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Uttlesford Local Plan Reg 18 Evidence Base

We have gathered evidence to inform the policy documents that make up the Local Plan. The research is called the ‘evidence base’ and is located below comprising reports and studies across the different topic areas listed below.

Sustainability Appraisal

An evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of allocations and policies to assess whether they align with sustainable development objectives.

Download the Sustainability Appraisal

Download the Sustainability Appraisal Non-Technical Summary

Habitat Regulation Assessment

A study analysing the impacts of policies and site allocations on Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar sites.

Download the Habitat Regulation Assessment

Housing

This provides a new Local Housing Need for Uttlesford in 2023 based on the Standard Method, it also looks at the need for affordable housing and other specific groups, e.g. older people.

Download the Local Housing Needs Assessment

The main aim of this report is to assess sites submitted to the council under the ‘call for sites’ (April 2021) for suitability, availability, and achievability. Sites included in this report do not allocate sites for development.

Download the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment

Download Appendix 1 – Sites Pro Formas

Download Appendix 2 – Settlement Maps

Summary of Uttlesford Districts approach to selecting strategic sites for housing allocation.

Download the Housing Site Selection Topic Paper

Download the Housing Site Selection Topic Paper - Appendix A

Study that provides up to date evidence on the change in government policy and the scale of development permitted in the green belt since the 2016 green belt assessment. It also looks at opportunities to enhance the use of the Districts Green Belt land over the plan period.

Download the Green Belt Study Update

This report looks at the methodology behind the housing requirement figure for our Larger Villages.

Download the Rural Area and Large Village Housing Requirement Topic Paper

Report looking at the deliverability of sites allocated in the plan.

Download Housing Delivery

Report setting out the council’s position regarding housing supply through our strategic allocations and committed development.

Download Housing Trajectory 2021-2041

Employment

Updated report on Uttlesford’ Employment Land Needs, following the economic uncertainty in the Covid-19 pandemic, more recent monitoring data and significant recent planning commitments.

Download the Employment Needs Update

Summary of Uttlesford Districts approach to selecting strategic sites for employment allocation.

Download the Employment Site Selection Topic Paper

Retail

Assessment of trends in retail and town centre uses and retail capacity projections for the district.

Download the Retail Capacity Study Update

Climate Change

A paper assessing the options available within the local planning system in achieving net zero carbon development, to align the local plan with the councils’ objectives to achieve net zero status by 2030.

Download the Climate Change Evidence

Environmental Protection

Study on Air Quality Management Areas in Uttlesford and the impact of the allocations on them.

Download the Air Quality Management Area Assessment

Water Management

Study on the impact of the site allocations on the water cycle in the district – it focuses on Chalk Stream Protection, Water Resources and Supply, Wastewater treatment and Water quality.

Download the Water Cycle Study

Analysis of the strategic flood risk associated with our allocated sites.

Download the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment

Transport

Summary of outputs from the various transport evidence and how they can inform the local plan.

Download the Transport Evidence Topic Paper

Baseline report detailing the transport context that future housing growth will be provided, and the supporting infrastructure and services will be identified.

Download the Transport Study Baseline Assessment

Download the Settlement Model Outputs (top 2 tiers of Settlement Hierachy)

Infrastructure

Report that provides an assessment of facilities and services in each settlement in the district and provides a hierarchy order based on sustainability through access to these services and facilities.

Download the Village Facilities Study

Report that looks at the leisure and built provision in the district.

Download the Leisure and Built Facilities

Report looking at open space provision in the district.

Download the Open Space Report

Study to look at whether the development identified in the plan would be viable once the policies of the plan are applied alongside typical costs of development and national requirements.

Download the Viability Assessment

Up to date plan that identifies the existing infrastructure provision, the current shortfalls and assesses the existing and future needs to support new development and growing populations, it helps inform the new local plan and provides a snapshot in time to indicate need and identified future delivery.

Download the Infrastructure Delivery Plan

A report setting out the potential for delivering green and blue infrastructure in Uttlesford and sets out a series of strategic opportunities to enhance the network.

Includes an interactive map, providing additional information and context.

Download the Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy

Interactive mapping

Landscape and Heritage

A sense check of assessments produced in 2021-22 to assess whether the updated allocations in the local plan appropriately align with the Landscape Character Areas.

Download the Landscape Sensitivity Study

Assessment looking at the variety of landscape character areas in the district.

Download the Landscape Character Assessment

Study looking at the heritage impacts of our allocations in the plan and how they impact the sustainability appraisal.

Download the Heritage Study

Other

Report that demonstrates how Uttlesford has met its responsibility in accordance with duty to corporate, meaning that UDC has engaged with public bodies “constructively” and “actively”.

Download the Duty to Cooperate Topic Paper