Environmental Impact Assessment

This process ensures that the environmental effects of development proposals are investigated, understood and taken into account before they proceed.

EU Exit does not make any difference to this process.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) may be required for:

proposals requiring planning permission
proposals requiring Electricity Act consent
motorway and trunk road proposals
forestry and agriculture-related projects
marine works
oil and gas pipelines

The assessment:

is carried out by – or on behalf of – the developer or project proposer
covers all stages of the project – from site surveys and construction to operation, monitoring and decommissioning
report is submitted with the consent application

NatureScot is consulted on all proposals that require EIA.

This has been brought into practice in Scotland through various statutory regulations. These govern the assessment process and specify which projects require assessment.

How we can help developers

We can provide advice and guidance on how to assess the environmental impacts of your project or development.

You may wish to begin by looking at:

A Handbook on Environmental Impact Assessment – for best practice guidance on each development phase and each assessment stage.
NatureScot Open Data Hub – for free access to the spatial datasets we hold on aspects of Scotland’s nature and landscapes