Two of LUC’s Planning Directors, Jeremy Owen and Taran Livingston, have joined a number of other consultants in issuing a robust response to criticisms of Sustainability Appraisal (SA)/Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in a report by the Local Plan Expert Group (LPEG) to Government on Local Plans.

The consultants strongly defend the role and purpose of SA/SEA in good plan making and in achieving sustainable plans, and put forward evidence to support this view.

However, they acknowledge there is scope for improvement, and proposed their own recommendations of how these might be achieved.

By sharing this jointly prepared statement, the consultants hope that those with a responsibility for plan making will take notice and guard against diluting the safeguards introduced by SA/SEA for delivering truly sustainable development through the planning system.

More information here.