SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING
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SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING SEA IN THE CONTEXT OF LANDTUSE PLANNING

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13.07.2015 Views

National initiatives for sustainable developmentThe Icelandic government issued in 2002 a national strategy for sustainable developmententitled ‘Welfare for the future’ (Ministry of the Environment 2002). The strategy wassubmitted at the UN meeting in Johannesburg in 2002. The strategy presents the role ofpolicy instruments for sustainable development, sectoral integration (including fisheries,industry, agriculture, energy, transport and tourism), local agenda 21 and regionaldevelopment as well as the role of civil society in promoting sustainable development. Withregard to policy instruments for sustainable development, land use planning is identified as atool of major importance:‘Physical planning is one of the most effective instruments for harmonizing different requirements onresource utilization, economic development and environmental protection’. (Ministry of theEnvironment 2002).Among the ways identified for achieving the goals presented in the strategy, the importanceof Environmental impact assessment is stressed, and the existing requirements for EIA isclaimed to have "[...]caused change in working methods regarding large projects, and considerably increasedthe input and participation of public in the planning of projects and decision making”. The expectationstowards the extension of environmental assessment of plans and programmes are also high:‘Environmental impact assessment in the planning stage can therefore lead to more efficientenvironmental protection and made it easier for implementing parties to adjust their plans to the goalsof sustainable development’ (op.cit).The strategy develops further some of the focus areas presented already in an action plan in1997 (Ministry of the Environment 1997), and revision in 1999 (Ministry of the Environment1999), where the importance of the role of land use planning in achieving sustainabledevelopment was highlighted. This includes the need of coordinating environmental aspectsin planning, the need to prepare a national plan as well as regional land use plans wasidentified, as well as the need for a strategic plan for the harnessing of hydro- and geothermalenergy in the entire country. The role of municipalities in this context was also highlighted. In2006, a report presenting statistical indicator for the goals set forth in national strategy forsustainable development was published. Some of the indicators have been updated to reflectcurrent conditions, others are new. The aim of the publication is to present an idea of thestate of the environment, the pressure on nature and the governmental responses(www.umhverfisraduneytid.is, December 2006).Local initiatives for sustainable developmentThe overriding aims of the Planning and Building Act is to promote sustainable developmentand in the Planning Agency’s national guidance for municipal planning the local authoritiesare encouraged to include aspects of sustainability in their planning work. The way that thelocal authorities have addressed sustainable development in has however not been evaluated.The most prominent area of work on sustainable development is in relation to Local Agenda21. The work on LA 21 has engaged a large part of the local authorities; in 2002, 48 ofIceland’s 105 local authorities carried out work in relation to LA21. These municipalitiescover 93% of Iceland’s population. According to Gíslason (2000), in 72% of the localauthorities engaged in LA21, this was done in connection to municipal planning. The focus ofthe LA21 work has included environmental issues such as waste disposal, water purificationand initiative to improve air quality. Social and cultural issues such as cultural environment,environmental information, public participation and governmental issues, such as planningand economic development have also been identified, but received less attention (Gíslason2000).76

