Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment seeks to ensure that the environmental effects of major projects and development proposals are fully investigated, understood and taken into account before decisions are made on whether they should proceed.

The framework for this is provided by European Directive: 85/337/EEC, as amended by 97/11/EC and 2003/35/EC. This has been brought into practice in Scotland through various statutory Regulations which govern the assessment process and which specify that the projects requiring assessment are mainly those requiring planning permission, but also include forestry and agriculture related projects, marine works, and oil and gas pipelines.

The assessment is carried out by, or on behalf of, the developer or project proposer and is submitted along with the application for consent or authorisation. We are consulted on all developments which require Environmental Impact Assessment.  We can provide advice and guidance on the assessment of the impacts of your project or development on the environment. The assessment includes all of the stages of your project from site investigations to construction to operation to monitoring.

Please Contact SNH for assistance in assessing the environmental impacts of your project.

Natural Spaces provides access to the key datasets that we hold on aspects of Scotland's nature and landscapes. These spatial datasets can be downloaded free of charge.

Use the EIA Handbook for best practice guidance on each of the stages in the assessment process and for each of the stages of your development or project.

Other sources of guidance

Useful sources of guidance and information include:

• Scottish Government Circular 3/2011  
• Easy Read Guide to 2011 Regulations   
• Scottish Executive Development Department PAN 58   (1999) on Environmental Impact Assessment
• Guidelines for Ecological Impact Assessment in the United Kingdom 
• Environmental Impact Assessment of Forestry Projects 
• Guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) For Agriculture 
• EIA Guidelines for Marine Fish Farming 
• Scottish Government Guidance on the Electricity (Environmental Impact Assessment)(Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2008 
• DEFRA Explanatory Memorandum to the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007