Appendix Seven: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Sustainability Appraisal of District Council Action Plan Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley July 2007 1 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................ 3 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 6 1.1 District Council Action Plans..................................................................................................6 1.2 Aim of the Sustainability Appraisal........................................................................................7 1.3 Focus of the Sustainability Appraisal....................................................................................7 2. METHODOLOGY................................................................................................ 7 3. SCOPING PHASE .............................................................................................. 8 3.1 Literature review.......................................................................................................................8 3.2 Baseline data and information................................................................................................8 3.3 Initial Scoping Scores............................................................................................................12 3.4 Interview Data and Information.............................................................................................13 3.5 The Next Stage........................................................................................................................13 4. SA FRAMEWORK AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA........................................ 13 4.1 Sustainability Appraisal Themed Objectives and Sub-objectives....................................13 5. DETAILED SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL.................................................... 16 5.1 Summary of the Sustainability Appraisal Results..............................................................16 5.2 Summary of Mitigation proposed within each Theme........................................................22 6. CONCLUSION.................................................................................................. 25 APPENDIX 1: RESULTS OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW AND KEY REFERENCES ............................................................................ 26 APPENDIX 2: BASELINE DATA........................................................................ 55 APPENDIX 3: OUTPUTS FROM THE TOOLKIT ............................................... 70 APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITHIN EACH THEME/SUB THEME75 APPENDIX 5: RESULTS OF THE DETAILED SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL79 2 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley Executive Summary This report details the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) that was undertaken on the District Council Action Plan for municipal waste management services in Knowsley. The District Council Action Plans (DCAPs) were developed in early 2006 to set out the actions anticipated by each District Council within the Merseyside Waste Partnership (MWP) in order to deliver the targets and policies of the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS), published in 2005. This Strategy is currently being updated. The authorities comprising the MWP are committed to delivering sustainable solutions in their activities and incorporating sustainable development within core policies and strategies. To demonstrate this commitment to delivering sustainable solutions, an SA has been carried out on the updated draft JMWMS and each of the DCAPs within the MWP. The aim of the SA is to ensure that the JMWMS and associated DCAPs contribute positively to sustainable development by integrating social, economic and environmental considerations into the decision making process. It provides a mechanism for ensuring that sustainability ideals and objectives are effectively translated into sustainable policies and strategies. In order to evaluate the sustainability of the DCAP several processes were undertaken including the following key phases of work:- • A baseline review of relevant data for Knowsley; • A review of plans, strategies, policies and other key documents relating to sustainable development and the waste management service for Knowsley and also at MWP, regional and national levels; • Determination and agreement of SA criteria; • A scoping exercise to determine overview performance against SA criteria; • Meeting with key officers (Waste & Sustainability representatives) from Knowsley to discuss outputs from the scoping exercise, seek any further information / policies, validate the findings and fill any gaps in data; • Detailed SA against criteria within a scoring matrix accommodating the likely impacts, mitigation, duration of impact and area of impact (e.g. local, regional, national etc); and • Production of a detailed report. Key Findings of the SA for the Knowsley DCAP include:- Impact on Climate Change The DCAP makes a significant contribution to reducing the impact of the waste management service, in terms of reducing greenhouse emissions, predominantly through diversion of waste from landfill and proactive organic municipal waste management. Knowsley is developing its service and rounds to optimise efficient collection thereby reducing emissions and continually exploring ways to improve the service it delivers in a bid to reduce landfill and raise awareness of climate change issues. Developing Sustainable Waste Management Clearly a prime function of the DCAP is to deliver more sustainable management of waste and the action plan includes a variety of measures to positively move towards this goal including waste prevention, reuse, recycling and composting activity. A key focus of the Authority is also in improved education and awareness raising, linking waste management and other environmental agendas. Promoting