Sustainability Appraisal
All Development Plan Documents and some other Local Plan Documents are required to undergo a 'Sustainability Appraisal' (or 'SA'). The purpose of the SA process is to appraise the social, environmental and economic effects of a plan from the outset. This process fulfils the authorities commitments under European Directive 2001/42/EC “on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment” (the Strategic Environmental Assessment or ‘SEA Directive’), as well as Section 39(2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.