Introduction and principles - Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment - page 18

sector funding, exemplified by such projects as the North Midlands Toll Road and the
Channel Tunnel. The initial planning stage A may take several years, and lead to a
specific proposal for a particular site. It is at stage B that the various control and
regulatory procedures, including EIA, normally come into play. The construction stage
can be particularly disruptive, and may last up to 10 years for some projects. Major
projects invariably have long operational lives, although extractive projects can be short
compared with infrastructure projects. The environmental impact of the eventual close-
down/decommisioning of a facility should not be forgotten; for nuclear power facilities it
is a major undertaking. Figure 1.5 shows how the stages in the life cycles of different
kinds of project may vary.
Figure 1.5 Broad variations in life
cycle stages between different types of
project.