Integrated Sustainability Appraisal - Scoping Report (ISA)

Significant positive effect likely

Mixed significant positive and minor negative effects likely

Minor positive effect likely

Mixed minor or significant effects likely

Minor negative effect likely

Mixed significant negative and minor positive effects likely

Significant negative effect likely

0

Negligible effect likely

Likely effect uncertain

ISA objective

Decision aiding questions

Will the Candidate Site…?

Assessment criteria

1. Mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change and reduce flood risk

Minimise greenhouse gas emissions? Contribute to a carbon-neutral community?

Reduce flood risk to people, property and maintain integrity of floodplain?

Promote the use of SuDS and other flood resilient design?

Consider the likely impacts of climate change on all types of infrastructure?

Encourage the development of renewables, including micro-generation?

Encourage high standards of energy efficiency in all new developments?

Promote design which will help to mitigate the effects of climate change (for example through appropriate building orientation)?

Steer development away from the floodplain where possible, and prevent increased flood risk elsewhere?

Promote design which will support green infrastructure?

The location of development will not affect the achievement of some parts of this objective – effects on greenhouse gas emissions from built development and the generation and use of renewables, for example, will depend largely on the detailed proposals for sites and their design, which are not known at this stage. The extent to which the location of sites would facilitate the use of sustainable modes of transport in place of cars is considered under SA objective 4 below.

Where Candidate Sites are located in areas of high flood risk, it could increase the risk of flooding in those areas (particularly if the sites are not previously developed) and would increase the number of people and assets at risk from flooding. Therefore:

- Sites that are entirely or mainly (i.e. >50%) on greenfield land that is within flood zones 3a or 3b or on brownfield land within flood zones 3a or 3b are likely to have a significant negative (--) effect.

- Sites that are either entirely or mainly on greenfield outside of flood zones 3a and 3b are likely to have a minor negative (-) effect.

- Sites that are on brownfield land outside of flood zones 3a and 3b are likely to have a negligible (0) effect.

2. Provide an appropriate amount and mix of housing to meet local needs

Deliver good quality housing?

Promote a mix of housing sizes, types and tenures?

Promote housing that meets the requirements of those with particular needs including older people and people with disabilities?

Help meet affordable housing needs to allow local people to remain within their communities?

All site options that would deliver housing will have a positive effect on this objective due to the nature of the development proposed. Larger sites will provide opportunities for the development of a greater number of homes and may also offer particular opportunities for incorporating affordable housing and a range of housing types. The remaining decision aiding questions would be influenced by policies in the new LDP rather than housing site locations. Therefore:

- Sites that would deliver 100¹⁴⁷ or more homes would have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Sites that would deliver fewer than 100 homes would have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Sites that would not deliver housing would have a negligible (0) effect.

3. Promote vibrant communities, with opportunities for living, working and socialising for all

Encourage provision of community facilities in accessible locations?

Promote access to education for all?

Consider the needs of specific groups including those with protected characteristics?

Plan places with opportunities for active citizenship to promote community engagement?

Accommodate meeting places for different cultures? Promote mixed development?

Provide equality of access for all?

Help to promote design solutions that will help protect communities from crime and reduce the fear of crime?

Several of the issues addressed by this objective would not be influenced by the location of development and would instead be influenced by policies in the new LDP. However, sites that are located at the larger settlements within the Isle of Anglesey will generally have better access to a wider range of existing services and facilities, including educational facilities, compared to sites located at smaller settlements. Any new services and facilities that may be provided as a result of the new development would also be accessible to a higher number of existing nearby residents.

- Sites that are located at one of the urban service centres would have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Sites that are located at one of the local service centres would have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Sites that are located away from the urban and local service centres would have a minor negative (-) effect but are recognised to boost the local economy and education offering.

4. Encourage healthy and safe lifestyles that promote well- being and improve overall health levels on Anglesey.

Promote provision of and access to healthcare facilities?

Prevent unacceptable impacts on amenity (such as noise and light pollution)?

Provide spaces such as allotments and community gardens which will promote healthy eating?

Protect existing open spaces?

Promote provision of facilities for physical recreational activities and play (including for walking and cycling)?

