Sustainability Appraisal

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a systematic process for evaluating the environmental consequences of proposed policies, plans or programmes to ensure environmental issues are fully integrated and addressed at the earliest appropriate stage of decision making.

Sustainability Appraisals (SA) are broader and promote sustainable development through better integration of sustainability considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans. SA will form an integral part of the process to improve plan making rather than being treated as a separate activity.

Strategic Environmental Assessment has been introduced to the UK through the EU Directive 2001/42/EC, and in England the Directive has been implemented via the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004. In addition, Sustainability Appraisal is a requirement of Planning Policy Statement 12 (PPS12).  Recent guidance (Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks, ODPM November 2005) has merged this process to allow for a single joint appraisal to be carried out (SA/SEA).

The basic principles behind the merged SA/SEA process are to:

• Start early in the formulation of the related plan and run alongside the production of the plan, informing and improving its development
• Focus on balancing sustainability issues to achieve a win-win outcome
• Consider alternatives
• Involve and consult stakeholders throughout the process

Return to Planning Policy Homepage