Environmental Impact Assessment

The Environmental Impact Assessment Directive on the effects of projects on the environment was first introduced in 1985 and was amended in 1997, 2003 and 2009. For any project deemed to require EIA, planning permission will only be granted subject to the satisfactory completion of an Environmental Statement.

Formal procedures are prescribed under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 1999, with updates in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011.

The Regulations are accompanied by more detailed guidance in Circular 02/99; it is likely that these will also be subject to change to take account of recent case law and requirements for public participation among other things. In addition there are several legal precedents and cases which have shaped the application and interpretation of the Directive.

An Environmental Statement is the key document for setting out the potential environmental, social and economic effects of a proposed development. It is submitted as part of the planning application for projects which meet either Schedule 1 (generally larger scale infrastructure projects) or Schedule 2 criteria (smaller projects which due to their size and scale still require EIA).

To find out if a project requires EIA, the process of screening is undertaken. Screening considers the size, nature and location of the development.

Following an affirmative screening conclusion, a scoping report is prepared to identify the key likely effects. Scoping will identify those environmental issues that are deemed relevant to the EIA. Significantly, the scoping process also identifies those issues that are deemed not relevant which mean they do not require further examination and assessment.

UE Associates staff have played central roles in the co-ordination of several EIA projects over the years. Through our work with public and private sector organisations, and links with statutory bodies, we are ideally placed to deliver cost effective and robust solutions, from screening through scoping to coordination of complete Environmental Statements.

Our EIA capabilities include:

• Screening opinions
• Scoping reports and collation of environmental baseline data
• Baseline trend analysis
• Ecological Impacts Assessments and surveys
• Geographic Information Systems and cartography
• Coordination of a team of EIA practitioners
• Chapter review and standardisation
• Alternatives to scheme design
• Design of avoidance measures
• Mitigation and sustainability advice
• Quality Assurance
• Expert Witness
• Capacity building