Promote the importance of protecting natural play spaces?

Improve public access to natural greenspace and/or the countryside?

Make provision for personal private outdoor space within new developments?

Protect and improve people's mental health?

Help to improve overall health levels and reduce health inequalities?

Promote the importance of protecting natural play spaces?

Please note that the extent to which site options will promote the use of active modes of transport is addressed under SA objective 5 below.

Residential sites that are within close proximity of existing healthcare facilities (i.e. GP surgeries) will ensure that residents have good access to healthcare services. If a number of sites are allocated within close proximity of one another, this could lead to existing healthcare facilities becoming overloaded. If at any point information becomes available regarding the capacity of existing healthcare facilities, this will be taken into account in the ISA. It is also recognised that new development could stimulate the provision of new healthcare facilities, but this cannot be assumed at this stage.

Public health will also be influenced by the proximity of sites to open spaces, walking and cycle paths, easy access to which can encourage participation in active outdoor recreation.

Therefore:

- Residential sites that are within 400m of a healthcare provider would have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Residential sites that are within 400-800m of a healthcare provider would have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Residential sites that are not within 800m of a healthcare provider would have a minor negative (-) effect.

- Sites that would not incorporate residential development would have a negligible (0) effect on this part of the objective.

In addition, which could lead to mixed effects overall¹⁴⁸:

- Sites that are within 800m of an area of open space and within 400m of a walking or cycle path will have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Sites that are within 800m of an area of open space or within 400m of a walking or cycle path (but not both) will have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Sites that are more than 800m from an area of open space and more than 400m from a walking or cycle path will have a minor negative (-) effect.

- Sites that contain an existing area of open space (including allotments) or a walking or cycle path which could therefore be lost as a result of new development could have a significant negative (--?) effect, although this is uncertain depending on whether the development of the site would in fact result in the loss of that facility.

In addition, which could lead to mixed effects overall:

- Residential sites that would expose residents to noise levels of Lnight >=55.0 dB, or Laeq,16 >= 60.0 dB would have a significant negative (--) effect.

- Residential sites that would expose residents to noise levels of Lnight 50.0-54.9 dB, or Laeq,16 55.0-59.9 dB would have a minor negative (-) effect.

- Employment site options would have a negligible (0) effect as noise levels experienced by workers will be heavily influenced the type of work carried to be out on the premises, whether hearing protection is worn by employees, and the design of the building (e.g. offices are more likely than dwellings to be air conditioned and acoustically insulated).

5. Reduce the need to travel and promote more sustainable modes of transport

Provide for alternatives to the private car and improve public transport links, particularly in rural areas?

Provide for safe and attractive walking and cycling routes? Reduce the need to travel in new developments?

Ensure connectivity to high speed broadband? Reduce the need for out commuting for work?

Promote the provision of supporting infrastructure for and the use of electric vehicles?

Promote the provision of supporting infrastructure for and the use of electric vehicles?

Convenient access to public transport links will reduce levels of car use and encourage modal shift. New development may stimulate the provision of new links such as bus routes; however this cannot be assumed. In addition, information is not available in relation to the frequency of bus services and it is recognised that some bus stops, particularly in rural areas, may offer only limited services.

- Sites that are within 400m of a railway station and 400m of a bus stop will have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Sites that are within 400m of a railway station or a bus stop (but not both) will have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Sites that are not within 400m of a railway station or a bus stop will have a minor negative (-) effect.

In addition, which may lead to mixed effects overall, sites that are located at the larger settlements within Anglesey will generally require shorter journeys to access jobs, services and facilities compared to sites located at smaller settlements. This will increase the likelihood of journeys being undertaken on foot or by bicycle rather than by car.

- Sites that are located at one of the urban or local service centres would have a minor positive (+) effect.

6. Promote, protect and enhance cultural heritage and the built environment

Protect and enhance areas and buildings of historical or cultural importance?

Protect and enhance archaeology? Protect and enhance industrial heritage?

Promote sustainable access to cultural sites?

Ensure high standards of design in all new development?

Protect and enhance local character and distinctiveness, while recognising the role of innovation?