Sustainable Living 3 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley The DCAP provides the opportunity for all sectors of society to make a positive contribution to sustainable development and sustainable living through participation in more sustainable management of waste. The DCAP seeks to provide an improved recycling / composting kerbside service to all residents and therefore be inclusive in participation for the benefit of the local economy and to benefit the environment. Improving and Enhancing Local Environmental Quality The DCAP will have a positive effect with regard to improving and enhancing local environmental quality through the development of convenient comprehensive collection systems. Knowsley is using education and also enforcement measures to encourage participation in the services provided and recent changes to the service (e.g. replacing sacks with wheeled bins) will increase the ease of use of the service. Significant resources have been applied to tackling litter and fly-tipping issues which will also improve the local environmental quality of the Authority. Promoting and Developing Sustainable Economic Growth The DCAP will have a minor positive impact with regard to improving the local and regional economy through development of secondary resources (recyclables, compost), and potentially increased employment opportunities through collection services, education and enforcement. Most notably Knowsley has demonstrated proactive involvement with the third sector in supporting waste management service delivery. Develop and Enhance Skills and Access to Training The upskilling of the waste management service is a feature of increased legislation and more diverse requirements placed upon collection crew, officers and waste treatment staff as the service moves towards a more resource orientated system. The DCAP supports this and currently staff receive basic training in aspects such as communication and enforcement, but there is the opportunity for further development. Promote and Develop more Sustainable Approaches to Transport and Travel The DCAP is considered to have a minor positive improvement in this area through work in Knowsley to improve and optimise collections rounds to be the most efficient. The authority is investigating bio fuel as an option in joint procurement initiatives with low emission forming part of the specification for procurement of vehicles. The key aspect of transport will be the location and proximity of treatment facilities for which the details are not currently available for consideration. Protect, Manage and Enhance Biodiversity and Local Landscape Character The DCAP is considered to have a minor positive impact on this area, indirectly through the use of waste derived compost to replace peat extraction, avoidance of land intensive landfill operations and remediation of closed landfills. However it should be noted that protecting biodiversity from waste infrastructure development is a function of the planning and permitting system, not the DCAP. Establish and Promote Sustainable Use of Natural Resources The DCAP, through development of secondary resources (compost and recyclables) contributes to conservation and sustainable treatment of natural resources. The focus on waste prevention attempts to reduce the need for primary resource use and consumption patterns, although this work is at a relatively early stage. The DCAP may be considered to have a minor positive impact on promoting sustainable use of natural resources. 4 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley Protect Places of Historic, Cultural and Archaeological Value The DCAP has a neutral effect on the built environment in terms of cultural / archaeological protection. Improvement of emissions from vehicles will have a minor positive effect, however the key aspect is the location and design of Recycling / Composting / Treatment / Disposal facilities, and the details and siting of such facilities are governed by planning and permitting regimes. A summary of the overall scores awarded for each theme is given below: Theme Positive Neutral Negative Theme 1: Climate Change (cid:51) Theme 2: Waste (cid:51) Theme 3: Sustainable Communities (cid:51) Theme 4: Local Environment Quality (cid:51) (LEQ) Theme 5: Economics (cid:51) Theme 6: Skills and Behaviour (cid:51) Theme 7: Transport (cid:51) Theme 8: Biodiversity (cid:51) Theme 9: Natural Resources (cid:51) Theme 10: Buildings and Heritage (cid:51) To conclude, the Knowsley DCAP performs positively in the SA. There are several initiatives currently being undertaken or developed by the authority which contribute to the sustainability of the Action Plan. A number of recommendations are made within this Appraisal to consider in mitigation of potential impacts of the DCAP and associated service delivery. These items are included in the body of the report and individually specified in Appendix 5. 5 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley 1. Introduction This document represents the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the District Council Action Plan (DCAP) for Knowsley. 1.1 District Council Action Plans In 2005 the Merseyside Waste Partnership (MWP) developed the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) which sets out the policies and targets to deliver the national, regional and local objectives and requirements for the management of municipal waste on Merseyside, and provides a strategic focus for waste management activities1. The DCAPs are the implementation and monitoring tool for the delivery of the targets within the headline strategy. They represent the delivery mechanism ascribing responsibilities, interim targets, and performance aims in order to meet aims and objectives set out within the JMWMS, which are: JMWMS Strategic Aim Objectives To improve the sustainability • To provide services or facilities which directly contribute to of municipal waste produced the implementation of the JMWMS on Merseyside using the • To optimise reduction waste hierarchy • To optimise reuse where