Starting up; early stages - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 103

• the flow of expenditure from the project into the wider community (from the employees
and subcontracting);
• the flow of social activities (service demands, community participation, community
conflict).
Figure 4.2 shows the interaction between the physical (ecological in this case) and
socioeconomic processes that may be associated with an industrial plant.
The projects may also have associated policies, not obvious from site layouts and
process-flow diagrams, but are nevertheless significant for subsequent impacts. For
example, shift-working will have implications for transport and noise that may be very
significant for nearby residents. The use of a construction site hostel, camp or village can
significantly internalize impacts on the local housing market and on the local community.
The provision of on- or off-site training can greatly affect the mixture of local and non-
local labour and the balance of socio-economic effects.
Projects should be seen in their planning policy context . In the UK, the main local
policy context is outlined and detailed in Local Development Frameworks. The
description of location must pay regard to land-use designations and development
constraints that may be implicit in some of the designations. Of particular importance is a
project's location in relation to various environmental designations (e.g. areas of
outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), green
belts and local and national nature reserves). Attention should also be given to Regional
Spatial Strategies (RSSs) and to national planning guidance, provided in the UK by an
important set of ODPM Planning Policy Statements (PPSs).
4.6.2 Sources and presentation of data
The initial brief from the developer provides the starting point. Ideally, the developer
may have detailed knowledge of the proposed project's characteristics, likely layout and
production processes, drawing on previous experience. However, site layout diagrams
and process-flow charts may be only in outline, provisional form at the initial design
stage. Even in the ideal situation, there will need to be considerable interaction between
the analyst and the developer to refine the project's characteristics. Unfortunately, the
situation may often be far from ideal; Mills (1992) and Frost (1994) provide interesting
examples of major changes from the project description in EISs to the actual
implemented action.
An analyst can supplement such information with reference to comparative studies,
although the availability of such statements in the UK is still far from satisfactory, and
their predictions are untested (see Chapters 7 and 8). The analyst may also draw on EIA
literature (topics and journals), guidelines, manuals and statistical sources, including Lee
(1987), Wood & Lee (1987), CEC (1993), Morris & Therivel (2001) and Rodriguez-
Bachiller with Glasson (2003). Site visits can be made to comparable projects, and advice
can be gained from consultants with experience of the type of project under
consideration.