Environmental Assessment Handbook

Guidance on the Environmental Impact Assessment Process

Contents

• Home
• List of Abbreviations
• List of Figures
• Part A: Introduction
• PART B: Introduction to the Environmental Impact Assessment Process
• B.1 Introduction to the EIA Process
• B.2 The Legislative Background
• B.3 The Projects that are Subject to EIA
• B.4 Criteria for Deciding Whether EIA is Required
• B.5 Provisions Introduced for Projects that Required a New Consenting Procedure
• B.6 The Contents of an Environmental Statement
• B.7 Importance of Compliance with the Directive
• PART C: SNH and the Environmental Impact Assessment Process
• C.1 Key Roles of SNH in the EIA Process
• C.2 SNH Overview of the EIA Process
• C.3 What is Significant to SNH in the EIA Process
• PART D: SNH Inputs Prior to the Submission of the Environmental Statement
• D.1 Deciding Whether EIA is Required: The Screening Process
• D.2 Requiring the Submission of an Environmental Statement
• D.3 Early Contact and Liaison
• D.4 Scoping the Environmental Statement
• D.5 Provision of Information by SNH
• D.6 Describing Baseline Natural Heritage Information
• D.7 Predicting Environmental Impacts
• D.8 Assessing the Significance of Impacts
• D.9 Mitigating Measures and Enhancement
• D.10 Presentation of Natural Heritage Information in the Environmental Statement
• PART E: Consideration of the Environmental Statement (Along with the Project Consent Application)
• E.1 Submission of Environmental Statement and Project Application Consent: The Roles of the Competent Authority, the Developer and SNH
• E.2 Consultation and Publicity
• E.3 SNH Liaison with the Competent Authority and the Developer
• E.4 Wider Consultation and Dissemination
• E.5 Transboundary Environmental Effects
• E.6 Requiring More Information or Analysis
• E.7 Requiring Modifications of the Project
• E.8 Is a Supplementary Environmental Statement Required?
• E.9 Reviewing the Environmental Statement
• E.10 Formulating The SNH Response
• E.11 Outline Planning Applications
• PART F: SNH's Role in the Decision Making Stage
• F.1 Adopting the Precautionary Principle
• F.2 Relationship of EIA with the Development Plan/Consent Procedures
• F.3 Guaranteeing Commitments and Compliance
• F.4 The Decision of the Competent Authority
• PART G: SNH's Role in Implementation and Compliance
• G.1 Implementation of Mitigation and Compensation Measures
• G.2 Monitoring Programmes
• G.3 Enforcement of Compliance
• G.4 Review and Reassessment and Remedial Programmes
• G.5 Reporting
• Annexes
• 1. Glossary
• 2. Current Legislation
• 3. Current National Policy and Guidance
• 4. Projects Requiring EIA
• 5. References and Annotated Bibliography
• 6. Historical Development of EIA in Scotland
• 7. Example of Letter Requesting Scottish Ministers to Require an Environmental Statement
• 8. Further Guidance and Examples of Letters Relating to projects proposing to use uncultivated land or semi-natural areas for intensive agriculture and SSSI
• 9. List of Principal Legal Cases Referred to
• Case Studies And Examples
• 1 The Scotland - Eire Gas Interconnector Project
• 2 South Slipperfield Quarry, West Linton, Scottish Borders
• 3 Gasswater Open Cast Coal Mine, Cronberry East Ayrshire
• 4 WGS Proposal, Rochuln, Altyre Estate, Moray
• 5 Tarfhaugh Quarry, West Linton Peeblesshire
• Technical Appendices
• 1. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
• 2. Ecological Impact Assessment
• 3. Earth Heritage Impact Assessment
• 4. Assessment of Impacts on Soils
• 5. Outdoor Access Impact Assessment
• 6. Standard Environmental Assessment Case Log/Chart and Environmental Statement Review Package
• 7. Effects on the Marine Environment
• 8. Likely Significant Effects on the Natural Heritage of Different Project Types
• Additional Scottish Executive Guidance on Aspects of EIA, June 2002
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive
• Environmental Impact Assessment: Questions & Answers

Appendix 8: Likely Significant Effects on the Natural Heritage of Different Project Types

AN ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS

NOTE: The project types selected here are those which staff receive, currently, in case work on a regular basis. Others can be added at later revisions and in response to new project types.

The charts should be seen as an aide memoir, not a comprehensive checklist of every conceivable effect. There can never be any substitute for the professional judgment of staff on a case-by-case basis. It must also remain a case-by-case judgment as to whether effects are significant and likely in respect of any particular project.

Changes / effects can be positive or negative.

