Sustainability Appraisal of the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and North East Cambridge Area Action Plan

South Cambridgeshire District Council is seeking consultants to carry out Sustainability Appraisal at each stage during the plan making process for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan and North East Cambridge Area Action Plan.

The Sustainability Appraisal must provide a clear audit trail of decision making, how options were identified, assessed, and policies and sites selected and rejected, demonstrating how the Sustainability Appraisal process has engaged with and influenced the Plan's development. The process and final reports must meet the requirements for Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal, as required by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the European Directive 2001/42/EC (the Strategic Environmental Assessment or SEA Directive), Statutory Instrument 2004 No. 1633: The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004.

The Councils are seeking to work with a contractor who can demonstrate a high level of knowledge and practical experience of sustainability appraisal of development plan making, and who can work flexibly and cooperatively with the Greater Cambridge Planning Policy Team.

This work forms part of the Councils' plan making process. The contractor must demonstrate in writing that they have no conflicts of interest in respect of work being sought that cannot be effectively mitigated.

Detailed proposals are now invited from consultants.