reduction is not possible • To optimise waste recycling and composting where reuse is not possible • To optimise waste recovery where actions higher up the waste hierarchy are not practicable • To landfill waste only where actions higher up the waste hierarchy are not possible To continuously improve the • MWDA to lead in the development of a JMWMS for services we provide in terms Merseyside of efficiency, effectiveness • To deliver waste services to the required performance levels and economy Each of the authorities within the MWP has produced a DCAP which clearly identifies the current operational practices and intentions of the authorities to develop the service over the short to medium term, within the context of delivering the JMWMS. Their effectiveness can be assessed against the delivery of the aims and objectives of the JMWMS identified above, and also in the context of the key collection recommendations: Key recommendations in relation to kerbside collection: 1. All Districts to move towards the separate collection of dry recyclables, biodegradable waste and residual waste using kerbside sort or wheeled bin collection systems by 2010; 2. All Districts to maximise garden waste and paper collections; 3. All Districts to collect recyclables as often as possible and move towards fortnightly residual waste collections by 2010; and 4. All Districts to move to the kerbside collection of food waste by 2010. Key recommendation in relation to bring collection 5. Every District to optimise its Bring Bank locations across Merseyside to an optimum saturation rate of one per 1000 population. 1 The JMWMS is currently being updated to ensure it reflects present data and information with regard to waste arisings, performance, key MWDA/Partnership projects, and reflects the procurement process currently underway with regard to further developing new more sustainable options to manage Merseyside’s waste. In addition the update ensures policies, options and actions are deliverable, challenging and sustainable and give regard to the ever-changing and evolving local, regional, national and European waste and resource management agenda. 6 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley 1.2 Aim of the Sustainability Appraisal Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) is committed to delivering sustainable solutions in all its activities and incorporating sustainable development within its core policies and strategies; waste management is no exception. To demonstrate this commitment to delivering sustainable solutions an SA has been carried out on the updated JMWMS and each of the DCAPs within the MWP. The aim of the SA is to ensure that the JMWMS and associated DCAPs contribute positively to sustainable development by integrating social, economic, and environmental considerations into the decision making process. It provides a mechanism for ensuring that sustainability ideals and objectives are effectively translated into sustainable policies and strategies. 1.3 Focus of the Sustainability Appraisal This SA is based primarily on the Knowlsey Council Waste Collection Action Plan (DCAP for Knowsley) produced in January 2006. In addition, the following supporting information was used during the appraisal process: • Intelligence Table (produced 27/02/07 by MWDA); • Results of a structured interview carried out with Rupert Casey, Head of sustainable Resources, Knowsley Council and John Dyson, Waste Manager, Knowsley Council, on 19th June 2007; and • Local reference material (refer to appendix 1). 2. Methodology The methodology adopted to undertake this Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is the same approach used to appraise the Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS)2. The method has been built on good practice and expertise held internally by BeEnvironmental and in consultation with the Merseyside Waste Partnership (MWP), accessing systems and expertise within the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA). Specifically, the framework developed for the SA of the JMWMS, based on the North West Integrated Appraisal Toolkit3, has been utilised for this appraisal. In summary the following structured approach was undertaken: Stage 1: Scoping phase This consisted of: • A full literature review of appropriate local level documents, reports, policies, strategies, identifying links with other programmes and sustainability objectives which should be taken into consideration when evaluating the impact or effect of the DCAP; • Collation of baseline data and information in relation to Knowsley; and • An initial appraisal of the DCAP to award provisional scores and identify specific issues/questions to raise with the District at interview. Stage 2: Confirm the final framework and assessment criteria This consisted of: • Reviewing the outputs from the initial appraisal completed using the toolkit and ensuring that a comprehensive set of themed objectives and sub-objectives were identified for the detailed appraisal; • Confirming the detailed scoring criteria for the full appraisal; and • Compiling the matrix for recording the information. 2 A separate report has been produced on the SA of the JMWMS and detail is provided in that report on the selection of the methodology. 3 This toolkit was commissioned by the North West Regional Assembly and regional partners including North West Development Agency and Government Office North West, to provide support and guidance and ensure a structured approach is undertaken in relation to sustainability appraisals. 