DRAFT Sustainability Appraisal Report for the Emerging Local Plan ...

15.11 Soil Strategy for England (2009): This strategy require all England’s soils will be managed
sustainable and degradation threats tackled successfully by 2030. This will improve the
quality of England’s soils and safeguard their ability to provide essential services for future
generations.
Regional
15.12 South East Regional Minerals Strategy ( 2009): This underlines the requirement to:
County
Safeguard the region’s naturally occurring minerals and encourage the use of
suitable alternative construction materials where appropriate
Protect the environment and local amenity
Minimise the adverse impacts of the transport of minerals and construction
materials
15.13 Surrey County Council Rural Strategy (2010): The main objectives for the above strategy are:
Local
An equality in policy and investment with the urban areas
Empowered and self sufficient communities
Thriving rural economy and land‐based sector
Bio‐diverse and well‐managed countryside
Adequate and dependable infrastructure – including roads, water and housing
Resilience to adverse impact – including climate change, flooding, disease and
energy costs.
15.14 Runnymede Borough Council Open Space Study (2012): This study defines the nature and
distribution of open space sites in the Borough, and identifies the classifications and broad
locations where there is under provision, or where quality could be improved. This study
makes recommendations to remedy historical deficits and to cater for growth.
Current Baseline Condition
15.15 The SEA Directive and UK SEA Regulations require that an account be given of the current and
likely future composition and condition of the environment in the area covered by the
proposed plan. The environmental baseline presented in this section has been compiled from
available sources of primary and secondary data that in the main relate to RSF Indicators that
have been monitored by the Council in one form or another since 2004.
15.16 The landscape of Runnymede is characterised as ‘Thames Basin Lowland’, urban fringe, which
is of gently undulating vale of small‐scale field interspersed by woods, shaws ponds,
meadows and heath. Typically the rural landscape gives the perception that farming
enterprises within the borough are in a state of decline. Areas around towns and villages have
a generally unkempt appearance. The majority of the borough (78%) comprises of greenbelt,
which includes 281 hectares covered by environmental stewardship schemes.
15.17 In terms of the urban landscape the major towns are Addlestone, Chertsey, Egham, and
Virginia Water. The 2007 Saved Local Plan highlighted the need for revitalisation within the
town centres within Runnymede. This conclusion is replicated within the Council emerging
SCS.
15.18 Table 92 provides a summary of the key environmental issues and challenges that have been
identified as having particular relevance to the Council’s emerging Local Plan on this receptor.
Those issues and challenges have been identified from the baseline environmental
information as well as through discussion with various officers within the Council and
external statutory and non‐statutory consultees.
Page | 195 Runnymede BC FINAL Sustainability Appraisal Report – Feb 2013