Environmental impact assessment meaning

Pearce v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy [2021] EWHC 326 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? While the facts are specific to this matter, multiple offshore schemes along England’s east coast are moving through consent, and each must robustly account for cumulative effects. The case also underlines mounting pushback from local communities against sizeable onshore infrastructure in the area, coinciding with BEIS’s programme reviewing offshore transmission and different approaches to linking offshore wind schemes and landing renewable power. The court further made clear that, even where a proposal aligns with government policy and helps deliver low‑carbon, renewable generation consistent with legal duties towards ‘net zero’ and tackling climate change, that alignment does not displace the requirement for any application to evaluate every impact properly and in accordance with the law. All such proposals therefore need to demonstrate, through the application process, that cumulative and project‑specific effects have been considered with sufficient rigour, rather than assuming policy support or climate objectives will...

R (on the application of Wingfield) v Canterbury City Council [2019] EWHC 1975 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The decision does not establish any new legal principle, but usefully reiterates settled law concerning what is commonly termed ‘salami slicing’. This describes breaking up a single development into smaller elements that fall beneath EIA thresholds, thereby sidestepping the need for an environmental assessment. Salami slicing has been found to be unlawful and should be avoided. The judgment confirms that defining the relevant ‘project’ for EIA purposes is a matter for the competent authority’s judgment, though it remains susceptible to challenge on grounds of Wednesbury rationality or other public law error. Lang J indicated that the following considerations are pertinent when deciding whether two schemes amount to a single project for the EIA regime: common ownership—two sites held or promoted by the same person may point to a single project (Larkfleet) simultaneous determinations—two applications considered and determined by the same committee on...

In this issue: EU fundamentals Commercial Competition and state aid Corporate Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission releases October 2025 infringement package The European Commission has unveiled its October 2025 infringement package, identifying the EU Member States facing proceedings for breaches of obligations arising under EU law. The dossier covers letters of formal notice, reasoned opinions, and referrals to the Court of Justice addressed to Belgium, Malta, Estonia, Austria, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and a number of additional countries. Actions relate to multiple instruments and rules, notably Directive 1999/31/EC (Landfill Directive), Directive (EU) 2020/2184 (Drinking Water Directive), and Directive 2011/92/EU (Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive), among related matters. See: LNB News 08/10/2025 39. ...

National policy 25-Year Environment Plan —the 25-Year Environment Plan outlines the government’s commitments to enhance the environment within a generation. The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP 2023) for England was the first statutory update to the 25-Year Environment Plan under the Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021). On 1 December 2025, it was replaced by the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 (EIP 2025), now the current environmental improvement plan for EA 2021 purposes. EIP 2025 renews the long-term framework for achieving environmental outcomes, revises the interim targets in EIP 2023 and adds two new interim targets. EIP 2025 is pertinent to waste planning as part of the broader policy to improve resource efficiency and drive the move to a more circular economy, complementing the Resources and Waste Strategy and the Waste Management Plan for England (see below). Resources and Waste Strategy The Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the government intends to conserve material resources by cutting waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy in...

Breach of planning control and enforcement action Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990), any breach of planning control can be met with enforcement measures. For these purposes, a breach of planning control is understood to mean: undertaking development without the requisite planning permission — this presumes that an unauthorised operation or a material change of use has occurred which amounts to development within TCPA 1990, s 55, that such development requires planning permission, and that no permission has been secured When determining whether a breach of planning control has arisen in this context, the applicable guidance and case law on the meaning of ‘development’ must be applied; see Overview: Is planning permission required?...

This Practice Note contains guidance on assessing the risk of your organisation causing or contributing to an adverse human rights impact Human rights due diligence and risk assessment are not presently mandated by UK law; however, they remain a core element of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Adopting these practices is also sound business sense, helping to safeguard an organisation against operational and reputational risks linked to causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts. In addition, particular facets of the responsibility to respect human rights may already be required by domestic legislation, such as health and safety, non-discrimination, or environmental laws. The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, Directive (EU) 2024/1760 (CSDDD), further introduces compulsory human rights and environmental due diligence obligations for the largest companies within the European Union and, in some instances, for those operating outside it...