Core Strategy Interim Habitats Regulation Assessment Report
All County Durham Plan documents including the Core Strategy should be subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) or 'Appropriate Assessment' under the Habitats Directive, in accordance with the Conservation (Natural Habitats) (Amendment) Regulations 2010.
Under the Habitat Regulations, ‘appropriate assessment’ is an assessment of the potential effects of a proposed project or plan on one or more sites of international nature conservation importance, known as Natura 2000 sites. Projects and plans can only be permitted where the competent authority (in this case, Durham County Council) is satisfied that there will be no adverse effect on the integrity of the relevant sites.
This Interim HRA Screening Report documents the initial screening of the Issues and Options stage of the Core Strategy and provides an update on any new policies/ strategies, as presented in the Policy Directions paper, that will require appropriate assessment. As such, this report identifies which policies or allocations within the Core Strategy (at this stage) are likely to have a significant impact on Natura 2000 sites; and therefore required further detailed assessment. However, at this stage it is not possible to conclude whether or not the Core Strategy will have significant effects on Natura 2000 sites identified within this report. Further evidence and iterative assessment will be required to establish impact as the preferred option policies come forward.
How do I download a copy of this report?
On our supporting document section below you can download a copy of this report.
