Does your project need EIA screening? Use Quod’s new tool for a quick answer
It is important to understand whether your project needs an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from the outset to ensure there are no unnecessary delays and costs to development.
The process of determining whether an EIA and therefore, an Environmental Statement, is required for a planning application is rarely straightforward for developers, consultants and local planning authorities. Getting it wrong can lead to costly legal challenges, delays or even enforcement. Quod have an unmatched track record in EIA screening across the country, with a 100% success rate in London and a 98% success rate nationwide. We have decided to use our knowledge to help our clients, colleagues and industry friends by using our expertise to set up and launch a new tool to help guide you through this process and understand if a proposed development needs screening to determine the need for EIA.
The tool is available at www.eiascreening.co.uk and in the Tools section of our website www.quod.com.
How does it work?
The fully accessible tool only needs some basic information on the development project, such as its location and size. This is then assessed against embedded mapping information on sensitive designations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest etc, which is relevant to EIA screening. The tool will then guide you through some simple, easy-to-answer questions which should only take a minute or two before assessing the information, against relevant legal thresholds and other guidance.
The tool will then provide an indication of whether the proposed development is likely to be ‘EIA development’ and if there is a need to seek an EIA Screening Opinion.
Quod’s EIA specialists behind the tool are pioneers in the emerging field of Digital EIA. In 2020, Quod completed a ground-breaking research project in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult and others, funded by the UK Government, that sought to understand what a fully digital EIA process would look like. Full details of these findings and prototype concepts can be found at www.digitaleia.co.uk.
For more information or if you have any queries please email eia.screening@quod.com or contact Alistair Walker at alistair.walker@quod.com
