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Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process must be followed in order to obtain planning permission where a development may potentially give rise to significant impacts. EIA development includes roads, railways and airports and various types of industrial installation, amongst others. Where it is not clear if a scheme is an EIA development, developers can use ‘screening’ provisions to determine, at an early stage, whether an EIA is required. If an EIA is necessary, ‘scoping’ provisions can be used to determine the scope and methodology of the study – thereby avoiding unnecessary work. The EIA process normally follows a series of well defined steps:
- defining the assessment methodology and assessment (evaluative) criteria;
- establishing the baseline;
- consideration of the main alternatives;
- prediction of significant effects (positive and negative, direct and indirect, secondary, cumulative, short, medium and long-term, permanent and temporary);
- measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and, where possible, offset any significant adverse effects on the environment;
- schedule of significant effects; and
- production of the ‘Environmental Statement’ and a ‘Non-technical Summary’.
Consultation is mandatory and effective stakeholder participation can help to build confidence and reach agreement, thereby minimising risk to the project.
Our senior team members are specialists in EIA and have a wealth of experience. We have a successful track record in EIA and have worked on a wide range of such projects. Our personnel have helped to shape best practice in noise impact assessment and have contributed to a number of guidance documents, standards and have published a number of papers on the subject.
- ARM Environment is part of a group of specialists that can offer a full EIA service from initial appraisal through to completion of the Environmental Statement;
- Alternatively, we can provide specialist noise and vibration services to support the EIA team;
- Review of Environmental Statements for legal soundness whether they comply with relevant guidance;
- Training;
- Research.
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