Purpose

The
decision to adopt the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2023 to 2040 was
made by Crawley Borough Council at its meeting of the Full Council
held on 16 October 2024.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment ‘Post-Adoption
Statement’ for the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2023 to 2040
has been prepared to meet Regulation 16 of the Environmental
Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations (SI 1633), 2004. It
sets out how the Crawley Borough Local Plan has been prepared in
accordance with the requirements of these Regulations. The Purpose
of the Post-Adoption Statement is to outline how the SEA process
has informed and influenced the Local Plan plan-making process, and
to demonstrate how consultation on the SEA has been taken into account.
In order to meet the legislative requirements, a Post-Adoption
Statement is required to be published “as soon as reasonably
practicable after the adoption of the Plan or programme”.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), required by retained EU
law, and a Sustainability Appraisal (SA), required under the
regulations of The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, was
carried out as an ongoing process throughout the preparation of the
Local Plan, which identified the social, environmental and economic
impacts of the proposed planning policies and allocations. The
final SA/SEA, October 2024, was published alongside the adoption of
the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2023 to 2040.
In addition, a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) was undertaken
as part of the preparation, examination
and adoption of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2023 to 2040. A
Habitats Regulations Integrity Test Report, October 2024, was
published alongside the adoption of the Local Plan.
The Post-Adoption Statement summarises
the key stages in the SEA, SA and HRA processes as an integrated
and iterative part of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2023 to 2040
plan-making. In accordance with the Regulations, the statement sets
out:
a) How environmental considerations have been integrated into the
Local Plan;
b) How the environmental report has been taken into account;
c) How the opinions expressed in response to public consultations
have been taken into account;
d) The reasons for choosing the plan as adopted, in light of the
other reasonable alternatives dealt with; and
e) The measures that are to be taken to monitor the significant
environmental effects of the implementation of the Local
Plan.
The Strategic Environmental Assessment Post-Adoption Statement,
November 2024 is attached.

Content

To approve the Strategic Environmental
Assessment Post-Adoption Statement, November 2024.