Strategic Environmental Assessment

The authority is required by European Directive 2001/42/EC to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of all plans and strategies that are likely to have significant environmental implications. The assessment provides us with a process to integrate environmental and broader sustainability considerations into decision-making at an early stage and throughout plan development.

The SEA has influenced the LTP through all stages of its development, as shown in Table 2 ‘Influence of the SEA on the Local Transport Plan’, and will continue to influence the plan over the next five years. Because the impact of the growth area on the environment is uncertain and subject to change, it is important to integrate SEA into the transport policy and planning process from the beginning.

The environmental assessment of the LTP began with a Scoping Report, published in April 2005 as a joint report between ourselves and Luton Borough Council. This report looked at existing conditions, defined how assessment would be carried out and identified alternative future scenarios to test.  The results of this assessment and of consultation on the Scoping Report were taken into account in the production of an Environment Report (published in March 2006). A non-technical summary of the SEA is included as Appendix C.

Preparing a SEA for this LTP has also helped improve policy making by:

  • identifying the links and possible conflicts between environmental, quality of life issues and transport policies;
  • indicating where and how to incorporate environmental issues into policy making and implementation; and
  • giving stakeholders and interested parties the chance to comment on option development at an early stage.

Expanding on the foundation of the SEA, quality of life issues with particular relevance to transport are included in Table 3 ‘Possible LTP contributions to improving quality of life’ below. These measures will be integrated into policies and best practice, in an effort to reduce conflict between sustained growth and environmental protection.

 
Table 2 Influence of the SEA on the Local Transport Plan
SEA Issues

Aspect of LTP
  • Identify the need to manage the changes taking place over the LTP period, and beyond.
  • Demonstrates how the environment will come under pressure from the unprecedented scale of demand.
 A specific environmental objective developed

 (see Objective 7 later in this chapter)
  • Recognise the potential conflicts between increased long term sustained levels of growth and environmental protection.
  • Suggest mitigation measures over the long term.
  A Long Term Transport Strategy

(see 'Towards 2021' in Chapter 5)
  • Congestion. Ensure the preferred option promotes alternatives to the private car, and suggests demand management.
  • Accessibility. Integration of land use planning and accessibility is promoted throughout and is reflected in the preferred option.
  • Safety. All the proposals in the preferred option will have positive benefits for safety in general.
  • Air Quality and the Environment. Improved air quality will result from the relief of congestion.
Meet the Shared Priorities

(see end of Chapter 5)
  • Set a specific target aimed at improving air quality in AQMAs where there are already exceedences of NO2. The SEA will have its own monitoring process which will be subject to review procedures.
A target set

(see Chapter 7, target LTP8)
  • Develop environmental management principles for the design and implementation of new schemes, including guidance and good practice guides to cover consideration of new infrastructure for habitat creation, links between habitats, groundwater protection (Sustainable Drainage Systems), flood risk, soil resources, cultural heritage, noise reduction and landscape.
  • Develop balanced communities by including consideration of viable alternatives to the private car, accessibility for the mobility impaired, increasing accessibility to key services, promoting economic performance and inward investment and improving safety.
  • Consider sustainability principles at all levels by addressing the causes of climate change, using previously developed buildings and land, and renewable resources.
Include measures to reduce the environmental impact of the LTP in relevant actions

(see Chapter 5)
 
Table 3 Possible LTP contributions to improving quality of life

Quality of Life Issue

Relevance to LTP

Possible LTP measures

Public spaces and better streetscapes

To provide high quality public spaces that are not dominated by motor traffic
  • Good design and maintenance of highway infrastructure, traffic management, street furniture, lighting, signage, etc.
  • Reduce clutter while maintaining safety.
  • Design and maintenance of PT infrastructure.
  • Making streets more pleasant for non motorised users.
  • Reduced dominance of motor vehicles.

Landscape and biodiversity

To protect sensitive areas from inappropriate traffic
  • Improve landscape quality.
  • Protect sensitive areas.
  • Link transport objectives to those of community strategy and biodiversity.
  • Review maintenance regimes for maximum environmental benefit.
  • Provide crossing points for wildlife.

Community safety, personal security and crime

To encourage more people to use public transport and other modes
  • Integrate transport initiatives into wider community strategies.
  • Encourage liaison with transport operators, police, town centre managers, etc.

Healthy communities

To minimise the impact of traffic on communities and improve accessibility to essential services
  • Focus LTP policies on areas which will benefit accessibility to healthcare, food sources, etc.

Sustainable and prosperous communities

To help towards neighbourhood renewal
  • Demonstrate how transport policies would contribute to neighbourhood renewal.
  • Refer to Sustainable Communities to deliver better cities, towns and suburbs.

Noise

To relieve existing sources of noise, and minimise new noise sources
  • Assess how policies can reduce existing noise and minimise new sources of noise – review maintenance procedures.
  • Use quiet surfacing where appropriate.
  • Site PT infrastructure away from sensitive areas.

Climate change and greenhouse gases

To reduce CO2 emissions

  • LTP to take account of UK CO2 and aims of LA21.
  • Soft measures - Travel Planning, telecommuting, total energy management approach to street lighting.

SEA analysis shows that the environmental impact of growth is, in many cases, uncertain and in some cases incompatible with environmental objectives. All the scenarios tested will increase the impact of traffic and transport on the environment to varying degrees. Initial results show that measures to improve safety and increase accessibility generally have a minimal environmental impact. It is also evident that using the existing network more effectively has fewer negative impacts on the environment than providing new facilities. To this end, a preferred option has been developed in the SEA Environment Report which reflects the least environmentally damaging way of accommodating growth in the longer term. This option recommends the following measures (more details are contained in the Environment Report):

  • long term investment in new public transport schemes;
  • accessibility to facilities as a high priority;
  • use of new technology and development of energy efficient transport modes;
  • completion and expansion of the Park and Ride network; and
  • demand management in hot spot areas.

We can incorporate many of the recommendations from the SEA analysis into existing best practice for example, one method of protecting biodiversity could be to ensure that development of new transport infrastructure helps create new habitats. We could easily promote this within existing County Council guidance. Such measures will be reflected in SEA monitoring.

We continue to develop other cross-policy review processes, such as Health Impact Assessments.  These may be more influential in future Local Transport Plans, but could also inform aspects of local transport policy in the near future.  Building relationships with other delivery agencies is therefore important. Using Accessibility Planning will help by bringing the relevant agencies together.

Preparation for LTP3

We expect the approach to developing local planning and community policy in Luton, Bedfordshire and beyond to increasingly reflect the policies of the Sustainable Communities Plan growth area.  This may well have an impact on the form and content of the third LTP, with the aim being to integrate all policy areas even further. The most sensible approach to adopt will also be influenced by the national approach to LTP funding and monitoring.  It is too early to say how this might affect the approach to LTP3 in Bedfordshire, but it is likely that the approach adopted will change from that in this LTP.

Towards the end of this LTP period several major transport projects are due to be completed.  To make sure we retain the benefits that these schemes bring, and avoid the need for another cycle of infrastructure deficit, we will need to look at extending policies to further restrict growth in traffic levels.  The current debate on a national road-pricing scheme may lead to the necessary changes in policy.  Failing this, the third round of Local Transport Plans will need to include appropriate policy.

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