Castle Point Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment Scoping Report

Overview

In preparing the Castle Point Plan the Council must ensure that the proposals it sets out will not cause harm to the integrity of Habitats Sites. 

Habitats Sites are those sites which are designated under the Habitats Regulations, and locally include the Benfleet and Southend Marshes Special Protection Area. 

The Habitats Regulations Assessment Scoping Report identifies the sites that may be impacted by proposal in the Castle Point Plan, their vulnerabilities and the likely sources of harm to these sites based on those vulnerabilities. This provides a framework for assessing the potential for harm to arise from policies or allocations in the Castle Point Plan which may affect the integrity of Habitats Sites.

Why your views matter

By consulting on the scope for the Habitats Regulations Assessment now, we aim to ensure that Assessment of the Castle Point Plan that will take place in the autumn is as complete and robust as possible.

By participating now, consultees can ensure that we have identified all the relevant sites, all the possible vulnerabilities and all the potential sources of harm that may arise through a plan such as the Castle Point Plan.

What happens next

All the comments received on the Habitat Regulations Scoping Report will be used update the scope of the Habitats Regulations Assessment as appropriate.

A Habitats Regulations Assessment will then be carried out on the emerging Castle Point Plan to ensure that any impacts on the Integrity of Habitats Sites is avoided or fully managed and mitigated. 

A Habitats Reguations Assessment Report will accompany the Castle Point Plan submitted for examination. Comments on the Habitats Regulations Assessment itself will be invited at the same time as the Castle Point Plan is published.