Improving the effectiveness of project assessment - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 337

11
Improving the effectiveness of project
assessment
11.1 Introduction
Overall, the experience of EIA to date can be summed up as being like the proverbial
curate's egg: good in parts. Current issues in the EIA process were briefly noted in
Section 1.6: they include scoping, EIA methodology, the roles of the participants in the
process, EIS quality, monitoring and the extension of EIA to more strategic levels of
decision-making. The various chapters on steps in the process have sought to identify
best practice, and Chapter 8 provides an overview of the quantity and quality of UK
practice to date. Detailed case studies of good practice and comparative international
experience provide further ideas for possible future developments. The evolving, but still
in some cases limited, experience in EIA among the main participants in the process—
consultants, local authorities, central government, developers and affected parties—
explains some of the current issues.
However, 15 years after the implementation of EC Directive 85/337, there is less
scepticism in most quarters and a general acceptance of the value of EIA. There are still
some major shortcomings, and there is considerable scope for improving quality, but
practice and the underpinning knowledge and understanding are quickly developing; EIA
is on a steep learning curve. The procedures, process and practice of EIA will
undoubtedly evolve further, as evidenced by the comparative studies of other countries.
The EU countries can learn from such experience and from their own experience since
1988.
This chapter focuses on the prospects for project-based EIA. The following section
briefly considers the array of perspectives on change from the various participants in the
EIA process. This is followed by a consideration of possible developments in some
important areas of the EIA process and in the nature of EISs. The chapter concludes with
a discussion of the parallel and complementary development of environmental
management systems and audits. The nature and types of system and audit are explained,
and their important relationships to EIA are discussed. Chapter 12 closes the topic by
widening the scope of EIA to SEA, from projects to programmes, plans and policies.
11.2 Perspectives on change
An underlying theme in any discussion of EIA is change. This has surfaced several times
in the various chapters of this topic. EIA systems and procedures are changing in many