SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

physical planning and how environmental assessment can be become an integrated part inthis. The main steps addressed include; work programme, policy, environmental protectionand environmental assessment. According to the guidelines environmental assessment is aseparately identifiable in the planning process, not included in the environmental protectionsection that includes work on sustainable development and Agenda 21. However, regardingconsultation, the same process is followed in scoping consultation of the draft contents of themunicipal plans and the environmental report, as well as consultation of the draft planningproposal and the final planning proposal. Hence, the consultation and the public participationaspects are integrated part of and meets the same requirements as the existing requirementson the planning process.Research on the application of SEA has to a large extent been conducted under theauspices of the Planning Agency. Furthermore, several of those have been a part of Nordicconsortiums on the application of SEA e.g. a Nordic research project on the application ofSEA in physical planning and sector planning and the possibilities of SEA to lead to increaseenvironmental considerations in the formulation of policy and improved coordinationbetween the different sector plans and compatibility between different physical plans atdifferent levels (Jónsdóttir in Hildén et al 1998). In Lerstang et al (1999), the development ofmethodology and pilot studies on integrating SEA in regional planning in Iceland werepresented (Bjarnadóttir 1999) and the impeding legal introduction of SEA into the nationalframework was discussed in two Nordic cooperation projects led by Nordregio in 2003(Theodórsdóttir in Hilding-Rydevik 2003a and Theodórsdóttir and Elmarsdóttir in Hilding-Rydevik 2003b). Moreover, research is being conducted on behalf of Planning Agency on theintroduction of the SEA directive in Iceland and the development of a framework for SEA ofsector plans and coordination of spatial planning at the national level in Iceland. Someresearch has also been conducted with regard to SEA application in sectoral planning. Anexample of such initiatives is a preparatory study on the implementation of SEA into theNational Road Programme commissioned by the Public Road Administration and resulted ina research report and handbook (Vegagerdin 2002; 2004; 2005).5.5 Pre-directive experience of SEASeveral environmental assessments have been conducted for plans and programmes inIceland in recent years, with the earliest dating from 1989, though most of the examples wereconducted after the year 2000 and can be related to the environmental assessmentprovisions introduced in the Planning and Building Act of 1998. Most of the environmentalassessments have been conducted on land use planning proposals at the municipal level. Afew have also been carried out on regional land use plans and plans for infrastructureprojects. Two examples of the environmental assessment of sector plans at the national levelare an afforestation plan in Northern Iceland and a national framework programme for theutilization of hydro and geothermal energy resources (see example 1). The Act also coversother planning types that are being developed, such as sector planning and planning at theregional and national levels, of which there is limited experience in Iceland.In Hilding-Rydevik (ed) 2003, Theodórsdóttir and Elmarsdóttir give an overview of theexisting experiences of SEA application in planning at different levels in Iceland. The earliestexamples of SEA application date back to early 1990s (Plans for ‘Fossvogsdalur’ andEnvironmental Assessment for ‘Skútustaðahreppur’). Those assessments were carried out asindependent planning scenarios as a part of the decision-making for debated planning areas.According to Theodórsdóttir and Elmarsdóttir (2003) these assessments were done in a waythat closely resemble EIA process and were not carried out as a part of an existing statutoryplanning process.71