Developing a review package to assess the quality of EA reports of Local Authority structure and local plans in the UK

Abstract

Through the process of environmental appraisal (EA) of development plans, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is establishing itself as a component of good planning practice in the UK. However, this application has been mirrored by concerns about quality. This article describes the process of developing and testing a review package to enable the systematic and structured assessment of the quality of EA reports. The review package was initially developed through analyzing the formal requirements of the draft EU SEA Directive, UK Government guidance, and examples of good international practice. These criteria are reflected in a review package similar in structure to the Lee–Colley project environmental impact assessment (EIA) review package. The article concludes that the developed review package is an effective tool for use when reviewing the quality of EA reports, and can also be used as a checklist when preparing EA reports. The need for systematic review and quality control of EA reports is evident.