Participation, presentation and review - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 174

is another matter. Another area of publicity is the public meeting and it is
probably the least productive… The public meeting appears not to be the
right forum for the exchange of information or opinion. It might function
well as a community safety valve…but as a contribution to environmental
decision making it is often unhelpful…
It is becoming more usual with planning cases for them to be placed
before community forums of local people and other interested parties
[since] the earlier the community is involved in planning matters the
better chance a project has of eventually being implemented… The
resource implications of servicing forums are considerable and indeed
risky, as the debate may go in unexpected directions. Also, importantly,
such a process cannot be hurried. (Read 1997)
Finally, an essential part of effective public participation is feedback about any decisions
and actions taken, and how the public's views affected those decisions. In the US, for
instance, comments on a draft EIS are incorporated into the final EIS along with the
agency's response to those comments. For example:
comment: I am strongly opposed to the use of herbicides in the forest. I
believe in a poison-free forest! response: Your opposition to use of
herbicides was included in the content analysis of all comments received.
However, evidence in the EIS indicates that low risk use of selected
herbicides is assured when properly controlled—the evaluated herbicides
pose minimal risk as long as mitigation measures are enforced.
Without such feedback, people are likely to question the use to which their input was put,
and whether their participation had any effect at all; this could affect their approach to
subsequent projects as well as their view of the one under consideration.
6.2.3 UK procedures
Article 6 of EC Directive 85/337 (as amended by Directive 97/11) requires Member
States to ensure that:
• any request for development consent and any information gathered pursuant to Article 5
are made available to the public;
• the public concerned is given the opportunity to express an opinion before development
consent is granted.
The detailed arrangements for such information and consultation are determined by the
Member States which may in particular, depending on the particular characteristics of the
projects or sites concerned:
• determine the public concerned;
• specify the places where the information can be consulted;