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The EIA Quality Mark is a scheme operated by IEMA that allows organisations (both developers and consultancies) that lead the co-ordination of statutory EIAs in the UK to make a commitment to excellence in their EIA activities and have this commitment independently reviewed. The EIA Quality Mark is a voluntary scheme, with organisations free to choose whether they are ready to operate to its seven EIA Commitments.
By choosing a consultancy registered to the EIA Quality Mark you know that they are not only committed to delivering you a quality product, but that their EIA activities have also been independently reviewed by IEMA. A list of EIA Quality Mark Registrants is available. The EIA Quality Mark Registrant list is made up of many of the UK’s leading consultancies and the scheme’s first developer – The Environment Agency’s National Environmental Assessment Service (NEAS). All registrants have committed to excellence in their EIA activities and are proud to have gained membership of the scheme.
The EIA Quality Mark registrants adhere to seven key commitments. These commitments underpin and keep the high standard of the scheme.
We commit to using effective project control and management processes to deliver quality in the EIAs we co-ordinate and the Environmental Statements we produce.
We commit to ensuring that all our EIA staff have the opportunity to undertake regular and relevant continuing professional development.
We commit to delivering Environmental Statements that meet the requirements established within the appropriate UK EIA Regulations.
We commit to ensuring that all EIAs we coordinate are effectively scoped and that we will transparently indicate how the EIA process, and any consultation undertaken, influenced the development proposed and any alternatives considered.
We commit to undertaking assessments that include: a robust analysis of the relevant baseline; assessment and transparent evaluation of impact significance; and an effective description of measures designed to monitor and manage significant effects.
We commit to deliver Environmental Statements that set out environmental information in a transparent and understandable manner.
We commit to enhance the profile of good quality EIA by working with IEMA to deliver a mutually agreed set of activities, on an annual basis, and by making appropriate examples of our work available to the wider EIA community.
IEMA’s EIA Quality Mark scheme is open to organisations that co-ordinate (take the lead on) statutory UK Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and lead production of the associated Environmental Statements (ES). As such, both developers and consultancies can apply to become registered with the scheme.
Non-technical Summaries should be concise and written in easily understandable language in order to provide a document that is accessible to the general public. IEMA has produced an eBrief on “Effective NTS for EIA”.