Strategic environmental assessment of development plans in Great Britain

Although Britain has no legislation regarding strategic environmental assessment (SEA), SEA guidance exists and various forms of SEA are carried out: 'environmental appraisals ' of development plans, 'environmental profiles' of European Structural Fund applications, ad hoc SEAs for specific sectors, and SEAs for Cabinet decisions. These are characterized by their qualitative approach, relative brevity, and lowcost. This article begins by reviewing British SEA guidelines. The status of environmental appraisal of development plans is discussed inmore detail, based on a series of questionnaires of all U.K. local authorities that queried: the current stage of their appraisal, who carried it out, what techniques were used, what were thought to be the costs and benefits of environmental appraisal, and advice on carryingout all appraisal. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the benefits and limitations of Britain's 'streamlined' form of SEA. (c) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]