Publication
Strategic Environmental Assessment: Guidelines for Regional Assemblies and Planning Authorities
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
These Guidelines provide advice on carrying out SEA in the land-use planning sector for those plans listed in S.I. No.436 of 2004, as amended. They replace previous guidance for Regional Authorities and Planning Authorities published in 2004. The plans in S.I. No.436 of 2004, as amended, comprise regional, county and local plans, including Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, County or City Development Plans, variations of Development Plans, Local Area Plans and Planning Schemes for Strategic Development Zones.
The Department’s original SEA Guidelines date from 2004 and were published just after the transposition of the SEA Directive into Irish law and the introduction of its formal implementation into the Irish land use planning system.
In 2019, the European Commission published the results of an appraisal of the effectiveness of the SEA Directive across all Member States and determined that the Directive was fit for purpose. In the light of the current focus within the European Union and further afield on the threats posed by climate change and the global decline in biodiversity, SEA has also been an important process in ensuring that plans and programmes are compliant with the relevant national, regional and local environmental objectives and targets.
Whilst the SEA Directive has remained unchanged, the approach to complying with its requirements and undertaking the various procedural steps has evolved. The updated Guidelines reflect these changes, incorporating elements of good practice collected from academic research and providing useful links to external sources of information. The Guidelines place an enhanced emphasis on key aspects of SEA including screening for SEA, effective scoping during SEA, addressing amendments late in the SEA process and ensuring that monitoring of the effects of the implementation of the plan on the environment takes place throughout the lifetime of the plan.