Potential likely significant effect	Agricultural intensification	Marine aquaculture	Freshwater aquaculture	Afforestation
Landscape and Visual Amenity1
Change to landscape character	-	-	-	+ / -
Changes to special qualities of designations	-	-	-	+ / -
Changes to visual intrusion		-	-	+ / -
Changes to visual obstruction				+ / -
Cumulative effects on landscape character	-	-	-	+ / -
Cumulative visual effects		-	-	+ / -
Flora and Fauna / Biodiversity2
Changes to area of habitat	-	-	-	+ / -
Habitat fragmentation	-	-	-	-
Habitat isolation	-	-	-	-
Habitat consolidation / linking				+
Changes to quality of habitat	-	-	+ / -	+ / -
Displacement of species	-	-	-	-
Changes to disturbance of species	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to air quality				+ / -
Changes to water quality	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to hydrology	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Soils3
Changes in quantity of soils
Changes in soil quality	+ / -			+ / -
Degradation or improvement of soils	+ / -			+ / -
Contamination or decontamination of soils	+ / -			+ / -
Pollution or cleaning of soils	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Earth Heritage4
Changes to degree of exposure or feature				+ / -
Changes to integrity of exposure or feature				+ / -
Changes to accessibility to exposure / feature	+ / -			+ / -
Changes to visibility of exposure / feature	+ / -			+ / -
Changes to natural fluvial processes	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Changes to natural coastal processes	+ / -	+ / -		+ / -
Enjoyment Of The Natural Heritage5
Changes to access to open land	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Changes to rights of way / linear access	+ / -			+ / -
Changes to Regional or Country Parks
Changes to other area based facilities	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Improved / reduced understanding or interpretation of natural heritage	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -

1. See further detail in Appendix 1 and LI / IEMA, 2002, Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
2. See further detail in Appendix 2
3. See further detail in Appendix 4 Figure 1
4. See further detail in Appendix 3 Tables 2 - 4
5. See further detail in Appendix 5 Tables 2 - 6

Potential likely significant effect	Hydroelectric schemes	Mineral extraction	Roads	Railways and tramways
Landscape and Visual Amenity6
Change to landscape character	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to special qualities of designations	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to visual intrusion	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to visual obstruction	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Cumulative effects on landscape character		-	-
Cumulative visual effects		-
Flora and Fauna / Biodiversity7
Changes to area of habitat	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Habitat fragmentation	-	-	-	-
Habitat isolation	-	-	-	-
Habitat consolidation / linking		+
Changes to quality of habitat	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Displacement of species	-	-	-	-
Changes to disturbance of species	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to air quality			+ / -	+ / -
Changes to water quality	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to hydrology	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Soils8
Changes in quantity of soils		-	-	-
Changes in soil quality	+ / -	-	+ / -	+ / -
Degradation or improvement of soils	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Contamination or decontamination of soils		+ / -
Pollution or cleaning of soils		+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Earth Heritage9
Changes to degree of exposure or feature	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to integrity of exposure or feature	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to accessibility to exposure / feature	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to visibility of exposure / feature	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to natural fluvial processes	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to natural coastal processes	+ / -	+ / -
Enjoyment Of The Natural Heritage10
Changes to access to open land	+ / -
Changes to rights of way / linear access	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to Regional or Country Parks			+ / -	+ / -
Changes to other area based facilities	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Improved / reduced understanding or interpretation of natural heritage	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -

6. See further detail in Appendix 1 and LI / IEMA, 2002, Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
7. See further detail in Appendix 2
8. See further detail in Appendix 4 Figure 1
9. See further detail in Appendix 3 Tables 2 - 4
10. See further detail in Appendix 5 Tables 2 - 6

Potential likely significant effect	Urban built development	Waste water treatment	Wave and tidal energy	Wind farms
Landscape and Visual Amenity11
Change to landscape character	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Changes to special qualities of designations	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to visual intrusion	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to visual obstruction	+ / -
Cumulative effects on landscape character	-			-
Cumulative visual effects			-	-
Flora and Fauna / Biodiversity12
Changes to area of habitat	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Habitat fragmentation	-	-		-
Habitat isolation	-	-		-
Habitat consolidation / linking		+		+
Changes to quality of habitat	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Displacement of species	-	-	-	-
Changes to disturbance of species	+ / -		+ / -	+ / -
Changes to air quality				+
Changes to water quality		+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to hydrology	+ / -	+ / -		+ / -
Soils13
Changes in quantity of soils	-	-
Changes in soil quality	-	+ / -
Degradation or improvement of soils	-	+ / -		+ / -
Contamination or decontamination of soils	+ / -	+ / -
Pollution or cleaning of soils	+ / -	+ / -
Earth Heritage14
Changes to degree of exposure or feature	+ / -
Changes to integrity of exposure or feature	+ / -	+ / -
Changes to accessibility to exposure / feature	+ / -
Changes to visibility of exposure / feature	+ / -
Changes to natural fluvial processes	+ / -	+ / -		+ / -
Changes to natural coastal processes	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Enjoyment Of The Natural Heritage15
Changes to access to open land				+ / -
Changes to rights of way / linear access	+ / -	+ / -		+ / -
Changes to Regional or Country Parks	+ / -	+ / -		+ / -
Changes to other area based facilities	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -
Improved / reduced understanding or interpretation of natural heritage	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -	+ / -

11. See further detail in Appendix 1 and LI / IEMA, 2002, Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment
12. See further detail in Appendix 2
13. See further detail in Appendix 4 Figure 1
14. See further detail in Appendix 3 Tables 2 - 4
15. See further detail in Appendix 5 Tables 2 - 6

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