MPlan Planning / Course details

Year of entry: 2022

Course unit details:
EIA Project

Course unit fact file
Unit code PLAN40332
Credit rating 15
Unit level Level 4
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Offered by Planning and Environmental Management
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

This course unit will provide practical experience of undertaking elements of the EIA process for a project based in the Greater Manchester area. It develops practical knowledge and skills in relation to project design and planning and undertaking environmental impact assessment.
Each group provides advice to a client organisation which has land holdings in the Greater Manchester area and seeks to take forward large scale mixed use development of a particular site.
Groups will be responsible for undertaking all necessary research to gather relevant materials, data, etc. about their site; a site visit will be arranged during Stage 1 to view the different sites.
The context for any proposals is the core strategy prepared by the relevant local authority which will guide the analysis of constraints relating to the site and potential alternatives for future development, followed by the environmental impact assessment of the alternative(s) identified.
 

 

Aims

  1. To provide students with practical experience in undertaking an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
  2. To provide practical experience in site evaluation, project design and approaches to impact assessment.
  3. To enable students to demonstrate the full range of their knowledge relevant to environmental planning issues set within a case study project.
  4. To enable students to utilise fully the self-learning capabilities learnt during their programme and to demonstrate them in a student-led group project.


 

 

Teaching and learning methods

Introductory seminars for each stage, group tasks, site visits, discussions with stakeholders, presentations from practitioners on related elements of EIA process, weekly drop-in sessions.

Knowledge and understanding

Critically appraise the key issues in implementing the EIA process;

Intellectual skills

Demonstrate a capability to solve environmental planning problems in a situation requiring both self-motivation and self-reliance

Practical skills

Be able to prepare written reports relating to the EIA process;

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Work in a professional team situation, within given time and resource constraints, in order to achieve an professional standard output

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Report 70%
Oral assessment/presentation 30%

Stage 1: Presentation (group task)
Length: 2000 words and 15 minutes
Weignting: 30%

Stage 2: Report to client (individual task)
Length: 3,500 words
Weighting: 70%
 

Feedback methods

Formative feedback will be given verbally through Q&A and discussion within workshop sessions, and in weekly group drop-in sessions. Written summative feedback will be given on Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Recommended reading

Glasson, J., Therivel, R. and Chadwick, A. (2012) Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, 4th edition, Routledge, London.
Institute for Environmental Management & Assessment (2004) Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment, IEMA, Lincoln.
Morris, P. and Therivel, R. (eds.) (2009) Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment, 3rd edition, Routledge, London.

Various Environmental Statements held in Kantorowich Library, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Seminars 24
Independent study hours
Independent study 126

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Carys Jones Unit coordinator
Andrew Snow Unit coordinator

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