News from IEMA's EIA network and beyond.
Scoping training for Wales
Consultancy Arcadis has developed, with IEMA’s help, a training course on scoping for those involved in EIA in Wales. It is being used in a series of Welsh government-funded workshops for local planning authorities and representatives of statutory consultees and government bodies. The course takes delegates through the basics of the regulatory process, good practice approaches and actions to support the delivery of more proportionate EIA via scoping.
Proportionate EIA summit
The transposition by spring 2017 of the amended EIA directive into UK regulations will increase attention on impact assessment. This provides an opportunity for UK EIA practice to address its most significant problem – disproportionate assessment and documentation. In late April, IEMA is staging the UK’s first Proportionate EIA summit. The 75 invited delegates – including from planning authorities, developers, NGOs and government bodies, as well as practitioners and lawyers – will discuss how to improve the focus of EIA and its value to environmental protection, community coheson and the delivery of critical development. The summit will be hosted by Arup at the consultancy’s central London office.
Health and EIA briefing note
IEMA is working with consultancy Ben Cave Associates to produce a briefing note for Public Health England (PHE) on the role of health in EIA. It will be published later in the year and a seminar is being held in Leeds on 15 March to get input from HIA, EIA and health professionals.
IA competency MFIs
IEMA is staging an international event with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on developing a global environmental and social competency framework across the multilateral financial institutions (MFIs). The half-day event, at EBRD’s head office in London, will include delegates from the World Bank, European Investment Bank and UK Export Finance, as well as about 50 invited guests from the MFI community and the IEMA membership.