Addison & Associates with Arup are investigating the costs and benefits of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This is a significant piece of evidence gathering to shape the UK’s response to consultation on proposed revisions to European Legislation on the EIA process.

The main aim of this research is to construct a robust evidence base for the UK covering the costs and benefits of the EIA Directive, against which any proposals to change the EIA Directive by the European Commission can be assessed. This is to ensure that the UK government can respond to any proposed changes to the assessment process with full understanding of the real and proportionate environmental benefit in the UK.

The research project aims to provide quantitative information about the impact of EIA, particularly in terms of cost and time. Qualitative benefits are also sought from the project  that are to be estimated through the use of case studies and questionnaires to see how far EIA influences the planning application process – and in particular the final decision and the planning conditions, how inclusive the consultation process is for EIA, and the account taken of adapting and mitigating for climate change. If changes in the EIA process are to have value in decision making, they need to address areas where EIS is currently failing without imposing an undue burden on developers.