Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Penny Anderson Associates Ltd. (PAA) has a proven track record as specialists in assessing the potential impacts of all kinds of development on the natural environment. We specialise in formal Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) as well as informal assessments bespoke to accompany non EIA required planning applications designed to cover any type of project you wish to pursue.
We also co-ordinate full EIAs and prepare Environmental Statements to consider the effects of development proposals on agriculture, forestry and other land uses, archaeology and landscape and the interactions between these. We systematically incorporate earth science issues into our EIAs, covering soils, hydrology, geology and geomorphology where appropriate (an aspect that far too often is ignored).
We have developed good relations with the Statutory Authorities, many Local Authorities and other groups to pave the way for smooth relationships in the scoping and consultation process of an EIA.
Conducting an Environmental Impcat Assessment
This involves many areas of our expertise, including:
- Obtaining and evaluating existing ecological information;
- Undertaking ecological and earth science surveys and evaluations;
- Preparing reports that set out the impacts of the proposed development on the natural environment;
- Devising mitigation and compensation measures, for example modification of planning proposals to avoid protected habitats and/or species/habitat translocation, creation of new habitats, post-construction habitat creation, SUDS design and implementation, incorporation of provisions for protected species;
- Development scheme enhancement measures through integrated habitat creation and management, landscaping to tie in with local character and to provide an attractive environment;
- Devising and recommending measures that will enhance a scheme’s conformity to local and national planning policies and targets (i.e. local and national Biodiversity Action Plans or green infrastructure strategies) relating to the natural environment; and
- Presentation of expert evidence at Public Inquiries and Parliamentary Committees.
Our Experience
PAA’s experience in EIA covers a wide range of schemes and habitats, at both small and large-scale. Examples include:
- Airports: expansion, new terminals, new runways and infrastructure for clients including BAA (mostly Stansted and Heathrow), Manchester Airport, Jersey and various other UK airports;
- Roads: Motorway widening, new trunk roads, bypasses, motorway service stations. Examples include M6 widening in Staffordshire, Heathrow Spur and M4 widening, Salisbury Bypass, M66 Blackburn motorway, parts of the M60 Manchester, Manchester Outer Ring Road development, Abergavenny bypass, Rugby relief road and for clients such as the Department for Transport, former Welsh Office and various local authorities;
- Power Stations: West Burton and Drax expansion and pfa handling, Drax and Radcliffe fuel-gas desulphurisation plants, Damhead Creek development and a proposed pumped storage scheme; for clients such as the former CEGB, Powergen, RWE nPower, National Grid and Scottish Power;
- Wind Farms: an increasingly important area of our work – see insert 32;
- Housing and Commercial Development: including Business and Science Parks, logistics centres, residential development (both urban and rural) for clients including Wilson Homes, Chafford Hundred Ltd, Talyor Wimpey, Bloor Homes, Blue Circle Properties, Bovis Homes, Persimmon Homes, Miller Homes, Property Alliance Group and Bellway Homes;
- Extraction industries: sand and gravel, sandstone, fluorspar, limestone, coal and other hard rock quarrying at sites throughout the country for a wide variety of companies such as ARC, Blue Circle, Tarmac down to small-scale local works;
- Leisure industry: caravan parks, golf courses, tourist developments in a variety of locations for small and large companies;
- EIAs under the Forestry Regs: we have conducted several, including under the new Forestry Commission policy for creating open space from plantations.
- Selected others: waste disposal sites, water pollution control, masts.
For more details on our services relating to Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental statements, please contact us