Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Consultancy

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a procedure required for certain types of project before they can be given planning consent. EIA enables environmental factors to be given due weight, along with economic or social factors, when planning applications are being considered and it helps to promote a sustainable pattern of physical development in cities, towns and the countryside.

The Environmental Academy has experience with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) services throughout the UK and internationally. We have a lot of experience in environmental impact assessments, working as a multi-disciplinary team and negotiating between conservation agencies, statutory bodies and developers. Other major projects we have worked on include a habitat creation scheme for the Cardiff Bay barrage, colliery reclamation sites, and leisure development at Scarborough’s North Bay.

Which Projects Require EIA? (within the UK)

EIA Consultancy Not all proposed developments will require EIA - the 1999 Regulations provide two separate lists which define the types of project to which EIA is likely to apply:

– ‘Schedule 1 projects’, for which EIA is required in every case, because by their scale and nature such projects are always likely to cause significant effects (e.g. construction of motorways).

– ‘Schedule 2 projects'’ for which EIA is required only if the project is judged likely to give rise to significant environmental effects. Size thresholds and location criteria are used to decide whether a project will require EIA; an example may be a golf course where the development area exceeds 1 ha and the site encompasses an Ancient Monument.

EIA Regulations are Changing

The Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations are changing in England and Wales.

These new 2011 Regulations will replace the Town & Country Planning (EIA) (England & Wales) Regulations 1999 and the various amendments to these regulations when they come into force on 24th August. New guidance will be released shortly after the release by the Communities and Local Government Department but the changes include new additions to the Schedule 1 and 2 projects including gas storage and transportation projects, greater clarity on the Screening Process, right of challenge by a third party and requirements for Local Authorities to advertise their reasoning on Screening decisions and how extensions may now require EIA under the Baker ruling.

The training will summarise the changes to the Regulations and how this may affect your clients or proposed developments in your area.

EIA and Planning Procedures

Where EIA is necessary, a developer must compile a report known as an Environmental Statement (ES) describing the likely significant effects of the project on the environment, and detailing measures required to mitigate any adverse effects. The ES must be submitted with the planning application, and its contents, together with any comments from consultees, will be considered by the planning authority in deciding whether to grant planning consent.

EIA Training

The Environmental Academy provides the following EIA based courses: