Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) refers to the formal process used to predict the environmental consequences of a proposed scheme such as a new power generation facility, condominium or resort development. The primary objective of an EIA is to ensure that the potential impacts, both positive and negative, of a project on the natural environment and local communities are assessed at the planning and decision making stage so that appropriate measures can be put in place to maximise the positive impacts and prevent, limit or manage the negative impacts, thus promoting sustainable development.
As no two projects are the same it follows that EIA is a tiered process that aims to focus the efforts of the work where they are most needed through a stage of incremental steps. If a project requires an EIA the first stage is the Scoping Study which seeks to identify the significant environmental aspects associated with the construction, operational and decommissioning phases of a particular project or activity, this is so that unnecessary requirements can be discounted at an early stage to avoid unnecessary work.
Public Consultation also constitutes an important part of the EIA process and the views of local residents and other stakeholders should be canvassed via surveys or public meetings so that their concerns can be addressed in the EIA. 
At SLP Environmental our expert in-house personnel and approved affiliates have comprehensive experience in managing multi-disciplinary EIA teams for a diverse client base across a range of sectors, including energy, transport, industrial, commercial, resort/hotel and residential development schemes. SLP are comfortable working in local regulatory systems and we appreciate the critical importance of local cultural sensitivities.
SLP Environmental and our approved affiliates and sub-consultants can provide a full range of multi-disciplinary services required for any robust EIA. These include:
EIA project management
Energy efficiency
Solid waste management
Traffic assessment
Soil and groundwater
quality Noise pollution and vibration Townscape, landscape, visual aspects Ecology and nature conservation Socio-economic factors
SLP Environmemntal Consultants undertake the collection and collation of robust site-specific field data to establish a baseline against which the potential EIA impacts can be measured. Our consultants will evaluate the scheme with regard to the above criteria and draft an EIA report which clearly identifies the direct and indirect, short and long term, environmental impacts associated with the project under assessment.
Our EIA reports also include a monitoring plan which details the measures that will be taken to validate the efficacy of the environmental control and management commitments that are made in the EIA report for both the construction and operational phases of the project. For example this could include a list of water quality parameters that will be measured in the effluent of the projects waste water treatment plant, including the method and frequency of the monitoring and associated reporting.
Our EIA reports will also include recommendations on how any identified adverse effects of the scheme can be prevented, reduced or managed. For projects with a significant negative environmental impact we will also provide advice on the alternative ways of delivering the project, more often than not these include design modifications to mitigate the negative impacts.
To view some of our Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Projects click here.