There are no legal, financial, or procedural barriers preventing East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) from implementing a stronger Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening policy — none. The full cost of EIA preparation falls entirely on developers, not the council. National policy (NPPF) not only allows but encourages local authorities to tailor EIA thresholds and requirements to reflect their area’s specific environmental and infrastructure pressures. EHDC holds full legal discretion to do so. The only missing ingredient is political will: a genuine, resident-focused leadership that chooses to act. Strengthening EIA screening is a no-brainer — it costs EHDC nothing and delivers enormous public benefit. Any refusal to pursue this reform cannot be justified on planning grounds; it can only be seen as an abdication of responsibility.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) isn’t just a bureaucratic box-ticking exercise — it’s a critical safeguard, designed to protect local communities, public services, and the environment from developments that might cause serious harm. And like any serious risk management process, it unfolds in structured steps.
To make it easy to understand, imagine the planning system as a healthcare system. Just as doctors don’t rush into surgery without checking a patient’s history, local councils shouldn’t approve large-scale developments without understanding their real-world impact — especially when multiple schemes may combine to produce cumulative harm.
🏥 The EIA Process – Explained Through a Health Analogy
| Stage | Planning Term / Actor | What It Does | Medical Analogy | Who Pays / Decides? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) | Sets the national rules for how and when EIA should be applied. Councils are encouraged to interpret and strengthen this based on local needs. | Like NHS clinical guidelines — national standards, but applied by local doctors. | National policy – EHDC decides how it’s implemented locally |
| 1 | EHDC (Local Planning Authority) | Determines if EIA is needed, what it must include, and whether cumulative risks should be examined. Has full legal discretion to require stronger screening. | Like your GP and local hospital board — deciding how best to apply the rules to protect patients. | EHDC decides — developer pays for all assessment, not the council |
| 2 | EIA Screening | Decides whether a full EIA is required. Must include a check for cumulative impact with other approved or planned developments. | Like triage — do current symptoms or known risk factors (including past conditions) justify tests? | Developer (small admin fee) |
| 3 | EIA Scoping | If an EIA is needed, scoping defines what topics must be studied and how deeply — including any combined/cumulative risks. | Like a doctor deciding whether to test the heart, lungs, liver — and whether existing health problems must be factored in. | Developer |
| 4 | EIA (Full Environmental Impact Assessment) | The developer commissions expert reports, surveys, and models on traffic, flooding, biodiversity, health services, etc. Findings go into an Environmental Statement. | Like a full medical workup before major surgery — detailed and evidence-based. | Developer |
| 5 | EIA Findings & Mitigation | The results shape planning conditions, developer contributions (e.g. roads, GPs, biodiversity offsetting), or project redesign. May include long-term monitoring. | Like a treatment plan — surgery allowed, but with follow-up, rehab, or medication. | Developer (via conditions, Section 106, etc.) |
🧱 Why Cumulative Impact Is So Critical — and So Often Ignored
Here’s where many councils, including EHDC, fall short: they treat each development in isolation, ignoring the fact that multiple smaller schemes can combine to cause major damage. That’s the essence of cumulative impact — and it’s already a required part of both the Screening and Scoping stages under national planning guidance.
It’s like assuming a single prescription is harmless — without checking whether the patient is already taking five others. One scheme might not overload a road or surgery, but five new estates across a village cluster absolutely can.
EHDC has both the legal right and the moral duty to insist on proper cumulative impact assessment — especially in overdeveloped areas like Four Marks, Medstead, Alton, and Whitehill. Yet time and again, it fails to use its powers.
🧾 Final Word
EIA, when done properly, is a vital planning tool. It’s not about blocking development — it’s about making sure growth happens responsibly, with the real-world effects understood, mitigated, and monitored.
- Developers pay for the entire process
- The NPPF allows and expects councils to strengthen safeguards locally
- EHDC has complete discretion to apply these checks based on local needs
- The only thing missing is the will to use the powers already available
