Climate change impact assessment
The purpose of this assessment is to help us understand the likely impacts of our decisions on the environment of North Yorkshire and on our aspiration to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, or as close to that date as possible. The intention is to mitigate negative effects and identify projects which will have positive effects.
This document should be completed in consultation with the supporting guidance. The final document will be published as part of the decision making process and should be written in Plain English.
If you have any additional queries which are not covered by the guidance please email climatechange@northyorks.gov.uk
Version 2: amended 11 August 2021
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Title of proposal |
Recommended Approach to Plan Making for North Yorkshire (amended recommendation re. Ryedale Plan Review) |
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Brief description of proposal |
To brief the Executive and seek their support for the recommended approach to plan making for North Yorkshire, taking into consideration legal requirements, local context, an assessment of risks and benefits and feedback from the Members Planning Task and Finish Group. |
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Directorate |
Community Development |
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Service area |
Planning |
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Lead officer |
Trevor Watson |
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Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the impact assessment |
Jill Thompson Planning Service Manager (Ryedale Office) and Rachael Balmer Team Leader Planning Policy (Ryedale Office) |
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Date impact assessment started |
August 2022 |
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Options appraisal Were any other options considered in trying to achieve the aim of this project? If so, please give brief details and explain why alternative options were not progressed.
Options posed were:
· Continue to review the plan in a partial way (discounted due to legal advice)
· Continue to review the plan in a full way (not recommended for resource, communications and policy development implications)
· Halt the formal review of the Ryedale Plan- subsume work into the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire (recommended)
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What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?
Please explain briefly why this will be the result, detailing estimated savings or costs where this is possible.
The proposal will allow costs that would have been incurred in the preparation and examination of the Ryedale Plan review to be instead diverted to the North Yorkshire Local Plan preparation, which has its own significant costs to prepare and for the examination, particularly as there is a mandate to prepare the plan within 5 years of vesting date.
A full plan review the scale of the Ryedale Plan area would be in the region of c.£300,000 to reach examination, the examination alone would be over £100,000
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How will this proposal impact on the environment?
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Positive impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant) |
No impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant) |
Negative impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant) |
Explain why will it have this effect and over what timescale?
Where possible/relevant please include: · Changes over and above business as usual · Evidence or measurement of effect · Figures for CO2e · Links to relevant documents |
Explain how you plan to mitigate any negative impacts.
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Explain how you plan to improve any positive outcomes as far as possible. |
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Minimise greenhouse gas emissions e.g. reducing emissions from travel, increasing energy efficiencies etc.
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Emissions from travel |
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x |
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This decision to subsume the review of the Ryedale Plan into a new Plan for North Yorkshire is a strategic high- level decision.
The review of the Ryedale Plan is not well advanced and if continued it would be conducted alongside the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire.
The decision to not review the Ryedale Plan specifically is likely to result in a faltering of the land supply for housing in the coming years. This may result in new housing developments which would need to accord with wider plan policies, and indeed our spatial strategy which seeks to reduce the need to travel by focusing development at our larger towns and villages |
The existing Development Plan and its thematic polices on environmental impacts will still remain extant, as will the spatial approach. The focus will be on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire it will be holistically exploring this issue across the wider geography – which will be more effective than considering at a former district level |
The focus will be on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire it will be holistically exploring this issue across the wider geography – which will be more effective than considering at a former district level and its timely preparation will help to ensure that there is a significantly more effective policy response in this area |
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Emissions from construction |
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x |
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Our allocations are expected to utilise on-site construction aggregates where possible to reduce emissions and utilise existing resources where they are sited in a minerals safeguarding zone |
The existing Development Plan and its thematic polices on environmental impacts will still remain extant, as will the spatial approach. The focus will be on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire it will be holistically exploring this issue across the wider geography – which will be more effective than considering at a former district level |
The focus will be on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire it will be holistically exploring this issue across the wider geography – which will be more effective than considering at a former district level and its timely preparation will help to ensure that there is a significantly more effective policy response in this area |
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Emissions from running of buildings |
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x |
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The adopted development plan seeks to support appropriate renewable and low carbon technology schemes |
The existing Development Plan and its thematic polices on environmental impacts will still remain extant, as will the spatial approach. The focus will be on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire it will be holistically exploring this issue across the wider geography – which will be more effective than considering at a former district level |
