5.—(1) An environmental impact assessment is a process consisting of—
(a)the preparation of an EIA report by the applicant;
(b)the carrying out of consultation, publication and notification as required by Parts 5, 6, 7 and, where relevant, Part 9;
(c)the examination by the Scottish Ministers of the information presented in the EIA report and any other environmental information;
(d)the reasoned conclusion by the Scottish Ministers on the significant effects of the works on the environment, taking into account the results of the examination referred to in sub-paragraph (c) and, where appropriate, their own supplementary examination; and
(e)the integration of the Scottish Ministers’ reasoned conclusion into the decision notice in accordance with regulation 23.
(2) The environmental impact assessment must identify, describe and assess in an appropriate manner, in light of the circumstances relating to the proposed works, the direct and indirect significant effects of the proposed works on the factors specified in paragraph (3) and the interaction between those factors.
(3) The factors are—
(a)population and human health;
(b)biodiversity, and in particular species and habitats protected under Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora(1) and Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of wild birds(2);
(c)land, soil, water, air and climate;
(d)material assets, cultural heritage and the landscape.
(4) The effects to be identified, described and assessed under paragraph (2) include the expected effects deriving from the vulnerability of the works to risks, so far as relevant to the works, of major accidents and disasters.
(5) Unless paragraph (6) applies, the environmental impact assessment to be carried out in relation to the determination of an application for a regulatory approval for an EIA project must identify the likely significant effects of the proposed works on the environment before a decision to grant a regulatory approval for those works is made.
(6) This paragraph applies where the Scottish Ministers—
(a)are minded to grant a regulatory approval for an EIA project, subject to a condition that all or part of the proposed works must not commence before certain matters in implementation of that authorisation have been approved by the Scottish Ministers; and
(b)consider that the likely significant effects of the works on the environment are not fully identifiable at the time of their determination of the application for a regulatory approval.
(7) The Scottish Ministers must ensure that they have, or have access as necessary to, sufficient expertise to examine the EIA report.
OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p.7.
OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p.7.