Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

The process of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the context of planning in England is complex. It is governed by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017.

The aim of Environmental Impact Assessment is to protect the environment by ensuring that a project, which is likely to have significant effects on the environment, does so in the full knowledge of the likely impact both before, and after mitigation. A completed EIA will be taken into account in the decision making process. It also ensures that the public are given early and effective opportunity to participate in the decision making procedures.

The regulations set out a procedure for identifying those projects which should be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment, and for assessing, consulting and coming to a decision on those projects which are likely to have significant environmental effects. There are 5 broad stages to the process:

1. EIA Screening
2. EIA Scoping
3. Preparing an Environmental Statement
4. Making a planning application and consultation
5. Decision making

CSJ Planning regularly advise on all of the above. We initiate EIA scopings and can provide the necessary professional input required for the EIA stages set out above. We coordinate consultants and manage the production of the necessary documentation, including production of Screening and Scoping Reports and the preparation of EIA non-technical summaries.

If you wish to discuss anything related to the above, please get in contact with us via the contact details provided below.