Why alternative locations for additional container capacity were not identified in the National Planning Framework for Scotland 2 Strategic…

The candidate national developments considered in the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the National Planning Framework 2 were proposals put forward by stakeholders which were sufficiently specified to allow a meaningful assessment to be undertaken. Elements of several of these proposals addressed the provision of additional container capacity. Guidance on SEA states that artificially constructed alternatives are unlikely to be reasonable for the purposes of assessment, as in most cases there would be no prospect of delivery.
The National Planning Framework 2 Environmental Report and associated annexes are available on the Scottish Government''s website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/planning/National-Planning-Policy/themes/npf.