Local Plan Evidence Base and Monitoring

Introduction

An important part of the plan-making process is gathering evidence and factual information to help identify the issues and needs of the area. Evidence can come from reports, strategies, specific pieces of research, and from a wide range of sources. This includes organisations that operate at a local level or organisations that operate on a wider level but have specialist knowledge or expertise.

Most pieces of evidence relate to smaller geographical areas within Somerset as they were produced separately to support the reviews of the adopted former district Local Plans.

As we progress with the production of the Somerset Local Plan, we will update this evidence base where necessary. Evidence base produced specifically for the Somerset Local Plan 2045 are also available on the dedicated Somerset Local Plan page which provides further information on progress.

Housing

Economy

An Economic Development Needs Assessment is a study that evaluates the demand for land and property to support future economic growth to inform Local Plan policies. An Employment Land Review is a study that assesses the supply of land and property for commercial uses like offices, industrial, and warehousing. It provides evidence to inform the Local Plan policies and to identify suitable sites for employment development ensuring there is enough land to meet future economic needs. Sometimes these documents are combined into a single document.

Retail and Leisure

Retail and Leisure Needs Assessments are an assessment of patterns of retail and leisure spend and need in the retail and leisure sectors. Town Centre Health Checks collate data to evaluate the vitality and viability of town centres as a measure of the health of town centres to inform policy development in the Local Plan. They are based upon a number of key performance indicators. These documents are often combined together. Retail surveys and monitoring looks at the changes in retail units and vacancy levels.

Flood Risk and Coastal Management

A Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) is a preliminary assessment of flood risk to guide land use planning and identify areas for development. It involves gathering and analysing flood risk data to create maps and reports on all sources of flooding. It helps in applying the Sequential Test to direct development away from high-risk zones. It determines if a more detailed Level 2 assessment is needed.

Landscape and Green Wedges

Landscape studies help inform Local Plan policies and decisions on planning applications.

A Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) identifies and describes the unique combination of natural, cultural, and visual elements that make a landscape distinct. It maps and categorises landscapes into different character types. Other landscape studies include those which assess landscape sensitivity, capacity and assessments of special landscape features.

Heritage

Sedgemoor (North) – Historic Environment Assessment (Jan 2017)

South Somerset (South) – Historic Environment Strategy (Jan 2017)

Biodiversity

Sports, Open Space and Green Infrastructure

A variety of studies relate to sports, open space and green infrastructure. Playing pitch studies assess the quantity and quality of provision and include recommendations for the provision of playing pitch facilities. Open space studies catalogue the amount, type and quality of open space. Play strategies build policies that create accessible play for children and young people. Green Infrastructure studies assess opportunities and explore the delivery of Green Infrastructure priorities. These studies inform policy development in Local Plans.

Infrastructure and Transport

Infrastructure Delivery Plans give details of the infrastructure that local service providers and the Council have identified as key to supporting future growth in the relevant area.

Renewable and Low Carbon Energy

Evidence base on opportunities for decentralised and renewable or low carbon energy to inform Local Plan policies.

Settlements and Rural Planning

Role and function of settlement studies provide an analysis of the facilities and accessibility to services of settlement. This is used to inform Local Plan settlement hierarchies and the spatial strategy.

Authority Monitoring Reports

The Authority Monitoring Report assesses the performance of planning policies and considers the progress of emerging policy documents. Authority Monitoring Reports are currently produced on a former district area basis as each geographical area has a different set of planning policies within its Local Plan. Earlier reports are available on request.

There are also Authority Monitoring Reports for Somerset that were produced to monitor the performance of Minerals and Waste Plan policies. The Local Aggregates Assessment evaluates the potential supply and demand of aggregates in the county. The National Planning Policy Framework requires Minerals Planning Authorities to plan for a steady and adequate supply of aggregates. This is achieved by operating an Aggregate Working Party, which provides input to each Mineral Planning Authority’s Local Aggregate Assessment. All of the latest information and resources for the South West Local Aggregate Working Party are held on Cornwall Council’s website