Graham Wood

Discretionary Judgement in Local Planning Authority Decision Making: Screening Development Proposals for Environmental Impact Assessment

Screening is a critical decision-stage in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and involves the determination of whether or not a development proposal will require EIA. This decision requires a discretionary judgement on whether the development has the potential to cause ‘significant environmental effects’, and consequently there is potential for diversity to exist in formal requests for EIA. Drawing upon a comprehensive survey of Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) in England and Wales, this paper explores the characteristics of LPA screening decision making since the introduction of revised EIA regulations in March 1999. The paper starts with a theoretical overview of rationality, decision making and planning theory, followed by a brief review of the regulatory context of EIA screening. The research approach is then outlined and the survey findings are presented, including a detailed consideration of organizational and individual level analyses set within the context of planning theory judgement debates. Comparisons with other European countries are briefly made, before drawing conclusions and recommendations.

Urban regeneration and impact assessment for social sustainability

This paper provides a working definition of social sustainability and highlights the growing array of social sustainability assessment tools (e.g. SIA, HIA, equality impact assessment, SA). Within EIA the social dimension has been very much the ‘poor relation’. However, changes in the UK planning system, the drive for sustainable communities, and for greater public involvement in decision making are raising the profile of the social dimension. This is particularly relevant for urban regeneration projects, which are often mixed use (including housing), and with the potential for development to be shaped by community involvement. The paper includes a review of recent environmental statements (ESs) for regeneration projects in the UK, which provides findings on, for example, the inclusion of social factors in the process; scope of such factors; methodological approaches and impact assessment tools; and role of community involvement. The research raises questions about the extent to which social issues shape outcomes; it also highlights some important challenges, including the key issue of ‘integration versus disintegration’ in the scope and process of impact assessment.

Fuzzy Sets and Simulated Environmental Change: Evaluating and Communicating Impact Significance in Environmental Impact Assessment

The concept of the significance of effects is a critical yet poorly understood component of environmental impact assessment (EIA). In this paper we explore the potential of fuzzy-set theory and simulations of environmental change for delineating evaluations of impact significance made by a range of stakeholders. The theoretical basis of fuzzy sets is explained and the approach is applied to the noise and visual effects associated with a ‘live’ windfarm EIA case study. In the final part of the paper we critically reflect on the approach before drawing conclusions.

Is what you see what you get?: Post-development auditing of methods used for predicting the zone of visual influence in EIA

Abstract Post-development auditing has been widely acknowledged as a means through which EIA could fulfill its potential to “learn from experience.” However, there remains a paucity of EIA audit research that focuses on the evaluation of specific predictive methods, and to date advances in the development of audit methodologies have been limited. In this paper a spatial approach to auditing techniques used for predicting the Zone of Visual Influence (ZVI) of projects is developed. For a series of four audit case studies, relevant ZVI predictions are tested to evaluate their accuracy and to identify the extent of impact over-prediction, under-prediction, and the occurrence of no-error (i.e., the prediction is correct). Statistical models of the residual errors (over- and under-prediction) and the no-error classification are then developed and interpreted to explore factors that explain the performance of the predictive techniques examined. Drawing on the audit findings, a framework for determining the likely accuracy of ZVI predictions is then developed based on the relationship between the precision of the predictive method and the complexity of the landscape setting. Finally, conclusions are drawn and limitations of the audit approach are highlighted.

Modelling the Ecological Footprint of Green Travel Plans Using GIS and Network Analysis: From Metaphor to Management Tool?

The author explores the use of ecological-footprint analysis for evaluating and communicating the environmental implications of transport alternatives within a company travel plan. From a case study of the Vodafone headquarters in Newbury, a component ecological footprint methodology is developed that employs geographic information systems (GIS) and network analysis to model the impacts of commuting activity prior to and after implementation of the companys ‘green travel plan’. Having provided an in-depth exploration of the footprint approach, the author considers the extent to which ecological footprinting may be used as a management tool for formulating, implementing, and refining company travel plans, in addition to its well-established role as a metaphor for communicating the consequences of consumption.

Assessing the quality of the ecological component of English Environmental Statements

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key tool to help ensure sustainable built development in more than 200 countries worldwide. Ecology is frequently a component of EIA and early reviews of Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) chapters identified scope for improvement at almost every stage of the EcIA process, regardless of country. However, there have been no reviews of UK EcIA chapters since 2000, despite important changes in biodiversity and planning legislation, policy and guidance. In addition, no UK EcIA chapter reviews have attempted to assign a grade or score to EcIA chapters (as has been done for reviews of US, Finnish and Indian EcIA chapters). Furthermore, no EcIA chapter reviews have attempted to use a scoring system to identify which variables determine EcIA chapter information content, beyond straightforward comparisons of EcIA chapters before and after the introduction of guidelines. A variant of the Biodiversity Assessment Index (BAI) was used to assign scores between zero and one to EcIA chapters based on a series of 47 questions drawn from EU legislation and professional guidance. 112 EcIA chapters for proposed developments that were subsequently granted planning permission in England were assessed. The mean BAI score was less than 0.5, indicating the presence of considerable information gaps in the majority of EcIA chapters. Of 13 predictor variables identified as having the potential to affect EcIA chapter quality, 10 were identified as significantly related to the BAI scores. A backward stepwise Generalized Linear Model identified the use of professional guidance, the ecological consultancy type and the length of the EcIA chapter as having the greatest combined explanatory power. As a result, several recommendations are made to help improve future EcIA chapter content, including formal EcIA chapter review, publicising the professional guidance to consultants, the provision of training and the introduction of an accreditation scheme for consultants involved in EcIA This approach could be replicated in other countries that conduct EIA. Context-dependent EcIA chapter review criteria (as in this paper) would help to identify targeted recommendations for improvement. Alternatively, a global set of review criteria could highlight areas of best practice that could then be exported to other countries.

Environmental impact assessment and the planning process of major sports events in Brazil: a case study of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games

This paper investigates the implementation and enforcement of environmental licensing and environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations and decisions in the context of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil. The methodology includes detailed case study analysis involving document analysis and interviews with key stakeholders. The results demonstrate that implementation and enforcement of EIA and environmental licensing still have a long way to go in terms of being fully effective in Brazil. Despite this, in the scope of the case study, the results showed that implementation and enforcement of environmental licensing and EIA regulations and decisions seem to be undertaken according to relevant regulations in the context of the Pan American Village. Finally, recommendations for major sports events and for the Brazilian context to strengthen its regulatory framework for environmental licensing and EIA are developed.

BIM Big Data System Architecture for Asset Management: A Conceptual Framework

Effective decision making in the AEC/FM industry has been based increasingly on an exponential growth of data extracted from different sources and technologies. It has been argued that Building Information Modelling (BIM) can handle this information efficiently, acting as a data pool where data can be stored, managed and integrated. Indeed, a BIM platform based on cloud computing and Big Data can manage the storage and flow of data, as well as extract knowledge from Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Internet of Things (IoT), asset management, energy management and materials and resources databases. Furthermore, it can also provide an opportunity for multiple users to view, access and edit the data in 3D environment. This paper describes the requirements and different components of a BIM Big Data platform for facilitating management of building assets. This is achieved by firstly, conducting a critical peer review to ascertain Big Data definitions and stages, and also to define the critical BIM requirements for the Big Data platform. At the crux, this paper presents a conceptual framework for developing a Big Data platform for BIM which incorporates suitable tools and techniques needed to export, store, analyse and visualise BIM data.