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Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal

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Urban Edge Environmental Consulting is a specialist in Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal in the UK.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the statutory process of appraising the potential environmental effects of plans and programmes in search of better, more sustainable outcomes for environmental receptors. In the UK, Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is a requirement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 for certain Local Development Framework documents and incorporates an SEA process.

SEA and SA is carried out for a range of plans and programmes in the UK and Europe and provides a means to assess the environmental and socio- economic effects of a plan at various points during its preparation. Our team has carried out a range of SEAs and SAs since its first application in the UK and has worked extensively with the following sectors:

  • Spatial Planning, including for Core Strategies, Area Action Plans and other Local Development Framework documents;
  • Transport: Transport plans and implementation programmes, including for the latest round (2011) of Local Transport Planning in England;
  • Minerals and Waste : Minerals and Waste Development Frameworks;
  • Economy: Regional Economic Strategies;
  • Landscape: Protected landscape plans, such as AONB Management Plans; and
  • Communities: Sustainable Community Strategies and Neighbourhood Plans.

Our team is able to assist with any aspect of the SEA/SA process. Our services include, but are not limited to:

  • A full service SEA/SA, from Scoping to Adoption;
  • Distinct stages of the SA process, including any combination of the following: preparation of the Scoping Report; assessment of alternatives; appraisal of earlier and later versions of the plan; the full Environmental Report; support at Examination; and/or the preparation of the SA Adoption Statement;
  • Provision of guidance and advice for in-house SEAs and SAs, including Quality Assurance reviews of SEA/SA processes carried out to date;
  • Capacity building and training to assist the development of in-house capacity for SEA and SA;
  • Baseline studies to inform the SEA/SA process;
  • Incorporation of additional appraisal processes within the SA process, including Equalities Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment and consideration of Ecosystems Services;
  • Ad hoc advice on SEA/SA, including at Examination; and
  • Advice on tiering related levels of environmental assessment for policies, plans, programmes and projects, linked to SEA/SA and Environmental Impact Assessment.

Urban Edge Environmental Consulting is a first and last port of call for all SEA and SA services. Our approach to SEA/SA seeks to support our clients to achieve their objectives in the most appropriate and sustainable manner, by helping them to prepare cost effective, legally robust and fully auditable SEAs/SAs. For statutory SEA/SA, we have developed an innovative methodology that combines legal requirements with best practice guidance, providing a robust, flexible procedure. This methodology is fully integrated, easy to use and accurate in its application, offering excellent value to our local authority and public sector clients.

Our approach to SEA/SEA is not limited; it does not merely aim to meet the minimum requirements of the SEA Directive. Instead our SEAs and SAs proactively seek to inform and influence the plan-making process at all stages to maximise the environmental and sustainability value of the plan. For this reason our clients highly value our input into the plan-making process, and our accessible, innovative and collaborative approach. It is perhaps no surprise therefore that we have built up exciting long-term relationships with a number of our clients to provide ongoing SEA and SA services.

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