The European Community Directive 1985 required member states to introduce legislation to assess the potential environmental impact of all major developments. Due to the resulting legislation, as well as increasing public concern, the number of environmental impact assessments carried out each year has multiplied. As techniques and methodologies are refined, quality in environmental assessment has attracted close scrutiny and attention in the last five years.
Environmental assessment is a relatively new area of work and very few practical guides to the subject exist - until now. This invaluable text provides practical information and guidance on why environmental impact assessments are necessary, what they are intended to achieve, what the legal requirements are and, most importantly, how to carry them out on a wide range of projects. The text contains many examples of best practice for a variety of circumstances, and more specifically provides examples of useful techniques that can be used in the gathering, analysis and communication of information about the consequences of development activities.
Environmental assessment aims to provide information in a user friendly format and is divided into two broad sections. The first section deals in detail with the legal aspects of environmental assessment, providing background to give the reader an overall perspective and then discussing the requirements of the European Union law and the resulting UK legislation. The second section offers a more practical guide to carrying out these requirements in a variety of circumstances, using case studies to illustrate common difficulties and their solutions. A review of the World Wide Web and its applicability to the environmental assessment process is also included. This guide will prove an essential reference for all those undertaking or involved in the environmental assessment process.
