An overview of UK practice to date - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 234

fulfilled six or more of the criteria, compared with 64 per cent of the pre-1991 criteria.
However, this review framework (Table 8.6), with simple yes/no grading and a very
limited list of criteria, could be regarded as providing a crude and perhaps over-harsh
review of quality. Using the more comprehensive range of criteria established by the IAU
(Table 8.7 and Section 6.5), the quality of EISs rose from just unsatisfactory (D) before
1991 to just satisfactory (C) after 1991. The percentage of satisfactory EISs 3 increased
from 36 to 60.
Other studies have focused on specific project types: for instance Kobus & Lee (1993)
and Pritchard et al. (1995) reviewed EISs for extractive industry projects,
Table 8.5 Aggregated EIS quality, % satisfactory*

Authors and year of study**

Lee & Colley
(1990)

Wood & Jones
(1991)

Lee & Brown
(1992)

Lee et al.
(1994)

Jones
(1995)

Year(s) EISs were
prepared

1988-89 25 37 34 17

1989-90 48
1990-91 60 47
1988-93 “just over
half”
* Satisfactory means marks of A, B or C based on the Lee & Colley criteria (1990 or 1992).

** No. of EISs analysed: Lee & Colley, 12; Wood & Jones, 24; Lee & Brown, 83; Lee et al., 47;
Jones, 40.

Table 8.6 Disaggregated EIS quality based on
simple “regulatory requirements”, % covered

Criterion 25 pre-

1991
EISs

25 post-
1991
EISs

1. Describes the proposed development, including its design and size or
scale.

76 84

2. Defines the land areas taken up by the development site and any
associated works, and shows their location on a map.

76 92

3. Describes the uses to which this land will be put and demarcates the
land use areas.

68 92

4. Considers direct and indirect effects of the project and any
consequential development.

60 80

5. Investigates these impacts in so far as they affect human beings, flora,
fauna, soil, water, air, climate, landscape, interactions between the

56 76