SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

assessment occurs late in the process. However there are some examples where it is reportedthat the new regulations have meant that the environmental assessments are improving inquality and have led to an increased attention to environmental aspects in the planningprocess. However there is confusion regarding the statutory requirements which have led todelays in the planning process.With regard to the potential outcome of the application of SEA to land-use planning, itis important to relate these to the roles and functions of land-use plans in environmentalconsiderations in decision-making. The Swedish land use planning system is undergoingsubstantial changes with revision of the legislation which has objective of ‘modernising theplanning system’; e.g. simplifying the processes for handling plans and permissions meanwhilemeeting the requirements in respect of environmental considerations. The changing role ofland use planning has also been acknowledged in national studies on the planning systems(Christoferson, I, (ed) 2001, Kommunförbundet 2004, Riksrevisionen 2005). These studiesare in line with the research carried out by Khakee (2000) which illustrated that the municipalplan’s role to encourage and control the municipality’s development has been replaced byadministrative approaches with focus on land use and service provision. Apart fromnationally induced changes such as legal revisions and the introduction of environmentalobjectives or external factors such as the EU directive, international conventions onsustainable development and ongoing work towards Agenda 21 at the national and locallevels, all have influenced Swedish planning practice (Riksrevisionen 2005:12). The maincauses identified for these changes include requirements introduced as a part of EUmembership (with NATURA 2000 and the EU Water directive), new planning directives forsustainable development and Agenda 21, as well as new requirements in the PBA with moreemphasis on the strategic element of the plan, consultation and impact assessment and theintroduction of the Environmental Code in 1999.Effects of the sectorised planning approachIt can be argued that the introduction of the directive adheres to the existing sector approachthat can be seen as typical of the Swedish style of policy making, i.e. with regard to theresponsibility and accountability that lie within the different authorities (Böhme 2002). Apartfrom the handbooks and other guidance from the central authorities; i.e. the EnvironmentalProtection Agency and National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the sectorauthorities have conducted research and suggested processes and methodologies for theenvironmental assessment of plans and programmes. This means that the procedure anddecision-making of which SEA is a part of differs, depending upon the different sectorlegislations. However, this far this has not been the case in Sweden, and with the exceptionfor spatial planning, the different legislations merely refer to the Environmental Code.Another characteristic of the Swedish approach to application of SEA is the stronglinkage to the existing requirements on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Thelinkages to existing requirements on EIA are addressed/made explicit in an interim report bythe committee reviewing the PBA (SOU 2003:70). The committee regards that theintroduction shall use the existing legal structure with as little changes as possible. Therequirements shall be introduced in the existing chapter of the Environmental Code ofEnvironmental Impact Assessment of projects, to reinforce the similarities between the twoinstruments (SOU 2003:70:12). With regard to terminology use for the SEA, the existingterminology for EIA shall be used to the largest extent possible which resulted in that thesame term is used for the document resulting from an EIA and SEA process 10 . However,10 Miljökonsekvensbeskrivning62