SA of Canalside DPD

4.0 PLAN-MAKING OPTIONS & ALTERNATIVES IN SA/SEA

Assessment of Alternatives in SA/SEA

4.1 The EU SEA Directive requires assessment of the likely significant effects of implementing the plan and "reasonable alternatives" taking into account "the objectives and geographical scope" of the plan and the reasons for selecting alternatives should be outlined in the report. The Directive does not specifically define the term "reasonable alternative"; however, UK SA/SEA guidanceadvises that it is taken to mean "realistic and relevant" i.e. deliverable and within the timescale of the plan.

4.2 It is acknowledged that there is a hierarchy of alternatives that are relevant and proportionate to the tiering of plan-making. The SA does not need to be done in any more detail, or using more resources, than is considered to be appropriate for the content and level of detail in the plan. Case law in England has clarified and provided further guidance for SA/SEA practice of development plans. The SA Repot must include an outline of the reasons for selecting or rejecting options; it is the plan-making authority that is the primary decision-maker in relation to identifying what is to be regarded as a reasonable alternative.

Assessment of Options in Plan-Making

4.3 Development planning issues, such as how much, what kind of development and where, are considered within the requirements of legislation and policy together with the characteristics of the plan area and the views of its communities. Potential options for resolving such issues are identified by the local planning authorities through various studies, such as population projections and housing need, community strategies, infrastructure capacities, and environmental constraints analysis – and through consultation with the regulators, the public, businesses, service providers, and the voluntary sector.

4.4 At the earlier and higher levels of strategic planning, options assessment is proportionate and may have a criteria-based approach and/or expert judgment; the focus is on the key differences between possibilities for scale, distribution and quality of development. At the later and lower levels of development planning for site allocations, options assessment tends to be more specific - often focused on criteria and thresholds, such as land availability, accessibility to services, and impacts on local landscape.

Options Considered for the Canalside DPD

4.5 The Local Plan in Policy DS17 identified 3 potential areas for additional residential development alongside the canal in areas of Leamington Spa and Warwick. These areas are industrial estates for small scale local manufacturing and are characterised by buildings that no longer reflect the needs of many businesses and less than easy access to the road network. The 3 areas are:

• Sydenham Industrial Estate
• Cape Road/Millers Road
• Montague Road

4.6 The Council's Employment Land Review (2013) concluded that future redevelopment for alternative uses may be appropriate with a managed release of employment land at these 3 locations. Therefore, rationalisation and regeneration at these 3 locations was progressed into the draft Canalside DPD as the evidence indicated suitability and deliverability of such site options. Accordingly, these 3 sites were subject to SA using the full SA framework and to demonstrate compatibility with the previous SA undertaken during the development of the Local Plan and its Site Allocations.

4.7 A number of other potential sites were identified and investigated for reuse (residential and/or employment) should they be available, suitable or become available. Information on the sites is listed in Appendix I of the draft DPD with a summary of current use/planning history and includes an outline of the analysis together with an indication of whether there might be potential in the future. The other potential sites investigated may be summarised, as follows:

Table 4.1: Other Potential Sites Investigated

Ref No	Site Location	Description Key issues or Opportunities	Potential Site if becomes Available?
A	North of Warwick Parkway Station	Station car park & located within the Green Belt	No
B	WCC site adjacent to A46	Used as offices, highways storage etc	Only if WCC vacate & sell
C	Units off Budbrooke Road	Industrial units in comparative good order & appear viable – for sale	Yes?
D	Spring Cottage Birmingham Road & opposite	Previous scrapyard & derelict cottages with outline planning permission for up to 5 dwellings	None beyond that proposed
E	Saltisford Common Bridge	Saltisford Trust run businesses & events from Canal Arm land – viable community & recreational resource	No
F	North end of Saltisford Common	Allotments	No
G	Unit off Harris Rd (Wedgnock Industrial Estate)	Industrial unit with offices in good condition	No
H	Wedgnock Park Bridge	Small area of land with no road access	No
I	Land rear of units on Ladbrooke Park (Millers Rd)	Industrial units occupied and meeting a variety of employment needs	No
J	Coventry Road Bridge	Part of larger site allocated for residential in Local Plan -allocated H11 Montague Rd for 140 dwellings	No
K	Unit of Nelson Lane with landing stages to rear	Ideal for moorings associated with existing boating & other small businesses.	No
L	Warehouse, Nelson Lane	Industrial unit fully occupied & protected by Local Plan EC3	No
M	Adjacent Charles Street Bridge & Wharf Street	Industrial unit fully occupied & protected by Local Plan Policy EC3	No
N	East of All saints Bridge, Emscote road	Small site currently used as car rental/sales; access would be an issue	Unlikely
O	Lidl, Myton Road	Small retail unit	Possibly?
P	NW of Europa Way roundabout	Small area of open land/scrub; too small, access & noise problems	No
Q	Shrublands Recreation Ground north of Queensway	WDC recreation ground, protected by LP Policy HS2	No
R	Land between canal & Bury Road	Open land adjacent to canal & towpath – best for green infrastructure not development	No
S	Rangemaster, Ranelagh Street	Industrial unit in use	Possibly in longer term?
T	Althorpe Industrial Estate	Part of Creative Quarter & mixed-use development; subject of current planning application	Possibly?
U	1-13 Neilston Street	Small industrial, warehouse units for sale; appear well- used	No
V	Berrington Road Sydenham	Small industrial units; part of land already redeveloped for housing	No
W	Playground, Rushmore Street	Playground & important local space, protected by LP Policy HS2	No
X	Units between St Mary's Rd & Clapham St	Industrial units in mixed-use area – occupied & appear popular	Possible under DS8 but unlikely in short term
Y	North of St Mary's Rd, west of Ramsey Rd	Continuation of Sydenham Industrial Estate	Possible under DS8 but unlikely in short term
Z	Land at end of Gulliman's Way	Open land in flood zone 3 & 3a	No

4.8 Thus the other potential sites investigated were found mostly to be not suitable for new development or were not available; a few sites were indicated as possibly suitable if they were to become available in the longer term. Therefore, these sites were not considered to be reasonable alternatives for the purposes of SA/SEA, and they were not investigated any further through the assessment process.

The Do-Nothing Scenario

4.9 Doing nothing is not a reasonable alternative for the Council as the local planning authority is required to provide sufficient development land to meet the needs of the local communities for housing and employment. The adopted Local Plan with Policy DS17 makes the commitment to preparation of a Canalside DPD and the importance of the canals and their immediate environs has been recognised with the development of the Canal Conservation Area.