Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important technique, or process for ensuring that the likely environmental effects of a new development are fully understood and considered prior to the development being built. EIA can be considered to be an important environmental management tool, which can then become a key element in an environmental management programme.
The EIA process should start early on in the planning stages of a project. Initially discussions should be held with the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine if an EIA is needed, this is known as a ‘Screening Opinion’. Should an Environmental Impact Assessment be required further consultation with the LPA will be required to determine the scope (known as a ‘Scoping Request’) of the EIA. The aim of the scoping request is to narrow the EIA to the most significant impacts of a development and defines those areas to be studied.
Environmental Compliance’s team of specialist consultants have vast experience in preparing numerous EIA’s for a range of sectors including energy from waste energy schemes, housing development, road improvement schemes and other industrial developments. We can provide the following services to assist our clients through the EIA process:-
- preparation of Screening Opinions;
- preparation of Scoping Opinions;
- preparation of Environmental Statements (ES) (as ES is the statement of environmental information which the developer must submit with a planning application, this is best thought of as a report on the EIA process);
- technical review of technology options for developments;
- liaison with the LPA, other relevant Regulatory Authorities and the community;
- presentations of the development at planning committee stage.