The methodology to be used in the ISA in relation to appraising the likely effects of site options on the historic environment will be determined once the Council has determined what historic environment evidence will be produced to inform the LDP preparation process.

7. Promote the use of the Welsh language

Promote the use of the Welsh language amongst different groups of people, including in the workplace and in education?

Promote the sustainability of Welsh-speaking communities?

Promote the status of the Welsh language?

While new housing in areas of high Welsh language use could be seen to increase the population in those areas and encourage the use of the Welsh language, it is also possible that people moving into those areas to access the new housing could 'dilute' Welsh language use in those areas and have the opposite effect. It is therefore not possible to conclude that the spatial location of Candidate Sites will directly affect this objective and so all site options will have a negligible (0) effect.

8. Protect and enhance the quality and character of the landscape

Protect and enhance designated areas, including the National Park, National Landscape and Heritage Coast?

Protect and enhance historic landscapes?

Protect and enhance local landscape character and distinctiveness?

Protect and enhance tranquillity and dark skies?

Development within close proximity of the National Park, National Landscape and Heritage Coast could have a significant negative effect on this objective due to the sensitivity of those landscapes; however this is uncertain until detailed proposals for sites are known. Therefore:

- Sites that are within 1km of the National Landscape or Heritage Coast could have a significant negative (--?) effect.

In addition:

- Sites that are within a Special Landscape Area could have a significant negative effect (--?).

For sites outside of these areas, any landscape sensitivity assessment work that may be undertaken as part of the LDP-making process will be drawn upon, and criteria will be set out here to show how such evidence has been used to inform the ISA.

9. Protect and enhance biodiversity

Improve the diversity of habitats and species and maintain and enhance populations of species?

Enhance the extent of habitats and populations of protected and priority species by seeking the creation, restoration and appropriate management of green networks and linkages?

Improve and protect the condition of ecosystems and support the long term management of habitats?

Enhance connectivity by maximising opportunities for the creation of functional habitat and ecological networks?

Achieve adaptability to change, in particular the effects of climate change?

Limit the potential for disruption of natural processes or connectivity?

Support the restoration of natural processes which could mitigate or remove other impacts?

Enhance and protect connections between people and nature?

Development sites that are within close proximity of an international, national or local designated conservation site have the potential to affect the biodiversity or geodiversity of those sites/features, e.g. through habitat damage/loss, fragmentation, disturbance to species, air pollution, increased recreation pressure etc.

Conversely, there may be opportunities to promote habitat connectivity if new developments include green infrastructure. Therefore, while proximity to designated sites provides an indication of the potential for an adverse effect, uncertainty exists, as appropriate mitigation may avoid adverse effects and may even result in beneficial effects. In addition, the potential impacts on biodiversity present on each site, or undesignated habitats and species adjacent to the potential development sites, cannot be determined at this strategic level of assessment. This would be determined once more specific proposals are developed and submitted as part of a planning application.

- Sites that are within 250m of one or more internationally or nationally designated biodiversity or geodiversity sites may have a significant negative (--?) effect.

- Sites that are between 250m and 1km of one or more internationally or nationally designated biodiversity or geodiversity sites, or that are within 250m of a locally designated site may have a minor negative (-?) effect.

- Sites that are more than 1km from any internationally or nationally designated biodiversity or geodiversity sites and that are over 250m from a locally designated site could have a negligible (0?) effect.

10. Protect the quality and quantity of Anglesey's water resources

Reduce and/or avoid pollution to water environment?

Support efficient use of water, including greywater recycling in new developments?

Protect quality and quantity of groundwater sources?

Prevent new development that will cause drainage problems (including in relation to the proliferation of soil sealing)?

Protect the quality and quantity of surface water?

Help to ensure adequate levels of sewerage infrastructure and capacity to treat wastewater at sewage treatment works?

Levels of water consumption within new development will be determined by its design and onsite practices and therefore influenced by policies in the new LDP, rather than the location of the site. However, the location of development could affect groundwater quality during construction depending on its proximity to Source Protection Zones. The extent to which water quality is affected would depend on construction techniques and the use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) within the design, therefore effects are uncertain at this stage.

