SPPS Strategic Planning Policy Statement Edition 2 (December 2025)·Page 78·6.177
Appropriate Assessment Requirements
Where a development is likely to have a significant effect on a European or Ramsar site, the planning authority must carry out an appropriate assessment of implications for the site's conservation objectives before permission can be granted with mitigation measures.
Where a development proposal is likely to have a significant effect (either alone or in combination) or reasonable scientific doubt remains, the planning authority is required by law to carry out an appropriate assessment of the implications for the site in view of the site's conservation objectives. Only after having ascertained that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the site, can the planning authority agree to the development and impose appropriate mitigation measures in the form of planning conditions.
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