Development of guidelines for improving the effectiveness of environmental assessment

The Midlands Region of the Environment Agency has undertaken a 4-year study to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the environmental assessment (EA) process used in association with its operational projects in the water environment. The study started from first principles, reviewing the policy and legislative needs, operational needs, and best practice world/wide. A best practice EA model was developed that has evolved through a number of iterative steps. A much more prescriptive and open project management process has emerged, with an emphasis on a holistic approach to EA. The new procedures have updated quality assurance mechanisms and project management tools to ensure that the agreed environmental constraints are actually implemented, which is achieved through the use of an environmental action plan. This article discusses the review process and identifies guidelines for improving the effectiveness of the EA process. We suggest that the procedures discussed here may be useful in a wider context.