E.9: Reviewing the Environmental Statement

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Key Stages and Steps in the EIA Process
Stage 1: Before Submission of the Environmental Statement
  • Deciding whether EIA is required
  • Requiring submission of an Environmental Statement
  • Preliminary Contacts and Liaison
  • Scoping the Environmental Statement
  • Information Collection
  • Describing Baseline Environmental Information
  • Predicting Environmental Impacts
  • Assessing the Significance of Impacts
  • Mitigation Measures and Enhancement
  • Presenting Environmental Information in the Environmental Statement
Stage 2: Submission of Environmental Statement and Consideration of Environmental Information
  • Submission of Environmental Statement and Project Application for consent
  • Consultation and Publicity
  • Requiring more Information
  • Negotiating modifications to the Project
  • Considering the Environmental Information
Stage 3: Making the Decision
  • Making the Decision
  • Guaranteeing compliance
Stage 4: Implementation
  • Implementation of mitigation and compensation measures
  • Monitoring
  • Review, reassessment and remedial measures
  • Reporting

[See Also Figure 2, Sections C.2, C.3, E.10, F.1, F.2, F.3 and F.4, Case Studies 2, 3 and 5 and Appendices 1 - 8, especially Appendix 6]

SNH's Role

E.9.1

SNH will review the Statement and comment on the application for the proposal. SNH may also be asked to help the Competent Authority to assess the adequacy and conclusions of the Environmental Statement in respect of the natural heritage.

Statutory Provisions

E.9.2

The Competent Authority has a statutory duty to consider the environmental information before granting consent to any project subject to the EIA process. SNH should advise the Competent Authority on matters affecting the natural heritage.

The Review Package

E.9.3

Appendix 6 of this Handbook provides an EIA Case Log and Environmental Statement Review Package to assist SNH staff in their responses to competent authorities. The use of the package and log is not mandatory but it is strongly recommended and would be very helpful to SNH because it would aid consistency of approach and help to build a valuable record of SNH’s EIA involvement.

E.9.4

The intention is that SNH staff will take a copy of the Case Log and Review package, using Appendix 6 as a master copy, and then use the copy to complete the process on a case by case basis.

E.9.5

The review system is specifically designed for SNH use, in the context of actual case work and SNH’s involvement. It is intended to take less time and be less sophisticated and less repetitive than other methods, whilst ensuring that the products of the review are directly transferable into SNH letters of response to Competent Authorities.

E.9.6

The review system works at different stages. The review in Part 2 is intended to be done quickly to help scope a document or to comment on an early or partial draft. The review in Part 3 can be done more thoroughly, in response either to a full draft or to the statutory consultation. It needs to be used in conjunction with the general advice and guidance in this Handbook and its other Appendices, which provide more detailed guidance on EIA techniques specific to the main subject areas of SNH’s remit. For planning matters, the Local Authorities Handbook should also be used for guidance.

E.9.7

Comments on the value and utility of the Case Log and Review Package would be welcome so that they may be adapted in future updates of the Handbook. Please send your comments to your planning adviser.

E.9.8

PAN 58 provides useful guidance on this stage, paragraphs 80 - 90 discuss the process of evaluation of the Environmental Statement and its review. Annex 5 provides a checklist of "quality indicators" and 5 headings under which a Statement may be reviewed:

  1. elements of the project
  2. policy framework
  3. environmental effects
  4. mitigating measures
  5. risks and hazardous development.
E.9.9

However, these are, of course addressed to planning authorities and other practitioners and cover a much wider scope than SNH's interests. The PAN closely reflects the review approach in this handbook but it is not fully adopted here, although you may find this section of PAN 58 useful background reading at this stage in the process.