A sustainability appraisal is a systematic process that must be carried out during the preparation of a Local Plan. Its role is to promote sustainable development by assessing the extent to which the emerging plan, when judged against reasonable alternatives, will help to achieve relevant environmental, economic and social objectives.

We have completed the Final Sustainability Appraisal Report [PDF, size unavailable] to support the Local Plan to 2036: Proposed Submission, which was published in December 2018. The Sustainability Appraisal was submitted unchanged alongside the Local Plan to 2036 for examination.

Sustainability appraisal of potential development sites is contained in the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA).