The term ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ (EIA) describes a procedure to be followed for certain types of development. Legislation requires that the London Array project conduct a full EIA to support the various planning and licence applications.

The procedure allows for a systematic assessment of a project’s potential environmental effects. This helps ensure that any environmental effects - and the scope for reducing them - are highlighted to (and understood by) the public and the relevant authorities before a decision is made. The exercise considers not only the operation of the final development, but also the construction activities.

Some of the key areas that have been addressed within the EIA for London Array are:
• Birds, fish, mammals and benthic, or the ecology of the seabed
• Shipping and navigation
• Coastal processes
• Visual impact
• Boat traffic
• Noise
• Socio-economics

Click here for a full overview of the environmental studies that have been carried out.

Scoping
The scope of the EIA studies was agreed through consultation with key stakeholders and interested bodies as part of a formal process. Separate scoping processes have been undertaken for both the onshore and the offshore works for London Array to reflect the different consenting regimes and regulatory bodies.

Environmental Statement
As well as an EIA, an Environmental Statement
(ES), has been produced that:
• Describes the project
• Describes the main alternatives considered
• Identifies the aspects of the environment likely to
be affected by the project
• Describes the likely significant effects of the proposed project on the environment
• Describes the measures that are proposed to
reduce any effects