Planning application - local requirement
When the requirement applies
When a major development (defined in Schedule 1 or Schedule 2) is likely to have a significant effect on the environment because of its nature, size, use, location, and other factors, then the development may require an Environmental Impact Assessment (ES).
You can ask us (the local planning authority) for a formal screening opinion confirming whether your project requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). If EIA is likely to be required, developers must produce an Environmental Statement (ES) to support their planning application.
We making a request for a screening opinion, you must as a minimum provide the information set out in regulation 6(2) of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017.
You may ask us for our formal opinion on the information to be supplied in the ES. This is known as a 'scoping opinion'. This enables us to clarify what we consider the main effects of the development are likely to be.
When making a request for a scoping opinion, you must as a minimum provide the information set out in regulation 15(2) of the Town and County Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017
In line with the guidance within the National Planning Practice Guidance, the ES must be prepared by competent experts and be accompanied by a statement from the developer outlining the relevant expertise, or qualifications of such experts.
We recommend using our Pre-Planning Application Advice service for complex development proposals, to ensure that you are able to get all of the necessary information to support your application, before you submit it.
What the Environmental Statement should include
All Environmental Statements should include the following:
- Details of the proposed development: site, design, size and relevant features
- Details of the likely significant effects of the proposed development on the environment
- Ways in which you propose to avoid or limit the impact on the environment
- Reasons for choosing this type and nature of development, and a description of all reasonable alternatives considered
- Details of the experts who have prepared the assessment, and their qualifications
- A non-technical summary of the above information
For further information, please consult the regulations below.