A Critical evaluation of the Croxley Rail Link Environmental Impact Assessment
1) Discuss the extent to which environmental considerations have shaped the planning and design of the Croxley Rail Link.
Introduction
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been broadly defined as an assessment process in which the environmental considerations of a development proposal are taken into account in the decision making process. In its official definition the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) describes EIA as:
"the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made" (IAIA,2009).
Similarly, Glasson et al (2012) define EIA as a systematic process that evaluates environmental consequences of the development process in advance, with a focus upon preventative measures. Whilst the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in its guidance of EIA outlines the aims of EIA to:
"prevent, reduce or offset the significant adverse environmental effects and enhance positive ones" (DCLG,2006).
These definitions of EIA all stress the need for the environment to be involved within the planning process for developments. The outline process of EIA, as shown in Figure 1, in the words of Glasson et al (2012) provides planners with a systematic, holistic and multidisciplinary framework to assess the impacts of development upon the environment.
The requirement for...
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...d desire for the reinstating of the former Croxley Green Rail Link upon which the development focused (Mouchel, 2011b). As such, three key objectives of the proposal were defined (Mouchel, 2011b):
• to enhance sustainable travel links within Watford
• to improve local travel connectivity within Watford
• to provide a sustainable and value for money alternative to car travel, with a specific emphasis on reducing noise and greenhouse gas emissions.
On the basis of these stated objectives it does appear that environmental concerns, in terms of sustainable transport use and greenhouse gas emission reductions, have been considered in the proposal. However this doesn't necessarily indicate whether the environment has been definitely considered in the design process of the proposal, or whether this is a reflection of the social and economic influences upon the proposal.
DiClemente (2013) stated, “Although no evaluation is perfect, evaluation research can have a high degree of rigor” (DiClemente, Salazar, & Crosby, 2013, pp. 298). The result of a high degree of rigor can lead to the utilization by program planners and policy experts which would in turn could impact public health policy and promotion practice (DiClemente et al., 2013). This is obtained by a step by step, all equally important, process in what is known as the “Nine Step Stairway to Effective Evaluation”.
This Environmental Impact Statement and its enclosed project alternatives can be reviewed for project approval as well as any additional scoping that may be necessary. The preferred build alternative should be selected because of the low environmental impact and beneficial economic benefits compared to the other build and no-build alternatives.
We would like to begin by discussing the evolution of what will become known as the EBR. The first idea of having a statute that would provide people with environmental rights can be traced back to American law. The first of such laws was the Michigan Environmental Protection Act (MEPA) of 1970 which was seen as a “lean, mean, green, right to sue” (Lindgren, 2010). It was the work of the then University of Michigan law professor Joseph Sax (Emond, 1994). He had previously thought up the idea for an environmental rights act in his book, Defending the Environment (Emond, 1994). The idea was quickly taken up by environmentalists in Canada, especially by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) (Emond, 1994). Soon...
...number of people depending on the movement of goods and transportation is always going to be a large portion of the population. “ This is perhaps the most important force in shifting from the old paradigm. Because customers want products when, where, and how they choose, distribution is increasingly a vital component of the supply chain” (Kirchhoff M, Peacock J. 2005). Expanding the clearing yards to a larger number of rails should begin to decrease the amount of congestion the city is witnessing with their freight traffic. Even the problems are being stressed amongst the citizens of the state. The arrival times are unpredictable and are breaking down all the time. Being old like the rest of the rail infrastructure it needs to be repaired as well. “About $8.7 billion is needed to bring it up to "good repair" but no funding plan is in place” (Van Hampton, T. 2007).
Environmental risks and hazards provide the world with some of the most important issue pressing obstacles. Being able to manage risks and hazards on an environmental level can save many lives and create economic benefits in the process. The Flint, Michigan water crisis is such an example of this. When the water supply of a small urban Michigan town became tainted with lead, the pressure was put on the officials in order to manage the dangers surrounding that problem. Some of the ways at which reducing the risk and hazard would be to understand them better. One way to do this is to put prejudices aside and to understand the human condition. In other words, perceiving risk appropriately and being able to take risk out of the equation in order to protect the lives of humans.
Environment – with all the advantages this process brings it also has its downfalls ECF and ECM are known for environment...
The stages of the EIA process include screening, scoping, impact prediction, evaluation and mitigation, decision-making and, finally, monitoring t...
Community environmental impact analysis is a systematic process for identifying, describing and evaluating community natural and human resources & makes improvement about their management. The main points which are considered under the environmental impact analysis-:
Environment/Ecological. Has become a challenging matter due to climate change and the weather. Carbon emission, habits, diseases like tuberculosis and obesity occur in any overcrowded area, poverty too is also associated with overcrowded places, meeting pollution target and the use eco-friendly products helps the environment to stay clean and help in the production of good food and other products the is also hindrance to laws regarding to pollution and recycling.
Wilcock, D. A. (2013). From blank spcaes to flows of life: transforming community engagment in environmental decision-making and its implcations for localsim. Policy Studies 34:4, 455-473.
EIA will provide the organisation with the methodology and process to identify the potential environmental effects of their actions and activities before they are carried out. This makes it easier for the organisation to take environmental considerations into account at an early stage and allows for controls and mitigation to be built into any plans. An EIA could be carried out on the site clear up activities that are planned by the organisation in relation to the removal of previous occupants’ chemicals and dealing with the contaminated land. The EIA would assist with the project planning to allow the least residual adverse impacts be identified and could also include a monitoring strategy.
Axehausen, and Erath. "Urban Sustainability and Transportation: Research Framework for Medium and Long Term Transport Planning." Journeys 7 (2011): 7-19.
As a conclusion, that there are no right or wrong in deciding the result of every development however every planning application or development have to comply with NPPF, the local council policy , other related policies and other issues in order for it to be approved.
The need for public participation is emphasised on the Agenda 21. The most important prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development is participation in decision making. The need for the civil society to participate on environmental impact assessment procedures is fundamental and to also participate in decision making that will affect the community in which they reside in. people also have the right to receive prior notice of environmental risks and the right to affective remedy where the environmental damage has been
...e environmental group would be focused on greenery and sustainability of the land itself. Equity is focused on social justice and equal access to the land by all users. When combining all three the planner can develop a strategy to be able to resolve all the conflicts and create a platform when it comes to planning to support sustainability development. By doing research and observations Campbell (1996) addresses the question of whether sustainability development can be accomplished by combining all three: economic, environmental and equity. He states that it is possible for this to be achieved by using dual interactive strategy: (1) to manage and resolve conflict; and (2) to promote creative technical, architectural, and institutional solutions. Planners must both negotiate the procedures of the conflict and promote a substantive vision of sustainable development.