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Southwest Environmental Limited can conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on your behalf. EIA is a procedure that must be followed for certain types of development before they are granted development consent. The product of Environmental Impact Assessment is an Environmental Statement that is submitted to local authorities. We can provide report as PDF or Web Published Environmental Impact Assessments.
The requirement for Environmental Impact Assessment comes from a European Directive (85/33/EEC as amended by 97/11/EC). The procedure requires the developer to compile an Environmental Statement (ES) describing the likely significant effects of the development on the environment and proposed mitigation measures.
The ES must be circulated to statutory consultation bodies and made available to the public for comment. Its contents, together with any comments, must be taken into account by the competent authority (eg local planning authority) before it may grant consent.
There are seven key areas that an Environmental Impact Assessment focuses on:
1. Description of the project
2. Alternatives that have been considered
3. Description of the environment
4. Description of the significant effects on the environment
5. Mitigation
6. Non-technical summary (EIS)
7. Lack of know-how/technical difficulties
Air Quality and Climate Environmental Impact Assessment
Atmospheric Modelling Services
Costal Ecology and Geomorphology Environmental Impact Assessment
Ecology Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental Impact Assessment for Wind Turbines
Heritage Environmental Impact Assessment
Noise Environmental Impact Assessment
Socio Economic Environmental Impact Assessment
Soils, Geology and Geomorphology Environmental Impact Assessment
Transport Environmental Impact Assessment
Visual and Landscape Environmental Impact Assessment
W
Water Environmental Impact Assessment
Web Published Environmental Impact Assessment (HTML)
You can scroll through the FAQs below, or you can use links to skip to the chosen question:
You may be asked to provide an environmental statement in advance of being granted planning permission for a project, examples might include a single wind turbine, and wind farm or very large projects like hospitals, power stations, and housing developments.
The requirement for EIA is deduced by;
a - The type of development you propose. Schedule 1 or 2?
Thresholds are often applied using the example of flood defenses we can take guidance from Circular 2/99: Environmental Impact Assessment states that EIA shall only be required if the works area exceeds 5ha or 2 km in length.
How do I compile an Environmental Impact Assessment?
There are various elements of Environmental Impact Assessments that focus on certain areas where impact may be apparent, these include noise, visual, ecology and traffic impacts, which each require specialist attention. The processes involved are further explained in the component pages.
An Environmental Statement is the product of EIA, it is a summary and a drawing together of all the findings from the various components of impact assessment that have been carried out.
Particularly with large projects the various components of the EIA can run in to thousands of pages, it is necessary to convey the findings of these components and jointly assess their impact in a document that is practical to read, and does get bogged down in the technicalities of EIA.
SWEL can offer meet any EIA needs you may have, we are happy to discuss any aspect of your project, and can offer an all in compliance solution for all stages of your projects lifecycle.
The requirement from EIA stems from European
initiatives, and as such it is a UK wide consideration.
However, there are various special areas within the UK, where smaller
projects may require EIA, these might include;
- SSSI
- RAMSAR Wetlands
- Green Belt
- AONBs
- Forest Parks
- Marine Nature Reserves
- National Nature Reserves
- National Parks
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Special Protection Areas
It is not impossible to build within these sites just more difficult to
justify.
There are various categories of development with regards to EIA. These are split in to Schedule 1 and 2.
• Major power plants
• Chemical works
• Waste disposal incineration
• Major Roads Schemes
• Quarries and opencast
• Some intensive livestock rearing
• Overhead transmission lines
Whether or not you development is schedule 1 or not is fairly
clear cut. Schedules 2 are not as clearly defined, they rely on siting and
size;For developments of a smaller scale located
wholly or partly in environmentally sensitive locations where their
effects are significant; in certain cases, other areas subject to
environmentally-based statutory or non-statutory designations not
included in the definition of “sensitive area” may also be relevant in
determining whether EIA is required; urban locations may also be
considered sensitive as effects on a densely populated area may be
significant;
and
"For developments with unusually complex and potentially hazardous
environmental effects where expert and detailed analysis of such effects
would be desirable and would be relevant to the issue of whether or not
the development should be allowed."
SWEL will travel anywhere in the UK to undertake an environmental impact assessment or any single elements, with offices in London, Bristol and Exeter we are best placed to serve the south west UK.
Please contact us for a free initial consultation.
Updates to the Planning Practice Guidance suggests the following environmental impact assessment elements are necessary for planning applications that include wind turbines.
Noise Impact Assessment
Ecology Impact Assessment
Heritage Impact Assessment
Cumulative Visual and Landscape Impact Assessment
What is cumulative impact? This is explored in greater depth on our Visual Impact Assessment Page.
Environmental Impact Consultants Bristol
Environmental Impact Consultants Exeter
Environmental Impact Consultants London
Environmental Impact Consultants Edinburgh
S.D. Content
Environmental Impact Consultants
Bristol - 01173 270 092
Exeter - 01398 331 258
London - 02076 920 670