Issue - meetings

To receive a report of the Director of Place seeking approval for the draft SPD for consultation.

The Cabinet had before it a report from the Director of Place which sought approval for the draft Mid Devon Air Quality Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for Public Consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration outlined the contents of the report and stated that:

·         Following the Council’s adoption of the Mid Devon Local Plan in July 2020 there has been a need to prepare a new Air Quality Supplementary Planning Document. This SPD will provide further guidance and information about how local plan policies (and the development plan as a whole) in relation to air quality will be applied and interpreted.  While the SPD will not form part of the adopted development plan, it will be capable of being a material consideration in determining planning applications where air quality is relevant.

·         A draft Air Quality SPD has been prepared by consultants. It is aligned with the current National Planning Policy Framework, and aims to provide a consistent approach to assessing air quality impacts from planning proposals, and to encourage early engagement in the development process. The SPD will assist developers in determining when an air quality assessment is required for a new development, provide guidance through the emissions and air quality assessment procedures, and identify suitable mitigation measures to be included at the planning stage.

·         The Council will be able to use the guidance to sustain and contribute towards the compliance with national air quality objectives, with consideration given to the presence of Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) in Crediton and Cullompton, and the cumulative impacts from individual sites in local areas.

The draft Air Quality SPD is structured into a three stage process:

·         The first stage is to classify the development as having a small or large impact. This will include consideration of whether the planned development is within, near to, or will likely have an impact on an AQMA, and will identify what actions are required to assess the new development. This will range from ‘no action required’ to ‘air quality impact assessment required’.

·         Stage 2 sets out how to assess and quantify the impact of the development on local air quality.

·         Stage 3 determines the mitigation to be applied.

The draft Air Quality SPD has been ‘screened’ for the purpose of Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulations Assessment, and no requirement has been identified for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment, or Appropriate Assessment.

The Planning Policy Advisory Group (PPAG) considered the Air Quality SPD at its meeting of 1^st August 2022 and has noted its content. The PPAG has requested that a non-technical guide is prepared and is made available as part of, and to assist, the consultation on the Air Quality SPD. This request forms part of the recommendations that are before the Cabinet.

Should the recommendations be agreed then once that decision comes into effect the SPD will be subject to a public consultation exercise of at least 6 weeks. Once the consultation has ended and all comments have been taken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52