Part 1Environmental assessment for plans and programmes
1Requirement for environmental assessment
(1)
The responsible authority shall—
(a)
during the preparation of a qualifying plan or programme, secure the carrying out of an environmental assessment in relation to the plan or programme; and
(b)
do so—
(i)
where the plan or programme is to be submitted to a legislative procedure for the purposes of its adoption, before its submission; or
(ii)
in any other case, before its adoption.
(2)
In this Act, an environmental assessment is—
(a)
the preparation of an environmental report;
(b)
the carrying out of consultations; and
(c)
the taking into account of the environmental report and the result of the consultations in decision-making,
in accordance with Part 2 of this Act.