Social Impact Assessment
Social Impact Assessment is a process of investigating the implications and evaluating the outcomes of proposed projects and policies on individuals, groups and communities. Impacts may be positive or negative. An outcome of the process is the identification of ways to avoid or mitigate the negative impacts and to enhance the positive impacts.
Social Impact Assessment aims to ensure that the costs and benefits to communities of proposed developments are made explicit so that they can be taken into consideration in decision-making alongside the technical and economic factors.
For a proponent, impact assessments can add value by: reducing costs arising from unforeseen environmental damage; optimizing project design and performance; reducing public opposition; and reducing bureaucratic delays due to missing data.
Impact Assessment and monitoring provide the information necessary for: Permit renewals (e.g. for water rights and discharges); Monitoring compliance with consent conditions; Granting consents under the Resource Management Act; and Evidence-based policy development.
In New Zealand several pieces of legislation require impact assessments to be undertaken as part of the decision-making process. These include: The Resource Management Act (assessment of effects of proposals and alternatives) The Local Government Act (deciding what constitutes “significance” and in drafting Long Term Community Council Plans) The Land Transport Management Act (assessing the social, environmental and economic impacts of transport proposals) The Gaming Act (assessing the consequences as part of deciding on the provision of gambling facilities)
Corydon Consultants Ltd and its Associates can assist you by: Undertaking social and environmental impact assessments of your proposal; Evaluating the social and environmental outcomes of your activities Providing guidance to your staff to enable them to undertake impact assessments and evaluations in-house; and by Peer reviewing impact assessments prepared by proponents.
We also provide training in consultation and public participation – essential tools in the impact assessment and evaluation processes