A Practical Guide to the Strategic Environmental ...

1 A Practical Guide to the Strategic Environmental assessment Directive A Practical Guide to the Strategic Environmental assessment Directive ODPM. ISBN 1851127933. Price: A Practical Guide to the Strategic Environmental assessment Directive Practical guidance on applying European Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment . September 2005. Scottish Executive Welsh Assembly Government Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: London Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Eland House Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU.

2 Telephone: 020 7944 4400. Web site: Crown copyright 2005. Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. This publication, excluding logos, may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for research, private study or for internal circulation within an organisation. This is subject to it being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the publication specified. For any other use of this material, please write to HMSO Licensing, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ.

3 Fax: 01603 723000 or e-mail: Further copies of this publication are available from: ODPM Publications PO Box 236. Wetherby West Yorkshire LS23 7NB. Tel: 0870 1226 236. Fax: 0870 1226 237. Textphone: 0870 1207 405. E-mail: or online via Printed on paper comprising 75% post-consumer waste and 25% ECF pulp September 2005. ISBN 1851127887. Reference Number 05 PD 03311. Contents 1. Introduction 6. Purpose of the Practical Guide 6. Other guidance on SEA 7. Acknowledgements 8. 2. Background and Context 9. Objectives and requirements 9.

4 The Directive's field of application 9. Provisions on screening and exemptions 12. The Directive and SEA practice 14. Who should do SEA? 14. The level of detail in SEA 14. SEA and other forms of assessment 15. The regulatory impact of the Directive 15. 3. SEA and Consultation 16. Requirements for consultation 16. The Consultation Bodies 17. Consulting the public 18. Practical aspects of consultation 19. Transboundary consultation with EU Member States 19. 4. SEA and Sustainable Development 20. 5. Stages of SEA 23. Introduction 23.

5 Stage A: Setting the context and objectives, establishing the baseline and 26. deciding on the scope Stage B: Developing and refining alternatives and assessing effects 30. Stage C: Preparing the Environmental Report 35. Stage D: Consultation and decision-making 37. Stage E: Monitoring implementation of the plan or programme 39. EC Directives and other international instruments related to the 41. SEA Directive Glossary 42. 3. A Practical Guide to the Strategic Environmental assessment Directive Appendix 1 Indicative list of plans and programmes subject to the 44.

6 SEA Directive Appendix 2 Other relevant plans, programmes and Environmental 47. protection objectives Appendix 3 Collecting and presenting baseline information 49. Appendix 4 Sources of baseline information 52. Appendix 5 Developing SEA objectives, indicators and targets 64. Appendix 6 Developing and assessing alternatives 68. Appendix 7 Prediction and evaluation of effects 74. Appendix 8 Assessing secondary, cumulative and synergistic effects 78. Appendix 9 Quality Assurance checklist 84. Appendix 10 Monitoring 86. Frequently Asked Questions on the SEA Directive 91.

7 References and Further Information 94. The SEA Directive 98. List of Figures 1. The SEA Directive's requirements 10. 2. Application of the SEA Directive to plans and programmes 13. 3. Summary of consultation requirements under the SEA Directive 17. 4. Extract from UK Sustainable Development Strategy, March 2005 21. 5. Stages in the SEA process 24. 6. Relationship between the SEA Tasks 25. 7. Possible structure and contents of the Environmental Report 36. 8. Possible approach to documenting links with other relevant plans and 48.

8 Programmes or Environmental protection objectives 9. Possible way of organising and presenting baseline information 51. 10. Sources of baseline information 52. 11. Examples of SEA objectives and indicators 65. 12. Testing compatibility of SEA objectives 67. 13. Example of discrete alternatives 68. 14. Hierarchy' of alternatives 69. 15. Examples of alternatives 70. 4. Contents 16. Example of comparison of alternatives 72. 17. Example table for assessment of alternatives against SEA objectives 73. 18. Illustration of documentation of effects 74.

9 19. Prediction and evaluation techniques for SEA 76. 20. The process of assessing the effects of a plan or programme 77. 21. Stages of SEA and the consideration of cumulative, secondary and 79. synergistic effects 22. Techniques for assessing cumulative, secondary and synergistic effects 82. 23. Example of a table for recording cumulative effects and their causes 83. 24. Example of a table for recording cumulative effects of plan or 83. programme on receptors 25. Quality Assurance checklist 84. 5. 1. Introduction Purpose of the Practical Guide This Practical Guide provides information and guidance on how to comply with the European Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment , known as the Strategic Environmental assessment or SEA Directive.

10 The Guide is intended to apply to all plans and programmes in the UK which fall within the scope of the Directive. Specific guidance has however been developed for certain types of plans and programmes, particularly land use and spatial planning and transport planning (see paragraphs and below). Users should refer primarily to the relevant specific guidance when preparing those plans and programmes. The Practical Guide has been developed jointly by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland.