Entec Bulletin
Case Study -
Sustainability Appraisal of the Draft London Plan

Entec has recently carried out a sustainability appraisal of the draft Spatial Development Strategy for London - the London Plan.

The London Mayor is responsible for strategic planning and the recently published draft London Plan sets out an integrated strategic social, economic and environmental framework for the future development of the city over the next 15-20 years.

Achieving the Mayor's vision for London requires major challenges to be faced including accommodating growth, achieving social inclusion, safeguarding and enhancing the environment, providing adequate sustainable transport and managing the impacts and risks of climate change.

Policy making at all levels of government increasingly takes account of sustainability issues and in the case of the draft London Plan there was a regulatory requirement that it be subject to a sustainability appraisal. To fulfil this requirement, an independent appraisal of the draft Plan was undertaken by Entec.

But what exactly does a sustainability appraisal involve? Principally, it is a process of assessing the performance of a plan in terms of sustainable development. An appraisal also presents recommendations for improving sustainability performance but it does not give a definitive 'yes' or 'no' answer to whether a plan is acceptable from a sustainable development point of view. The appraisal process and outputs also enable those involved in the plan-making process to consider policy themes holistically, stepping back from the fine detail of policy content, and taking a more strategic view.

The sustainability appraisal was carried out within the context of the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development which identifies four broad objectives that must be met if sustainable development is to be achieved:

• Social progress which recognises the need of everyone;
• Effective protection of the environment;
• Prudent use of natural resources; and
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

Clearly the scope and breadth of the concept is considerable. In this particular case the sustainability appraisal methodology was developed by Entec, drawing on our experience and related official guidance.
Entec has now produced a guide to sustainability appraisals to help disseminate good practice. The Guide to Sustainability Appraisal is available from www.entecuk.com.

The Sustainability Appraisal Process

The appraisal was carried out in five main stages: the appointment of an independent team from Entec, agreement of an appropriate methodology, identification of sustainable development objectives, the development of the Sustainability Appraisal Framework and the policy appraisal itself. The appraisal involved assessing the performance of each policy and proposal in the plan against each of the 33 sustainability objectives. The end result included appraisal matrices and a written report with recommendations.

The Findings

The final published appraisal strongly supports the Mayor's Vision for London based on the following three interwoven themes:

• Strong, diverse economic growth;
• Social inclusivity to give all Londoners the opportunity to share in London's future success;
• Fundamental improvements in London's environment.

The key factor in ensuring that London will have a more sustainable future is the commitment to the importance of sustainability that is shown by the Mayor of London. The strategy underpinning the Plan is based on the principle that future growth and development will be achieved in a managed way. Good design was also covered comprehensively within the Plan; an aspect that will prove crucial to ensuring that future development is of a high quality. A considerable contribution to meeting social inclusion objectives will also be made, for example, through the increased provision of affordable housing.

There were also some concerns raised in the appraisal due to proposed development in the flood plain, such as that at Thames Gateway. Whilst this will help make best use of brownfield land and bring regeneration benefits, there is an increased threat from flooding due to climate change impacts. The support for a number of road-based projects and air transport also raised concerns.

In commenting on the Plan Clive Harridge, Entec's Planning Director, says: "Despite some concerns, the Plan overall was commendable and we are confident that it will make a substantial contribution to a more sustainable future and to achieving the Mayor's Vision for London as an exemplary, sustainable world city."

The Future of Sustainability Appraisals

At present there is no sustainability appraisal requirement for other development plans, although many forward thinking local authorities undertake sustainability appraisals as an integral part of the plan-making process. However, the Deputy Prime Minister announced in July 2002 that local planning authorities will be required to carry out a sustainability appraisal as an intrinsic part of preparing the new statutory Local Development Frameworks. We can therefore expect to see a lot more of sustainability appraisals in the future.

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