The focus will be on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire it will be holistically exploring this issue across the wider geography – which will be more effective than considering at a former district level and its timely preparation will help to ensure that there is a significantly more effective policy response in this area |
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Emissions from data storage |
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x |
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Not within the scope of a development plan |
Not within the scope of a development plan |
Not within the scope of a development plan |
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Other |
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Minimise waste: Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost e.g. reducing use of single use plastic |
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x |
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This is something that is not related to land use and development specifically in a development plan |
This is something that is not related to land use and development specifically |
This is something that is not related to land use and development specifically |
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Reduce water consumption |
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x |
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The Ryedale Plan does not set reduced water consumption standards |
The North Yorkshire Local Plan represents the most effective opportunity to reduce water consumption standards |
The North Yorkshire Local Plan represents the most effective opportunity to reduce water consumption standards |
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Minimise pollution (including air, land, water, light and noise)
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x |
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The Ryedale Plan (the Extant Development Plan) has policies to implement this already |
This is no policy vacuum on this if the Ryedale Plan review is subsumed into the new Plan for north Yorkshire
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This will explored in detail as part of the development of the evidence base across North Yorkshire |
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Ensure resilience to the effects of climate change e.g. reducing flood risk, mitigating effects of drier, hotter summers |
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x |
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This will need to be explored in more detail in the preparation of the North Yorkshire Local Plan. The Ryedale Plan area is too small-scale to look at this in isolation, it needs a collective |
This will need to be explored in more detail in the preparation of the North Yorkshire Local Plan |
This will need to be explored in more detail in the preparation of the North Yorkshire Local Plan |
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Enhance conservation and wildlife
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x |
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The Ryedale Plan (the Extant Development Plan) already has a policy on requiring biodiversity net gain, and the mandatory BNG comes into action in November 2023. |
The Ryedale Plan (the Extant Development Plan) already has a policy on requiring biodiversity net gain, and the mandatory BNG comes into action in November 2023. |
The work on the North Yorkshire Local Plan can respond to wider strategies being developed in relation to LNRS and Natural Capital |
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Safeguard the distinctive characteristics, features and special qualities of North Yorkshire’s landscape
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x |
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The Ryedale Plan (the Extant Development Plan) has policies to implement this already |
This is no policy vacuum on this if the Ryedale Plan review is subsumed into the new Plan for north Yorkshire
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This will explored in detail at a landscape scale through the preparation of the new Local Plan and Design Codes and Conservation Area Appraisals |
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Other (please state below)
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Are there any recognised good practice environmental standards in relation to this proposal? If so, please detail how this proposal meets those standards. |
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The preparation of any development plan is subject to Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment.
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Summary Summarise the findings of your impact assessment, including impacts, the recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.
This is a strategic, high-level decision to consider whether to review a district-level development plan in full or to subsume its review into the new plan for North Yorkshire. It is therefore a matter of procedure rather than content of the development plan.
The recommendations seek a robust approach to plan making for North Yorkshire. It is too early to say what the effects of future policies will be. However, planning policies will be based on the latest evidence, public consultation and independent examination. New policies will seek to implement the council’s climate change and environmental ambitions through the provision of new development and infrastructure and protection of the environment.
It is considered that the most holistic and effective way to achieve this is through the focusing on the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire, and in doing so the review of the Ryedale Plan will automatically take place albeit over a slightly longer timescale.
It is to be acknowledged, given the age of the Ryedale Plan, that there may be some faltering in the land supply of housing land in Ryedale, and this would engage policies in the National Planning Policy Framework which mean our policies on housing numbers are out of date, but it does not then mean that all existing polices, including national policy, fall silent. The climate change implications will still need to be considered through the assessment of planning applications in accordance with our Development Plan and National Policy.
If the Local Plan for North Yorkshire is significantly delayed by events concerning the review of the Ryedale Plan, this may have wider impacts on the land supply for other parts of the North Yorkshire geography. It would also delay the development and implementation of a more holistic approach to responding to climate change in relation to development and growth and place shaping for the new authority, which also harnesses the ability to look at delivery of key infrastructure across the new authority geography- and in so doing align with emerging strategies which already look at this across the North Yorkshire geography.
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Sign off section
This climate change impact assessment was completed by:
Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature):
Date:
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