CLIENT:
Cork City Council
PROJECT NAME:
Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening Report
2. SEA SCREENING METHODOLOGY
2.1 Overview of the SEA Process The SEA Directive – Directive 2001/42/EC on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Programmes on the Environment, requires that an environmental assessment is carried out of certain plans and programmes which are likely to have significant effects on the environment. The overarching objective of the SEA Directive is ‘ to provide for a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans….with a view to promoting sustainable development ’ 3 SEA is a process for evaluating, at the earliest appropriate stage, the environmental consequences of implementing Plan or Programme (P/P) initiatives prepared by authorities at a national, regional or local level or which have been prepared for adoption through legislative means. SEA is described within the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government’s (2004) Guidelines for Regional Authorities and Planning Authorities on the Implementation of SEA Directive (2001/42/EC) as the ‘formal systematic evaluation of the likely significant environmental effects of implementing a plan or programme before a decision is made to adopt the plan or programme’. The SEA process comprises the following steps: • Screening – the process whereby a decision is made on whether a particular P/P (or Plan Action modifications in this case), other than those for which SEA is mandatory, would be likely to have significant environmental effects, and would require SEA.
If SEA is required following the Screening Determination, the following steps are necessary:
• Scoping – Scope and level of detail in the environmental assessment is decided upon, in consultation with the identified statutory bodies; • Environmental Assessment - An assessment of the likely significant impacts on the environment as a result of the relevant P/P; • Preparation of an Environmental Report; • Consultation of the P/P and associated Environmental Report; • Evaluation of the submission and observations made on the P/P and environmental report; and • Provision of an SEA Statement, identifying how environmental considerations and consultation have been integrated into the Final P/P.
SEA is intended to provide the framework for influencing decision-making at an earlier stage when P/Ps – which give rise to individual projects – are being developed. It is noted that SEA should result in more sustainable development through the systematic appraisal of policy options.
3 Implementation of SEA Directive (2001/42/EC): Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Programmes on the Environment – Guidelines for Regional Authorities and Planning Authorities (Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, 2004)
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P23-206
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