Brailes is located approximately 22km south east of Stratford-upon-Avon. The majority of the Parish lies within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) a nationally designated landscape in recognition of its natural beauty and scenic qualities.
Lepus was appointed to support the Brailes Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) Steering Group throughout the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. The first stage was to screen the NDP for likely significant effects on the local environment. Of particular importance were potential impacts on the character and setting of the AONB. Following screening, Lepus prepared a SEA scoping report which identified key local issues from which a SEA Framework was developed with landscape being a key focus.
The SEA continued alongside the plan-making process during which we assessed a range of potential development site options and policies against the SEA Framework. The output of our assessments helped the NDP Steering Group with their selection of sites and to develop policies that would minimise adverse impacts on the environment, in particular on sensitive landscape receptors. The Brailes NDP was examined by an independent inspector between March and May 2019 and adopted by the District Council as part of the Local Plan.