Strategic environmental assessment

Introduction

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a formal environmental assessment of certain plans and programmes which are likely to have significant effects on the environment. The objective of the assessment process is to provide for a high level of protection of the environment and integrate environmental considerations into the development of plans and programmes.

SEA is governed by the:

  1. Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004, SI 2004/1633 in England (the English SEA Regulations), and

  2. Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes (Wales) Regulations 2004, SI 2004/1656 in Wales (the Welsh SEA Regulations)

together the ‘SEA Regulations’.

See Practice Note: Strategic Environmental Assessment.

The SEA Regulations transpose into English and Welsh law the provisions of the Archived Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (as it had effect immediately before IP completion day (11 pm on 31 December 2020)). For information on how Brexit has impacted the SEA regime, see Practice Note: Brexit—the implications for English and Welsh planning law and practice.

Mandatory strategic environmental assessment

Plans and programmes for which mandatory environmental

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Powered by Lexis+®
Latest Environment News

Environment weekly highlights—3 July 2025

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: the UK High Court's decision in the BHP dam collapse battle that BHP could not block Brazilian municipalities from bringing criminal contempt proceedings, with the court ruling there were reasonable grounds to argue the mining giant was in contempt. In addition this week, the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched a UK Climate Resilience Roadmap, the first guidance of its kind to outline how the UK's built environment is increasingly vulnerable to five key climate hazards, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published a Solar Roadmap outlining over 70 actions to support the deployment of 45–47 GW of solar capacity across the UK by 2030, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published an update to its May 2025 response to the sandeel Arbitration Tribunal's final ruling in the UK-Sandeel case, Natural England has published its Action Plan for 2025–26 detailing how it will implement its new Strategic Direction, 'Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security' and PackUK has published a collection of four key documents related to the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme. Further this week, the Environment Agency (EA) has published comprehensive guidance outlining the framework for waste exemptions in England and the National Audit Office (NAO) has published a value for money report, assessing the performance of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) since its introduction in 2021.

View Environment by content type :

Popular documents