Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

Legislation has been introduced in the UK which transposes the requirements of the European Directive 2001/42/EC, where it is now a legal requirement that local authorities should undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of land use and spatial plans, such as the new Local Development Framework (LDF).

The 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.'

The SEA Directive's main areas of emphasis are:

  • identifying strategic alternatives;
  • collecting baseline environmental information;
  • more thorough prediction of significant environmental effects;
  • greater consultation with the public and statutory environmental agencies; and
  • addressing and monitoring the significant environmental effects of the new spatial planning policy contained within the LDF.

The SEA Directive defines environmental assessment as a procedure comprising of:

  • Preparing an environmental report on the likely significant effects of the draft plan;
  • Carrying out consultation on the draft plan and the accompanying environmental report;
  • Taking into account the environmental report and the results of consultation in decision making; and
  • Providing information when the plan is adopted and showing how the results of the SEA have been taken into account.

It has been normal practice for those preparing and commenting on development plans to consider their likely environmental effects. The principle of assessing the environmental consequences is therefore not new. However, what the Directive requires is the use of an explicit and systematic method to comprehensively and impartially identify and assess the environmental consequences of the development plan, known as the Local Development Framework (LDF).

DCLG Guidance on SEA has been produced, which can be found by clicking here.

Link back to Sustainability Appraisal.