- Development within a Source Protection Zone could result in significant negative (--?) effects on water quality although this is uncertain at this stage of assessment.

- Development outside of a Source Protection Zone would have a negligible (0) effect.

11. Protect and enhance air quality

Avoid increasing air pollution and achieve improvements in air quality?

Promote policy and development that enables and supports communities in adopting lifestyles and actions that can protect or enhance local air quality?

Development in areas where there are already issues of poor air quality could expose new residents to air pollution and affect their health and well-being:

- Sites that have a pollutant concentration of >40µg/m3 NO2 or PM10, or >20µg/m3 PM2.5 would have a significant negative (--) effect.

- Sites that have a pollutant concentration of 10-40µg/m3 NO2, 15-40µg/m3 PM10 or 5-20µg/m3 PM2.5 would have a minor negative (-) effect.

- Sites that do not have the pollutant concentrations described above would have a negligible (0) effect.

12. Promote the efficient use of land, soils and minerals

Encourage the re-use of previously developed land and buildings as a priority, where appropriate?

Prevent and control pollution to land?

Promote the remediation of land contamination? Safeguard mineral resources?

Reuse and recycle aggregates on site?

Promote higher densities of development (where considered appropriate) to support more efficient use of land resources?

Development on brownfield land represents more efficient use of land in comparison to the development of greenfield sites. Therefore:

- Sites that are on brownfield land would have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Sites that are on greenfield land classed as high quality agricultural land (Grades 1, 2 or 3a) would have a significant negative (--) effect.

- Sites that are on greenfield land which is not classed as high quality agricultural land (Grades 3b, 4, 5 and urban land) would have a minor negative (-) effect.

- In addition, sites that are on greenfield land and that are within a Minerals Safeguarding Area could have a minor negative effect although this is uncertain (-?) as it may be possible to extract mineral resources before development takes place and there is potential for the mineral resource to already be sterilised.

13. Reduce waste and promote more sustainable waste management waste

Reduce waste generation?

Avoid, reduce, re-use, recycle and recover before disposal to landfill?

Further improve on good recycling performance including provision of facilities (domestic and commercial)?

Support development of alternatives to landfill, including composting facilities and energy from waste?

Promote self-sufficiency in terms of waste management where appropriate?

The effects of development on waste generation and the sustainable management of waste will depend on the practices used onsite, rather than the location of the development. However, development on brownfield land may offer opportunities to re-use onsite buildings and materials. Therefore:

- Sites that are on brownfield land could have a minor positive (+?) effect.

- Sites that are on greenfield land could have a negligible (0) effect.

14. Provide for a sustainable economy

Encourage economic growth?

Encourage appropriate inward and indigenous investment?

Support the rural economy? Promote sustainable tourism?

Ensure the allocation of land to accommodate the economic needs of the population?

Maintain an appropriate land bank of employment sites? Promote the vitality and viability of town centres?

Support the achievement of a greener lower carbon economy which can benefit all members of the community?

Candidate Sites that would be used for employment-related development will all have positive effects on the economy as they will provide high quality new sites for businesses to locate and may encourage inward investment. Larger sites will provide particular opportunities for economic growth. Therefore:

- Employment sites that are more than 5ha¹⁴⁹ in size would have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Employment sites that are smaller than 5ha would have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Sites that would not deliver employment development would have a negligible (0) effect.

Residential sites could have a negative effect on the achievement of this objective if they would result in the loss of existing employment uses. Therefore:

- Residential sites that are in employment use currently would have a significant negative (--) effect on this objective.

15. Provide for a diverse range of job opportunities

Maximise employment opportunities within Anglesey? Provide opportunities for a range of skills levels?

Provide jobs in accessible locations?

Accommodate training facilities to help develop a flexible skills base?

Candidate Sites that would be used for employment-related development will all have positive effects on this objective, due to the nature of the development proposed. Larger sites will provide higher numbers of jobs, as well as the associated opportunities for work-based learning and skills development. Therefore:

- Employment sites that are more than 5a in size would have a significant positive (++) effect.

- Employment sites that are smaller than 5ha would have a minor positive (+) effect.

- Sites that would not deliver employment development would have a negligible (0) effect.