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Why you need to consider the environment in policy appraisal聽

Appraisal is the process of assessing the costs, benefits and risks of ways to meet government objectives. Appraisal provides an objective evidence base that helps decision makers understand the potential impacts and trade-offs of policy options.听

You can make an informed assessment by considering the positive and negative effects on the environment at an early stage of the policy process.听

You should assess environmental impacts if your policy might directly or indirectly affect:聽

• the use or management of land 聽
• the atmosphere, including air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG)聽 emissions, noise levels or tranquility聽
• an inland, coastal or marine water body聽
• wildlife and wild vegetation, which are indicators of biodiversity聽
• the supply of natural raw materials, both renewable and non-renewable, or the natural environment from which they are extracted聽
• opportunities for recreation in the natural environment, including in urban areas

The environmental principles policy statement听听

By assessing environmental impacts and accounting for them in decision making, ministers can show a policy-making process that takes the environment principles into account. The principles are legally in force from 1 November 2023. 听听

Resources to support appraising environmental impacts聽

The main resource to support the appraisal of environmental impacts is the Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA) guidance.听

This guidance is supplementary guidance to the Treasury鈥檚 Green Book which looks more generally at appraisal and evaluation in central government.听聽

The ENCA guidance provides a range of data, guidance and tools to help analysts and decision-makers take account of nature.听聽

The ENCA 驳耻颈诲补苍肠别:听

• sets out the natural capital framework, which shows how the enhancement or degradation of natural assets affects people and the economy聽
• builds on HM Treasury鈥檚 Green Book to develop a consistent approach to assessing impact on nature, through the use of screening questions and a 4 step approach聽
• collates enabling analysts to聽 identify sources of valuation, biophysical evidence and key tools聽
• includes 听听听

Other relevant guidance includes:听听

• , which supports the appraisal of decisions and formation of policy options when facing climate change聽
• the Better Regulation Framework guidance听听
• the Regulatory impact assessment template which asks policymakers to consider the wider impacts of proposals on the environment聽

Decisions on the level of analysis needed to support policy proposals should be proportionate and considered on a case-by-case basis.听聽

Other environmental assessments听听

Other environmental assessments that are required under certain circumstances are the:

• Strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal听听
• Environmental Impact Assessment听听
• Habitats Regulation assessment聽

These are collectively known as the 鈥榚nvironmental assessment processes鈥� and form part of the planning system.听聽

The Strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal is used at the plan-making stage to assess the effects of the plan when compared to reasonable alternatives.听

In contrast, the Environmental Impact Assessment applies to individual projects that are likely to have significant environmental effects.听聽

The Habitats regulations assessments explain how a competent authority must decide if a plan or project proposal that affects a European (in England and Wales) site can go ahead.