Strategic Environmental
Assessment (SEA)
Development of alternatives for
environmental planning in Ireland
Dr Margaret Desmond
EPA Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Geography
University College Cork,
Ireland
[email protected]
Presentation outline
 Alternatives in SEA
 Development of SEA
alternatives methodology
 SEA alternatives criteria
 Decision support
framework
 Conclusion
Development of alternatives in
SEA
 Legal requirement to identify, describe and
evaluate ‘reasonable alternatives’ to the plan
 No guidance on how alternatives should be
identified/developed
 Knowledge gap exists in relation to:


criteria for identifying/developing alternatives
Decision support framework
Methodology used for criteria
& decision support framework
1. Establish current alternatives development criteria
1.
2.
3.
Directive/legislation
Guidelines
Sample set of SEA’s in Irish context
2. Determined initial list
1.
Introduce SEA specific criteria
3. Engage with practitioners,statutory consultees,
consultants, academics
1.
: questionnaires, interviews, workshop
4. Work on decision support framework
Focus of criteria
 Criteria must:


Address existing problems
Anticipate potential problems
 Shift focus from problem solving to
providing solutions

More strategic
Suggested SEA specific criteria
(1.1)
 SEA Criteria
 Sustainability criteria (e.g. sustainability of
water supply, social acceptability of plan)
 Tier of decision making (what influences have
flowed from higher levels of decision making)


Had a policy dependency path been set?
Hierarchy of options

what options are available appropriate to the tier
of decision making
Suggested SEA specific criteria
(1.2)




Existing environmental issues for P/P
 Water quality, loss of biodiversity
Potential environmental issues as a result of
implementing P/P
 Development pressures-impacts on water quality
Environmental protection objectives (e.g. water,
biodiversity)
 Set at international, national, regional levels
Timing


Has it been ‘early and effective?
Consultation

Who was consulted on alternatives?
Decision support framework for
developing SEA alternatives
 Framework based on criteria
 Movement through framework based on yes/no
answers
 Developed with a view to generating ‘reasonable’
alternatives with land use planning in Ireland


Reasonable- capable of being implemented
Within statutory scope of authority and plan
 Sets out what might be done within scoping
exercise, and within environmental report
preparation
 Use of advice notes to provide explanation
Discussion
 Application of criteria vary according to level of
decision, sector, timing of SEA, degree of SEA
integration into Plan making

Not prescriptive
 Will not give rise to specific types of alternatives

Plans vary, institutional, judicial frameworks vary
 Decision support framework


Guide best practice in the development of ‘reasonable’
alternatives’
Can be used in quality review of alternatives
identification
Thank You