Tool summary

Name of the tool
Cardiff County Council Sustainability Appraisal Matrix

Description of the tool
The matrix has been developed by CCC as a method of assessment for projects, plans and strategies for their impacts, whether positive or negative, on sustainable development. The matrix was designed to help integrate sustainable decision making practice into the council, and is arranged around the three key themes of sustainable development:
• Effective protection of the environment and prudent use of natural resources,
• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone,
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth.

The matrix is a checklist of 24 main items with sub-items within them relating to the above key themes such as reducing natural resource consumption - limit use of non-renewable resources (gas, minerals), identify opportunities to use recycled or reused materials, commit to using sustainable local timber sources. Completion involves scoring each item relating to the expected effect of plan/proposal as definite negative, possible negative, neutral, possible positive, definite positive and there is also the opportunity to add comments.

The matrix is designed to help with:
• Report writing;
• Contract development and assessment;
• Project appraisal;
• Grant application assessment;
• Service statement preparation;
• Policy and programme development and review.

Specific topic
The impacts of projects, plans and strategies on sustainable development.

Sector/s of use

Waste	Energy	Water	Transport	Green/Blue	Building & Land use
1	1	1	1	1	M

M - main sector, 1 - sub sector and 0 - n/a

Scale of applications

Component	Building	Neighbourhood	City	Region
0	0	1	1	0