New Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legislation comes in to force on 10 October 2006.

The legislation is designed to bring the UK legislation into line with EU regulations.  It ends, for example, the self-assessment of whether long-term grass can be ploughed up for arable production while removing the need for any assessment in many, if not most, other circumstances.  It does not replace the requirements of other legislation such as Town and Country Planning (EIA) regulations 1999 or Hedgerow Regulations 1997. Savills briefing paper.