Strategic Environmental Assessment of Local Transport Plans
What is Strategic Environmental Assessment of LTPs for?
SEA is a way to provide for a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans and programmes with a view to promoting sustainable development. SEA is intended to ensure that environmental matters are considered alongside social and economic matters in the preparation of the LTP.
What Natural England environmental interests are affected by LTP?
Our role as statutory consultee is governed by the nature of our environmental interests. The extent of our environmental interests relate to:
- Landscape character and tranquillity.
- Visual amenity and enjoyment of the countryside as a whole.
- Recreational opportunities
- Enjoyment of access land or public right of way.
Where LTPs are concerned, we will comment on the accompanying SEA only in so far as it affects these environmental interests. On receiving a consultation, our question will be: "will this LTP have a significant effect on the landscape or the enjoyment of it through access?"
The kind of impacts that the LTP may have on our interests include:
- Landscape degraded by traffic, congestion, air quality, noise, visual intrusion, landscape erosion or areas where, on current transport trends, there is likely to be a further significant loss of landscape character or quality.
- Areas where transport has had or is likely to have a significant impact on the landscape or people's enjoyment of it;
- Part of a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Heritage Coast where landscape character or quality is being eroded because of changing transport impacts.
- Transport problems affecting the enjoyment of National Trails, other long distance recreation routes and major countryside recreation sites on rural tourism locations;
- Traffic congestion, air quality, noise, visual intrusion, landscape erosion or other problems in and around sites in the countryside under significant visitor pressure.
- Where quality of life, including economic and social well being, is significantly affected by the environmental problems set out above.