5.8 Discussion - the introduction of SEA in relation to the national planningsystemThe introduction of SEA has clear linkages to the existing planning system; both land-usestatutory plans as well as sector plans and sector programmes, e.g. the municipal developmentplan, national transport programme and the national soil protection programme. Thisemphasis of applying SEA to a broad scope of plans goes hand in hand with the discussionthat has taken place in Iceland in recent years, i.e. the recognition of the need for strategicwork within more sectors and the need for developing planning at the national level(Thorgeirsson 2003, Thors 2004). The government as well as the governmental authoritieshave a clear role in this context which is reflected that much of of the research andevaluations in the field have taken place under the auspices of the Planning Agency (in itsown accord and in cooperation with other countries or organisations, e.g. the Nordic researchcooperation), preparing guidelines, represented in the committee preparing the legislation,providing guidance and reviewing the plans. At the same time, most of the SEAs, both inconnection to municipal comprehensive plans, regional plans as well as the nationalguidelines have been prepared by external consultants.The way that Iceland’s institutional framework influences the planning system, as well asthe introduction of SEA and its potential effect deserves some considerations. According toKristinsson 2000, the Icelandic government structure is influenced by three main factors, i.e.the relative recent independence of Iceland as an independent state, the small size of thecountry and low number of inhabitants and the numerous local governments and their smallsize. The municipal levels is currently the only governmental level with legally binding plansbut at the same time small authorities with limited capacity in the field of planning, whichoften is solved by using consultants for the plan preparation. The same is the case for SEA,which often is carried out by separate consultants focusing on environmental assessments.This arrangement is a way dealing with the smallness of the country and the limited numberof professionals and the small size of the numerous local authorities. However, the long-termeffect of this in terms of the ‘rooting’ and institutional learning from the process can bequestioned.As regards the objectives of introducing SEA to the existing planning system, the mainfocus is on the on the integration of environmental considerations in decision making, andthe emphasis on the fulfilling the objective of reducing negative environmental impacts is lessexplicit and the focus on sustainable development is also implicit. This focus is reflected inboth the guidelines, the new act and the findings form the parliamentarian environmentalcommittee which clearly see the SEA tool as a largely ‘aid to decision making’. Althoughsustainable development (SD) is among the three objectives of the SEA Act, there are verylimited linkages to sustainable development in the act, the discussions around the bill and thepractice until now. The main objective can be argued to be procedural and secondlyenvironmental protection and sustainable development is an all-embracing statement withoutmuch substance. This goes hand in hand with the limited initiatives in the field of SD at thenational level, where most of the sustainable work (apart from the strategy prepared for theJohannesburg summit) has been carried out at the municipal level within the framework ofLA21. This point was raised by members of the opposition when the bill was first presented,who had noted the lack of commitment to SD, and hoped that there would be a stronger linkby the new legislation.The central role of the Planning Agency is another characteristic of the introduction ofSEA in Iceland. This ought to contribute to making the integration straightforward sincethere is the same body who writes the guidelines for SEA and land-use planning, gives adviceon both parts, as well as it reviews the municipal and regional plans, including the SEA. The77

National initiatives for sustainable developmentThe Icelandic government issued in 2002 a national strategy for sustainable developmententitled ‘Welfare for the future’ (Ministry of the Environment 2002). The strategy wassubmitted at the UN meeting in Johannesburg in 2002. The strategy presents the role ofpolicy instruments for sustainable development, sectoral integration (including fisheries,industry, agriculture, energy, transport and tourism), local agenda 21 and regionaldevelopment as well as the role of civil society in promoting sustainable development. Withregard to policy instruments for sustainable development, land use planning is identified as atool of major importance:‘Physical planning is one of the most effective instruments for harmonizing different requirements onresource utilization, economic development and environmental protection’. (Ministry of theEnvironment 2002).Among the ways identified for achieving the goals presented in the strategy, the importanceof Environmental impact assessment is stressed, and the existing requirements for EIA isclaimed to have "[...]caused change in working methods regarding large projects, and considerably increasedthe input and participation of public in the planning of projects and decision making”. The expectationstowards the extension of environmental assessment of plans and programmes are also high:‘Environmental impact assessment in the planning stage can therefore lead to more efficientenvironmental protection and made it easier for implementing parties to adjust their plans to the goalsof sustainable development’ (op.cit).The strategy develops further some of the focus areas presented already in an action plan in1997 (Ministry of the Environment 1997), and revision in 1999 (Ministry of the Environment1999), where the importance of the role of land use planning in achieving sustainabledevelopment was highlighted. This includes the need of coordinating environmental aspectsin planning, the need to prepare a national plan as well as regional land use plans wasidentified, as well as the need for a strategic plan for the harnessing of hydro- and geothermalenergy in the entire country. The role of municipalities in this context was also highlighted. In2006, a report presenting statistical indicator for the goals set forth in national strategy forsustainable development was published. Some of the indicators have been updated to reflectcurrent conditions, others are new. The aim of the publication is to present an idea of thestate of the environment, the pressure on nature and the governmental responses(www.umhverfisraduneytid.is, December 2006).Local initiatives for sustainable developmentThe overriding aims of the Planning and Building Act is to promote sustainable developmentand in the Planning Agency’s national guidance for municipal planning the local authoritiesare encouraged to include aspects of sustainability in their planning work. The way that thelocal authorities have addressed sustainable development in has however not been evaluated.The most prominent area of work on sustainable development is in relation to Local Agenda21. The work on LA 21 has engaged a large part of the local authorities; in 2002, 48 ofIceland’s 105 local authorities carried out work in relation to LA21. These municipalitiescover 93% of Iceland’s population. According to Gíslason (2000), in 72% of the localauthorities engaged in LA21, this was done in connection to municipal planning. The focus ofthe LA21 work has included environmental issues such as waste disposal, water purificationand initiative to improve air quality. Social and cultural issues such as cultural environment,environmental information, public participation and governmental issues, such as planningand economic development have also been identified, but received less attention (Gíslason2000).76

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