Abstract
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a decision support approach which is applied in various shapes and forms throughout the world. In England, amongst a range of areas of application, HIA is applied in local (spatial) plan making and project development planning. Whilst various authors have reflected on HIA practice in England, the extent of application and its quality has remained unclear. This paper aims at addressing this gap by reporting on the results of a systematic review of HIA in planning. It is found that between 100 and 200 HIAs are likely being produced each year in England. Whilst most assessments are rapid (desk based), there are also examples of comprehensive and intermediate HIAs, where a participatory procedural approach is followed. An important finding is that those HIAs applied within the context of other assessments (integrated impact assessment -IIA, strategic environmental assessment - SEA/ sustainability appraisal -SA and environmental impact assessment – EIA) tend to be of a higher quality than standalone HIAs, mainly because of the existing comprehensive statutory procedural requirements for these other assessments into which HIA can be integrated.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106631 |
| Journal | Environmental Impact Assessment Review |
| Volume | 90 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This paper presents results produced in the project ?Strategic Planning ? links between health issues and the development of strategic plans? for Public Health England - Contract Reference Number 426627157, which was conducted between October 2019 and March 2020. The authors would also like to thank the reviewers of this paper for their useful and considerate remarks.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Keywords
- Environmental impact assessment
- Health impact assessment
- Integrated impact assessment
- Spatial planning
- Strategic environmental assessment
- Sustainability appraisal