements, with reference to flood risk management, development viability and infrastructure requirements.

• East Northamptonshire Local Infrastructure Plan (January 2021)
• East Northamptonshire Local Plan Viability Assessment - Updated (BNP Paribas, January 2021)
• Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (February 2020)
• North Northamptonshire Infrastructure Delivery Plan (September 2017)

Vision and Outcomes

The Vision and Outcomes for the Plan (section 3.0) have been derived from those in the Joint Core Strategy (Local Plan Part 1), providing additional district-level spatial direction. The Plan Outcomes are connected to the Council’s priority outcomes, as set out in the Corporate Plan.