Introduction and principles - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 6

Table 1.1 An EIS for a project—example or
contents
Non-technical summary
Part 1: Methods and key issues
1. Methods statement
2. Summary of key issues; monitoring programme statement
Part 2: Background to the proposed development
3. Preliminary studies: need, planning, alternatives and site selection
4. Site description, baseline conditions
5. Description of proposed development
6. Construction activities and programme
Part 3: Environmental impact assessment—topic areas
7. Land use, landscape and visual quality
8. Geology, topography and soils
9. Hydrology and water quality
10. Air quality and climate
11. Ecology: terrestrial and aquatic
12. Noise
13. Transport
14. Socio-economic impact
15. Interrelationships between effects
1.2.4 Other relevant definitions
Development actions may have impacts not only on the physical environment but also on
the social and economic environment. Typically, employment opportunities, services
(e.g. health, education) and community structures, lifestyles and values may be affected.
Socio-economic impact assessment or social impact assessment (SIA) is regarded here as
an integral part of EIA. However, in some countries it is (or has been) regarded as a
separate process, sometimes parallel to EIA, and the reader should be aware of its
existence (Carley & Bustelo 1984, Finsterbusch 1985, IAIA 1994, Vanclay 2003).
Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) expands EIA from projects to policies,
plans and programmes (PPPs). Development actions may be for a project (e.g. a nuclear
power station), for a programme (e.g. a number of pressurized water reactor (PWR)
nuclear power stations), for a plan (e.g. in the town and country planning (T&CP) system
in England and Wales, for local plans and structure plans) or for a policy (e.g. the