Appropriate Assessment

European Directive 92/43/EEC (The Habitats Directive) requires the competent authority to carry out an Appropriate Assessment of plans and projects that either alone or in combination with other plans and projects are likely to have a significant effect on a European designated site (part of the Natura 2000 network).  The required process that is undertaken is sometimes referred to as the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA).

Why does this involve developers?

It is the developer’s responsibility to provide the competent authority with all the information that it needs in order to reach a conclusion about whether there will be an adverse effect on the European site. This conclusion must be reached after consultation with statutory consultees. Development may only proceed in the event that no adverse impact is demonstrated.

The Natura 2000 network is composed of over 600 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and over 240 Special Protection Areas (SPAs), however, UK government planning policy also extends the same levels of protection to Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention), of which there are currently over 140 in the UK.

What services do we offer?

• Identification of constraints to development created by European designated sites
• Advice on how these constraints will affect a proposed development or plan
• The collection and presentation of all necessary information (where available) to allow the competent authority to reach a decision about the likelihood of an effect on the designated site. This may be achieved by drawing together and managing a team of specialists and collating various inputs
• The development of mitigation measures to remove any possible adverse effects