Environmental impact assessments

If you are submitting a planing application for a larger scale development, we can help to provide opinion in relation to environmental impact assessment in the following ways:

Request a screening opinion

You can ask for our opinion on whether a development should be subject to environmental impact assessment. Screening criteria are set out in The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 20117. It is based upon a proposed development's characteristics, location and potential impacts.

Please email us to request a screening opinion and include the following in your email:

• a plan sufficient to identify the land
• a brief description of the proposed development's nature, purpose and possible effects upon the environment
• any information or representation from the developer.

Applicants also have the right to appeal to the secretary of state for a screening direction to determine whether an assessment is necessary.

Request a scoping opinion

You can also ask us for our opinion on what information should be included within an environmental statement. 

We recommend that a scoping opinion is requested for all applications subject to environmental impact assessment.

This helps to identify key areas which should be covered (such as noise pollution or ecological impacts), as well as avoiding subsequent delays in processing the application. Advice on the content of an environmental impact assessment is available from the .gov.uk  website.

Please email us to request a screening opinion and include the following in your email:

• a sufficient plan to identify the land
• a brief description of the proposed development's nature, purpose and possible effects upon the environment
• any information or representation from the developer