QMS & EMS London

After the launch of the IEMA quality mark scheme in 2011, opportunities arose to improve practice among environment impact assessment (EIA) professionals in the UK. In particular, it was felt that guidance was needed on the role EIA played in shaping design before a project was granted consent. IEMA EIA Guide to Shaping Quality Development aims to promote the assessment as a design tool and establish the principles and framework for maximising the interaction between the environmental technical team and the master planning or architectural team. LDA Design worked with the Environment Agency and IEMA on the guide, which was launched at the institute’s EIA masterclass conference in November 2015. LDA is a design, environment and sustainability consultancy that works on development and infrastructure projects, and has a good understanding of how the environmental impact assessment and design processes interact.

This article explores the role of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) in complex urban sites, in particular, how an ES can ensure that local planning authorities are fully aware of likely effects and can balance those against other considerations.  Nexus Planning has recently secured approval for one of the largest regeneration projects in the London borough of Haringey, at St Ann’s Hospital. The project, for Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, will deliver 470 new homes, a shop, and new healthcare facilities, including a mental health inpatient building on an 11 hectare site.