Environmental Impact Assessment

The purpose of Environmental Impact Assessment is to rectify and evaluate the potential impacts of development and projects on the environmental system. It is a useful aid for decision making based on understanding of the environment implications including social, cultural and aesthetic concerns which could be integrated with the analysis of the project costs and benefits.

According to figures compiled by EA, the EIA and sustainable development consultancy work area was worth just shy of £250 million in 2013, which is some 44% higher than where it was at the height of the recession in 2010. Demand for these services has been growing since 2011 as the government prioritised infrastructure investment as a means of stimulating economic growth.