IEMA's Josh Fothergill rounds up key developments in EIA.
The amended EIA Directive
On 8 January, I will represent IEMA members at a stakeholder roundtable hosted by the communities and local government department on its plans to transpose the amended EIA Directive, which must be completed by May 2017. The “mood music” in Whitehall is focused on streamlining EIA as much as possible – although this may be difficult to achieve within alterations required by the 2014 amendments. IEMA expects all government departments and devolved administrations to consult this year on amending the UK EIA regulations, so expect a busy year of reviewing and responding to changes – consistency will be critical to avoid chaos come May 2017.
IA Network in 2016
IEMA launched its IA Network in 2015 and its activities will become increasingly prominent this year, with an active steering group and multiple sub-groups exploring: heritage, soil, traffic, health, scoping, proportionate IA, evidence plans, environmental and social impacts (ESIA), greenhouse gases and EIA post-consent. The network will also be gathering organisational experiences and case studies related to two new guides from IEMA. They are: Climate change resilience and adaptation – produced in partnership with Mott MacDonald – available at iema.net/eia-cc. Shaping quality development – produced in partnership with LDA Design – available at bit.ly/1IJcoOg. To be kept informed about the network or to get involved email [email protected].
IA webinars in 2016
Changes are coming as the IA Network steering group takes charge of the webinar process, supported by head office. The webinar series will have a forward plan and webinars will be delivered at different times each month. In terms of topic focus, there will be a split between exploring specific aspects of the amended EIA Directive and topics beyond UK EIA. Alongside the webinars, the Network’s sub-groups (IA Network 2016 above) will engage members in their activities. Finally, IEMA head office will still be on hand to deliver critical IA webinars related to formal consultations on topics, including EIA, SEA and ESIA.
