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Scottish Executive SEA Templates
Template 3 - Environmental Report (without integrated guidance notes)

SEA Environmental Report - Cover Note

Contents of the Environmental Report

Non-technical summary (Including timescale and address for comments)

Introduction

• Purpose of this Environmental Report and key facts about the PPS
• SEA activities to date

Context

• Outline and objectives of [name of PPS]
• Relationship with other PPS and environmental objectives
• Relevant aspects of the current state of the environment
• Environmental problems
• Likely future of the area without the PPS
• SEA Objectives

Assessment of environmental effects and measures envisaged for the preventions, reduction and offsetting of significant adverse effects

• Alternatives considered
• Assessment methods
• Assessment of PPS and alternatives
• Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects

Monitoring

Next steps

Appendix A. Links to other PPS and environmental objectives
Appendix B. Full assessment results

NOTE - There are likely to be additional appendices such as maps

Non-Technical Summary

Introduction

Purpose of this Environmental Report and key facts

As part of the preparation of [name of PPS] [name of Responsible Authority] is carrying out a Strategic Environmental Assessment ( SEA). SEA is a systematic method for considering the likely environmental effects of certain PPS. SEA aims to:

• integrate environmental factors into PPS preparation and decision-making;
• improve PPS and enhance environmental protection;
• increase public participation in decision making; and
• facilitate openness and transparency of decision-making.

SEA is required by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. The key SEA stages are:

The purpose of this Environmental Report is to:

• provide information on [name of PPS];
• identify, describe and evaluate the likely significant effects of the PPS and its reasonable alternatives;
• provide an early and effective opportunity for the Consultation Authorities and the public to offer views on any aspect of this Environmental Report.

The key facts relating to [ PPS] are set out in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Key facts relating to [name of PPS]

• Name of Responsible Authority
• Title of PPS
• What prompted the PPS ( e.g. legislative, regulatory or administrative provision)
• Subject ( e.g. transport)
• Period covered by PPS
• Frequency of updates
• Area covered by PPS [ note - a map may be useful]
• Purpose and/or objectives of PPS
• Contact point

SEA activities to date

Table 2 summarises the SEA activities to date in relation to [name of PPS]

Table 2. SEA activities to date

[ Name of PPS] and its Context

Outline and objectives of [name of PPS]

The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that the Environmental Report includes " an outline of the contents and main objectives of the plan or programme". The purpose of this section is to explain the nature, contents, objectives and timescale of the [ PPS].

Relationship with other PPS and environmental objectives

The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that the Environmental Report includes an outline of the PPS relationships with other relevant PPS and how environmental protection objectives have been taken into account in the PPS preparation. This section covers these issues and describes the policy context within which the PPS operates, and the constraints and targets that this context imposes on the PPS.

Table 3 summarises how [name of PPS] affects, and is affected by, other relevant PPS and environmental protection objectives. Appendix A shows a more detailed analysis.

Table 3. Relevant plans, programmes and strategies ( PPS) and environmental protective objectives, and their relationship with [name of PPS]

* Biodiversity, flora, fauna, population, human health, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, cultural heritage (including architectural and archaeological heritage), landscape, inter-relationship between these issues; secondary and cumulative effects.

Key points arising from this analysis are ………………………………………………….

Relevant aspects of the current state of the environment

The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 Schedule 3 requires that the Environmental Report includes a description of the relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and the likely evolution thereof without implementation of the PPS, and "the environmental characteristics of areas likely to be significantly affected". This section aims to describe the environmental context within which the PPS operates and the constraints and targets that this context imposes on the PPS.

The table below summarises the data collected and the source.

The following paragraphs describe the area of [name of PPS]:

The following summarises the likely gaps and/or unreliability of the SEA baseline data, and how they were minimised:

Environmental problems

The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that the Environmental Report includes a description of existing environmental problems, in particular those relating to any areas of particular environmental importance. The purpose of this section is to explain how existing environmental problems will affect or be affected by [name of PPS], and whether the PPS is likely to aggravate, reduce or otherwise affect existing environmental problems.

Environmental problems were identified through discussions with [ name organisations with whom discussions were had] and an analysis of the baseline data. Relevant environmental problems are summarised at Table 4.

Table 4. Environmental problems relevant to [name of PPS]

Likely evolution of the environment without [name of PPS]

Without [name of PPS] it is considered that the likely future changes to the area will be: ____________________________

SEA Objectives

Assessment of environmental effects and measures envisaged for prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects

Alternatives to which SEA was applied

The following alternatives were considered as part of this strategic environmental assessment:

Assessment methods

The PPS and its alternatives, described earlier, have been assessed against the list of environmental issues set out in Schedule 3 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. Comments from the Consultation Authorities ( SNH, SEPA and The Scottish Ministers (Historic Scotland)) have been taken into account regarding the methods, scope and level of detail in this Environmental Report.

Table 5. Framework used to assess [name of PPS]

Assessment of alternatives - summary

The PPS and its alternatives were assessed using the framework shown above. A summary of the assessment findings is shown in Table 6, and the full findings are shown in Appendix B.

Table 6. Summary of assessment findings

Assessment of alternatives - cumulative and synergistic effects

Guidance note - Chapter 12 of the Tool Kit provides further guidance

Assessment of alternatives - cumulative and synergistic effects

Table 7

Table 7 was sourced by Levett-Therivel (Sustainability Consultants)

Assessment of alternatives, compatibility with other PPS

Table 8

Table 8 was sourced by Levett-Therivel (Sustainability Consultants)

Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of significant adverse effects

Schedule 3 para. 7 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that the Environmental Report includes the measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse effects on the environment of implementing the PPS. Table 9 sets out any environmental problems that are likely to remain on implementation of the PPS and summarises measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects.

Table 9 Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects

Monitoring

Section 19 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires the Responsible Authority to monitor significant environmental effects of the implementation of the PPS. This needs to be done in such a way as to also enable them to identify any unforeseen adverse effects at an early stage and to enable them to take appropriate remedial action.

The following activities were undertaken to establish the monitoring approach ..[insert details]

The proposed SEA monitoring activities are set out in Table 10.

Table 10 Proposed SEA monitoring programme

Next Steps

Table 11 lists future milestones in the development of the PPS and its SEA, and the dates when these are expected to be completed.

Table 11 Anticipated PPS-making and SEA milestones

Appendix A - Links to other plans, programmes and strategies and environmental protection objectives

Appendix B. Full assessment results

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