Impact prediction, evaluation and mitigation - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 158

(v) measure to preserve particular habitats or create alternative habitats

(vi) recording of archaeological sites

(vii) measures to safeguard historic buildings or sites

[Assess] the likely effectiveness of mitigating measures.
( Source: ODPM 2003.)

• the use of a designated lorry route, and day-time working only, to avoid disturbance to
village communities from construction lorry traffic and from night construction work;
• the establishment of buffer zones and the minimal use of toxic substances, to avoid
impacts on local ecosystems.

Some adverse effects may be less easily avoided; there may also be less need to avoid
them completely. Examples of methods to reduce adverse effects include:

• the sensitive design of structures, using simple profiles, local materials and muted
colours, to reduce the visual impact of a development, and landscaping to hide it or
blend it into the local environment;
• the use of construction-site hostels, and coaches for journeys to work to reduce the
impact on the local housing market, and on the roads, of a project employing many
workers during its construction stage;
• the use of silting basins or traps, the planting of temporary cover crops and the
scheduling of activities during the dry months, to reduce erosion and sedimentation.

During one or more stages of the life of a project, certain environmental components may
be temporarily lost or damaged. It may be possible to repair, rehabilitate or restore the
affected component to varying degrees. For example:

• agricultural land used for the storage of materials during construction may be fully
rehabilitated; land used for gravel extraction may be restored to agricultural use, but
over a much longer period and with associated impacts according to the nature of the
landfill material used;
• a river or stream diverted by a road project can be unconverted and re-established with
similar flow patterns as far as is possible;
• a local community astride a route to a new tourism facility could be relieved of much of
the adverse traffic effects by the construction of a bypass (which, of course, introduces
a new flow of impacts).

There will invariably be some adverse effects that cannot be reduced. In such cases, it
may be necessary to compensate people for adverse effects. For example:

• for the loss of public recreational space or a wildlife habitat, the provision of land with
recreation facilities or the creation of a nature reserve elsewhere;
• for the loss of privacy, quietness and safety in houses next to a new road, the provision
of sound insulation and/or the purchase by the developer of badly affected properties.

Mitigation measures can become linked with discussions between a developer and the
local planning authority (LPA) on what is known in the UK as “planning gain”. Fortlage