7 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley Stage 3: Undertake the detailed Sustainability Appraisal This consisted of: • Scoring the key policies, options, and statements of the DCAP using the framework and criteria agreed and recording the outputs in the matrix; • Recording key references, where available, supporting the evaluation of each objective/sub-objective; and • Identifying mitigating factors in relation to each objective/sub-objective. Stage 4: Reporting the outputs This consisted of: • Producing a detailed report which presented the outputs from all stages of the SA. 3. Scoping Phase 3.1 Literature review A full literature review was undertaken of local level (Knowsley) documentation, reports, plans, policies, strategies and programmes and sustainability objectives which are relevant to the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and need to be taken into consideration when evaluating the impact of the District Council Action Plan (DCAP). A brief resume of the literature was recorded and the relevant SA theme was noted. This information was then added to the relevant literature reviewed from the region and the partnership and full details can be found in Appendix 1. 3.2 Baseline data and information A wide range of references and source material was used for the collation of baseline data and information. Full details of baseline data and information in relation to Knowsley can be found in Appendix 2, however a summary is provided below. 3.2.1 Summary of baseline data and information Geographical Location Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council runs linearly North to South down the centre of Merseyside. It covers 86.46 km2 and is bordered to the East by St Helens, to the West by Liverpool, the North by Sefton and to the South by Halton. The main towns in Knowsley are Kirkby to the North, and Prescot and Huyton in the centre (to the East and West respectively). Population4 Knowsley has a population of 150,459; this is predicted to be declining by around 0.09% (average annual decrease between 2004 and 2029). This is counter to the trend across Merseyside and the North West region of an increasing population. The average age of the Knowsley population is 36.96, in line with the regional average of 38.61. Over 97% of the population is white British with ethnic minority groups making up less than 3%.The population density of the borough is 17.4 people per hectare and two thirds of the borough is green belt. Housing The housing in Knowsley is predominantly semi-detached and terraced housing, making up 39.3% and 37.1% respectively. This is slightly higher than the regional average of 36.6% and 31.8%. This difference can be accounted for by the lower number of detached houses in the borough, making up only 11.6% compared to a North West regional average of 17.6%. 4 www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk 8 Sustainability Appraisal of the District Council Action Plan for Knowsley 21.8% of houses in Knowsley are owned by the householder through a mortgage or loan compared to a North West regional average of 29.8%. This difference is largely accounted for in the number of people renting from the councils which stands at 24.9% in Knowsley and only 13.6% region wide. The rest of the houses are rented from the housing association/registered social landlord or privately rented or rented by another means. In terms of value, over half the houses, 59.6%, are in the lowest council tax band compared to a regional average of 43.5%. A further one third of the houses in the borough fall into the next two council tax bands with less than 3% of house being classed in council tax band E or above. This is much lower than the regional average for all council tax bands apart from council tax band B which is just under 18% both locally and regionally. Social Deprivation5 The indices of deprivation score placed Knowsley as the 3rd most deprived borough nationally, with an average score of 46.57. 41.8% of the households in Knowsley do not have a car, much higher than the national average of 26.8%. Health6 Life expectancy in Knowsley, as in the rest of Merseyside, follows the regional trend of falling below the national average for both men (by 2.95 years) and women (by 2.71 years). Although two thirds of the population in Knowsley are classed in good health, nearly half all households (46.67%) have a person with limiting long term illness. This is over 10% higher than the national average. The teenage conception rate per 1000 is 50 in Knowsley compared to the regional figure of 45.6 and national figure of 41.5. This is the highest rate in the Merseyside area. There is also a high level of households with dependent children and no adult in employment; 11.1%, which is over double the national figure of 4.8% and is also the highest in Merseyside. Crime7 Crime in Knowsley has been consistently above the national average in terms of the number of offences per 1000 population. Employment and Education8 The unemployment rate in Knowsley is 8.1%; higher than the national average of 4.4%. Employment stands at around 49%, mostly accounted for in the manufacturing and retail sector followed closely by those working in the health services. 12.2% of the population are classed as long term sick and/or disabled, twice the national average. Knowsley also has high levels of unqualified residents; 43% compared to 29.1% nationally. 9% of the population is Knowsley are qualified to degree level or above; this is much lower than the national average of 19.8%. The skills for life survey, commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills, aimed to establish a stronger evidence base to underpin the Skills for Life Strategy. Detailed results for the Merseyside and Knowsley region are in Appendix 2. Literacy levels in Knowsley are below that of the region and the authority follows the Merseyside trend of having lower levels of numeracy and information communication technology knowledge than the regional average. 5 Ref: www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk; http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1128440; The indices of deprivation 2004, 6 Ref: www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk 7 Ref: www.crimestatistics.org.uk, www.neighbourhood.statisctics.gov.uk, 8 Ref: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Corporate Assessment, December 2004; Audit Commission; www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk; www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus_skillsforlifesurvey/gors/gor_B.shtml 9