Purpose of a Strategic Environmental Assessment

To view the Final Assessments please select Final North Solent SMP and select the relevant appendix and annex.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a tool used to consider the potential impacts of proposes plans and policies on the environment.

The purpose of the SEA Environmental Report is to provide consultees and decision-makers with information regarding the environmental implications of the options set out in the SMP.

The SEA process for an SMP follows a similar approach to scheme-level environmental assessment but differs from it in that it is a high level overview setting broad objectives and identifying generic approaches.

Consultation is a key stage of the SEA process with the aim of agreeing the objectives with a wide-variety of stakeholders and ensuring that the strategy is environmentally sustainable.