July 9, 2016
Environmental Design
After the UK voted to leave the EU, how could this affect Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the UK?
Firstly, until the UK leaves the EU, the EIA Directive still applies. The Government will therefore need to revise our EIA regulations in important ways in line with Directive 2014/52/EU by 16 May 2017, and consult on further draft regulations before then.
The scope for future changes will depend on our future trade relationships. If we rejoined the European Free Trade Association, the EIA Directive would still apply to the UK. Even if we did not, we would still need an EIA system to comply with the UNECE Espoo Convention, so future changes may be limited.
As members of the IEMA EIA Quality Mark, and with Registered EIA Practitioners, Nicholas Pearson Associates can advise on the opportunities and challenges of EIA legislation in relation to your development project. Our staff have also recently helped improve the outcomes of EIA and move EIA in the UK towards a more proportionate direction, as members of the Impact Assessment Network, through contributions to IEMA’s new Guide to Delivering Quality Development in EIA, and attendance at the IEMA Proportionate EIA Summit in April.
Please contact us for further assistance.
