What now for home building?

Transcription

1 Successful Partners DELIVERING QUALITY 2017 Residential Seminar What now for home building? The post Brexit world May 2017

2 Successful Partners DELIVERING QUALITY 2017 Residential Seminar 30 March 2017 Environmental Impact Assessment Post Brexit Peter Ireland Senior Director, RPS May 2017

3 Brexit Still part of the EU, therefore existing Regs remain in force Transposition of 2014 EIA Directive Post 2019 EIA Directives have been transposed into UK Law Average time to transpose an EIA Directive into UK law is 3 years Hard or Soft Brexit? Soft Brexit remain part of EEA (?) where majority of EU environmental legislation applies, although the Birds and Habitats Directives do not Rather than Brexit, changes may depend on whether new Regs put a break on development and/or cause LPAs difficulties Unlikely to be any changes before 2022

4 Definition of EIA DCLG EIA Planning Practice Guidance 2014 The aim of Environmental Impact Assessment is to protect the environment by ensuring that a local planning authority when deciding whether to grant planning permission for a project, which is likely to have significant effects on the environment, does so in the full knowledge of the likely significant effects, and takes this into account in the decision making process... The aim of Environmental Impact Assessment is also to ensure that the public are given early and effective opportunities to participate in the decision making procedures. The role of EIA is defined in the revised regulations

5 Definition of EIA Regulation 4 (1) of draft TC&P (EIA) Regulations 2017 The environmental impact assessment ( the EIA ) is a process consisting of: a) The preparation of an environmental statement by the person seeking planning permission; b) any consultation, publication and notification required by, or by virtue of, these Regulations or any other enactment in respect of EIA development; and c) the steps required under Regulation 26. Regulation 26 is concerned with the consideration of whether planning permission should be granted, having come to an up-to-date reasoned conclusion on the likely significant effects and whether monitoring is required.

6 What is it, what is changing and when? EU Directives 2014/52/EU: an amendment to 2011/92/EU which itself consolidated the original directive (85/337/EEC) and subsequent amendments (97/11/EC, 2003/35/EC & 2009/31/EC) Schedules no Thresholds no Procedures yes Screening Time limits Scoping Decision notices Assessment topics Penalties Mitigation Conflicts of interest Monitoring Transitional arrangements Competency Co-ordination

7 What is it, what is changing and when? UK Regulations 22 EIA Regulations requiring amending or replacing >80% within Planning related Regulations England DCLG Consultation Draft T&CP (EIA) Regs 2017 Draft Infrastructure Planning (EIA) Regs 2017 Wales T&CP (EIA) (Wales) Regs 2016 T&CP (EIA) (Wales) (Amendment) Regs 2016 WG Consultation 2014/52/EU to be transposed into UK law by 16 th May 2017

8 Question Will the impact of the new Regulations be minor or major?

9 Screening - 1 Headlines Standardised information when requesting a screening opinion / direction Take account of mitigation or avoidance measures Take account of other assessments, e.g. SEA Screening opinion within 3 weeks normally, but LPA can ask for 90 days (SoS remains at 3 weeks for a screening direction) Reasons for the conclusion to be provided Current requirements for a screening request A plan Description of the development Any other such information the developer wishes to provide

10 Screening - 2 Future requirements for a screening request A plan Description of the development Development proposal Sensitivities of proposed location Aspects of environment likely to be significantly affected Description of likely significant effects from a list of specifics Any other information the developer wishes to provide including mitigation A mini EIA?

11 Scoping - 1 Headlines Broader scope More comprehensive more of a mini EIA than now Proportionate Future requirements for scoping Population and human health Biodiversity, with particular attention to species and habitats protected under Directive 92/43/EEC and Directive 2009/147/EC (on flora and fauna) Land (e.g. land take) Soil (e.g. organic matter, erosion, compaction, sealing) Water (e.g. hydromorphological changes, quantity and quality)

12 Scoping - 2 Future requirements for scoping Air Climate: (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, impacts relevant to adaptation, vulnerability of the project to climate change) Material assets Cultural heritage (including architectural and archaeological aspects) Landscape Major accidents and / or disasters Based on Schedule 4 (Part 1) of T&CP (EIA) Regs 2011 and Regulation 4 and Schedule 4 of draft T&CP (EIA) Regs 2017

13 Scoping - 3 Linking the Environmental Statement to Scoping An Environmental Statement must where a scoping opinion or direction has been issued in accordance with Regulation 15 (scoping opinion of the LPA) or 16 (scoping direction by SoS), be based on the most recent scoping opinion or direction issued (so far as the proposed development remains materially the same as the proposed development which was subject to that opinion or direction); Regulation 18 (3) (c) of draft T&CP (EIA) Regs 2017

14 Mitigation Headlines Thinking about mitigation early in the project development Mitigation should be embedded in the project design(s) from an early a stage as possible if to be taken into account in screening Mitigation should be tracked from screening through the ES and on to implementation to ensure that it is fulfilling its role in avoiding or reducing significant effects Mitigation could be subject to monitoring and enforcement action if not securing compliance with the requirements and objectives of the Directive Mitigation needs to be shown to be effective

15 Monitoring Headlines The 2014 EIA Directive requires that the decision to grant development consent should include, where appropriate, monitoring measures. The 2014 EIA Directive requires what is monitored and the duration of the monitoring to be proportionate to the nature, location and size of the project and the significance of its effects on the environment. Existing monitoring arrangement may be used if appropriate.

16 Local Authorities Existing From May 2017 Screening Mitigation, reasons, tracking Scoping New topics, ES based on scoping opinion Read ES Examine ES & come to own reasoned conclusions No expertise Sufficient expertise to examine ES Decision Reasoned conclusions, mitigation and monitoring Existing Regs Transitional arrangements for a few years at least Consultation period increased from 14 days to 30 days Decision notices: including reasoned conclusions, conditions, mitigation measures, monitoring measures or reasons for refusal. Need to inform the SoS, consultation bodies and the public Enforcement duty to secure compliance with requirements and objectives of the Directive.

17 Transitional Arrangements Screening Screening request prior to 16 May 2017, existing regs apply to screening Screened on / after 16 May new Regulation for screening The Rest of the EIA Amendments Scoping request / ES submission pre-16 May, existing Regs Scoping request / ES submission on / after 16 May, new Regs

18 Grounds for Legal Challenge Screening Requesting screening direction from the Secretary of State Judicial review of screening opinion; timing of challenge Scoping challenges Enforcement

19 In Conclusion Brexit Unlikely to have any effect until at least 2022 Transposition of 2014 EIA Directive Is happening More design, including mitigation, detail earlier Mini EIA at screening ES based on scoping Broader and more comprehensive assessments Monitoring post consent implications / costs Effective mitigation Greater burden on LPAs? Greater JR opportunities? Devil in the detail of the Regulations?

20 DMRB Volume 10 (Environmental Design) To be reissued in September 2017 Volume 11 (Environmental Impact Assessment) April/May 2017 Introductory chapters May/June 2017 Population and Human Health; Climate; Materials and Waste: Habitats Regulations Assessment June 2017 Road Drainage and the Water Environment October 2017 Landscape and Visual November 2017 Cultural Heritage; Land Use, Geology & Soils April 2018: Air Quality; Ecology & Nature Conservation; Noise & Vibration

21 Any Questions?

22 Thank you for your time