Strategic environmental assessment – Eco consulting

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) – a procedure (according to the Law of the country “On Strategic Environmental Assessment”, which entered into force on October 20, 2018 under № 2354-VIII), necessary to identify, describe and assess the effects on the environment and health I population through the implementation of state planning documents (urban planning documentation: master plan, detailed plan of the territory or zoning plan of the territory, district planning schemes, strategies, national programs, state target programs and other programs and program documents that are developed and / or subject to approval by public authorities, local governments), development of measures to prevent, reduce and mitigate possible negative consequences.

Strategic environmental assessment includes the following stages:

determining the scope of strategic environmental assessment;
preparation of a report on strategic environmental assessment;
conducting public discussions and consultations;
taking into account the report on strategic environmental assessment, the results of public discussion and consultations;
informing about the approval of the state planning document;
monitoring the consequences of the implementation of the state planning document for the environment and public health.

Determining the scope of strategic environmental assessment

To determine the scope of research, methods of environmental assessment, the level of detail of information to be included in the report on strategic environmental assessment, the customer (executive authority, local government, other customer of state planning documents) submits an application “On determining the scope of research” on its official website in order to receive within 15 days comments and suggestions from the public and take them into account in the strategic assessment report and the state planning document.

Preparation of a report on strategic environmental assessment

The strategic environmental assessment report should be prepared with the involvement of qualified environmental engineers and public health specialists, as the SEA report requires the use of knowledge of sanitary and environmental legislation, methods of environmental risk and impact assessment, as well as the development of prevention measures. reduction and mitigation of possible negative effects on the environment and public health.

The report should contain the following information:

content and main goals of the state planning document, its connection with other state planning documents;
characteristics of the current state of the environment, including public health, and forecast changes in this state, if the state planning document is not approved (according to administrative data, statistical information and research results);
characteristics of the state of the environment, living conditions of the population and the state of its health in the territories that are likely to be affected (according to administrative data, statistical information and research results);
environmental problems, including risks to public health related to the state planning document, in particular for areas with environmental status (according to administrative data, statistical information and research results);
obligations in the field of environmental protection, including those related to the prevention of adverse effects on public health, established at the international, state and other levels related to the state planning document, as well as ways to take such obligations into account during preparation state planning document;
description of the consequences for the environment, including for the health of the population, including secondary, cumulative, synergistic, short-, medium- and long-term (1, 3-5 and 10-15 years, respectively, and if necessary – 50-100 years), permanent and temporary, positive and negative consequences;
measures to be taken to prevent, reduce and mitigate the negative consequences of the implementation of the state planning document;
justification for the choice of justified alternatives considered, a description of the manner in which the strategic environmental assessment was carried out, including any complications (lack of information and technical means during such an assessment);
measures envisaged for monitoring the consequences of the implementation of the state planning document for the environment, including for the health of the population;
a description of the likely transboundary effects on the environment, including public health (if any);
non-technical resume designed for a wide audience.

The SEA report should also take into account comments and suggestions from the public and the executive authorities implementing state policy in the field of environmental protection and public health. The report on the strategic environmental assessment is signed by all its authors (performers) indicating their qualifications.

Conducting public discussion, consultations and taking into account in the state planning document the report on strategic environmental assessment, the results of public discussion and consultations

The projects of town-planning documentation developed in accordance with the established procedure at the local level are subject to discussion: general plans of settlements, plans of zoning of territories, detailed plans of territories. As part of the public discussion procedure, the notice “on the publication of the draft state planning document and the report on strategic environmental assessment” is published in the print media (at least two) specified by the customer and posted on the official website of the customer.

The customer ensures the placement of the notice and access to the draft state planning document and the report on the strategic environmental assessment throughout the period of public discussion. The term of public discussion is set by the customer and may not be less than 30 days from the date of publication of the notice.

Customers of urban planning documentation are obliged to provide:

promulgation of decisions on the development of urban planning documentation at the local level with projected legal, economic and environmental consequences, including for public health;
publication of draft town-planning documentation at the local level, explanatory note, section “Environmental protection” or strategic environmental assessment report on its official websites, as well as free access to such information to the public;
registration, consideration and consideration of public proposals for draft urban planning documentation at the local level;
conducting public hearings on draft urban planning documentation at the local level;
coordination of disputes between the public and customers of urban planning documentation at the local level through the conciliation commission;
publication of the results of consideration of proposals of the public and executive bodies to the projects of town-planning documentation at the local level.

It is forbidden to approve town-planning documentation at the local level without holding a public discussion of drafts of such documentation.

Taking into account in the state planning document the report on the strategic environmental assessment of the Consultations and the results of the public discussion

The draft state planning document, the report on the strategic environmental assessment and the notification on the publication of these documents are submitted by the customer (on paper and in electronic form) to the executive authorities implementing the state policy in the field of environmental protection and public health.

The draft document of state planning at the local and regional levels, the report on strategic environmental assessment and notification of publication of these documents shall be submitted by the customer (on paper and in electronic form) to the regional administrations (relevant departments for environmental protection and health)

These executive branches, after receiving the draft state planning document and the report on strategic environmental assessment within five working days, post a notice on the publication of the draft state planning document on their official website indicating the customer and within a period not exceeding 30 days from on the day of receipt, submit to the customer in writing comments and proposals to the draft state planning document and the report on strategic environmental assessment.

All comments and suggestions received during the period specified in this article are subject to mandatory consideration by the customer. Based on the results of the review, the customer takes into account the comments and suggestions received or rejects them with reasons.

Based on the results of the consultations, the customer prepares a certificate of consultations, which summarizes the comments and suggestions received and indicates how the document of state planning and strategic environmental assessment report takes into account the comments and suggestions submitted in accordance with this article. planning as proposed for approval, among other justified alternatives submitted for consideration. The received written remarks and offers are attached to the reference. The consultation certificate is public information.

Informing about the approval of the state planning document

Within five working days from the date of approval of the state planning document, the customer shall place on its official website the approved state planning document, measures envisaged for monitoring the consequences of the state planning document, certificates of consultations and public discussion and notify the body in writing. which implements the state policy in the field of environmental protection, on strategic environmental assessment.

Monitoring

The customer, within its competence, monitors the consequences of the implementation of the state planning document for the environment, including public health, once a year publishes its results on its official website and in case of detection of negative consequences not provided by the report on strategic environmental assessment for the environment, including for the health of the population, takes measures to eliminate them.

The SEA procedure requires from the customer special knowledge of sanitary and environmental legislation, methods of assessing environmental aspects, risks and impacts, as well as the development of measures to prevent, reduce and mitigate possible adverse effects on the environment and public health. Therefore, the implementation of this work should be entrusted to an expert organization with a positive reputation and experience in performing strategic environmental assessment. In this case, your organization reduces the likelihood of obtaining negative conclusions on the SEA and has the opportunity to save time, financial resources during the procedure and obtaining permits.