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

16.173 The approach in LP07‐A1 is that no additional planned growth proposed is proposed but the
Council will respond to development schemes as they arise.
16.174 The overall impact in the SEA consideration shows that both have a similar impact. ,
However, LP07 is slightly more positive in the SA analysis. For the reasons set out above and
to meet the requirements of the overall strategy the preferred approach is LP07. This
proposes the continued protection of Virginia Water as a high quality environment supported
by its current mix of uses found in the existing village centre that are being enhanced by a
major development of a former car park.
16.175 The Local Plan team rejects one alternative to Policy LP07, which was:
LP07‐A1: No additional growth proposed, but responds to development schemes as
they arise in the context of the approach to be taken to sustainable development as
set out in the NPPF.
Location Policy 8 (LP08) – The Former DERA Site Longcross
16.176 The South East Plan allocated a new mixed use, including 2,500 new homes on the 116
hectare former DERA site located in the Green Belt at Longcross. The site is divided by the M3
motorway was and Policy LP08 seeks to provide for a similar mixed use development as per
the South East Plan, but with a reduced provision of housing units.
16.177 The site has a number of constraints, such as being located within the Green Belt as well as
being located adjacent to the European protected sites of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA and
Thursley Ash Pirbright and Chobham SAC.
16.178 The Council’s HRA considered three Local Plan policies – LP01, LP02 and LP08 and their ability
alone or in combination with other plans or projects to adversely affect the integrity of two
European site – Thames Basin Heaths SPA and Thursley, Ash, Pirbright and Chobham SAC.
Based on the information available but against the advice of Natural England, the Council was
able to ascertain that implementation of policies LP01, LP02 and LP03 would not alone or in
combination with other plans or projects adversely affect the integrity of either European
site.
16.179 The policy alternatives for LP08 all exhibit the same overall potential effects across the range
of assessments L2 – L5. In terms of SEA, policy LP08 is assessed as having the potential to
result in an adverse effect whereas its three alternatives have been assessed as being of a
lesser impact of uncertain. In terms of SA LP08 scores better than any of its alternatives. The
Level 5 assessment did not differentiate significantly between any of the policies.
16.180 LP08 is chosen because the Sustainable Community Strategy recognises the ability of the site
to accommodate a new residential and commercial community during the Local Plan period
but the site will need to be removed from the Green Belt to facilitate the anticipated
development. The mixed use community will be supported by infrastructure to deal with the
impacts on both the existing and new communities. This will include upgrading Longcross
Station and the addition of an increased stopping service on the Reading to Waterloo line,
retail, community, health, nursery, recycling facilities and public transport to serve the
development. On and off site highway works will be required by the development and the
provision of on and off site measures to mitigate the adverse impacts on the TBHSPA. The
future development of the site will be set within the context of a Master Plan. This approach
promotes removal of the DERA site from the Green Belt to allow its redevelopment for a
mixed use development that includes up to 1,500 new homes and in the region of 79,000 m 2
of onsite mixed employment uses.
16.181 The Local Plan team reject the following alternatives;
LP08 –A1 1500 dwellings to be developed on land at Great Grove Farm, Ottershaw
LP08 –A2 1500 dwellings to be developed on at least two sites of a minimum size
LP08 –A3 1500 dwellings to be developed on schemes as they arise in the context of
the approach to be taken to sustainable development as set out in the NPPF.
Page | 223 Runnymede BC FINAL Sustainability Appraisal Report – Feb 2013