The James Hutton Institute
This page is no longer updated. The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute joined forces with SCRI on 1 April 2011 to create The James Hutton Institute.
THE STATE OF SCOTLAND'S FARMED ENVIRONMENT 2005
26. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
SCOPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The basic test of the need for an EIA is the likelihood of significant effects on the environment. It falls to the planning authorities to consider whether an EIA is required. The Regulations have listed those projects that require an EIA (Schedule 1) and those where it may be required after a screening process (Schedule 2). The latter relate to 3 main types of case:
- Major developments that are more than local importance
- Developments proposed in particularly sensitive or vulnerable locations
- Developments with unusually complex and potentially hazardous environmental effects.
Up to June 2003 there had been 481 EIAs for planning projects of which 31 were mandatory (related to schedule 1 projects) and 450 were for schedule 2 projects where the need for an EIA is based on a screening process (Reid, 2004). There is a lack of research on the effectiveness of the EIA process, however, SNH currently have a research project let (FO3AA503 “An assessment of the environmental impacts of developments that were subject to Environmental Impact Assessment”).
In general agricultural operations fall outside of the scope of the EIA regulations, unless they involve large developments, water abstraction or forestry-related work. The scope of the new Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Bill will mean that SEA will be a requirement of all future strategies, plans or programmes that relate to Scottish farming (e.g. Scottish Rural Development Plan).
EA in RELATION TO FARMLAND >>