Placepoint

Konsekvensutredning (environmental impact assessment)

Konsekvensutredning, often shortened to KU, is a statutory assessment of the effects that a land use plan or a large building project has on the environment and society. The purpose is that the decision-making authority should know the environmental and social cost before the plan is adopted, not afterwards. KU is the process that forces documentation of traffic, noise, biodiversity, greenhouse gases, cultural heritage, outdoor recreation, business effects and public health effects for relevant projects.

The legal basis lies in plan- og bygningsloven chapter 14 (the Planning and Building Act) and the forskrift om konsekvensutredninger (regulations on impact assessments) of 21/06/2017. The regulations distinguish between two lists. Annex I covers projects and plans that must always be impact assessed (regional plan, the land use element of the kommuneplan with new development areas, shopping centres above a certain size, wind power plants, motorways, railways, large industrial facilities). Annex II covers projects and plans that must be assessed against whether they may have significant effects. Specific thresholds in Annex II include, for example, housing projects over 15 decares, cabin areas, smaller road schemes and industry that does not fall under Annex I.

For land use plans with significant effects, the KU work must start with a planprogram (planning programme) under plan- og bygningsloven § 4-1. The planning programme sets out which topics are to be assessed, how the data collection is to be carried out, and which alternatives are considered (often the zero alternative plus one or more development alternatives). The programme is sent for consultation for at least 6 weeks before it is adopted. When the KU itself is ready, it is placed on public review together with the planning proposal under plan- og bygningsloven § 12-10 for zoning plans, or plan- og bygningsloven § 11-14 for the kommuneplan.

The KU topics follow in particular § 21 of the regulations and cover as a minimum landscape, biodiversity, cultural heritage, soil and water environment, climate, noise, air pollution, transport, and business and social conditions. The data sources have been built up over the years: Naturbasen, Artskart, Kulturminnesøk, Norges geologiske undersøkelser, vegkart, noise maps under T-1442, flood zones and landslide hazard zones. An inadequate KU is a typical reason for an objection from a sector authority (Statsforvalteren, Statens vegvesen, Bane NOR, Riksantikvaren) and can stop the plan for months or trigger mediation with Statsforvalteren.

KU is not the same as a risk and vulnerability analysis (ROS), which applies regardless of the KU duty under plan- og bygningsloven § 4-3 for plans for development. Nor is KU the same as an environmental impact analysis of individual measures under forurensningsloven (the Pollution Control Act); KU under plan- og bygningsloven is broader and covers both the environment and society. For projects exempt from the KU duty, many of the same data sources are still used in ordinary case processing, in particular for consideration zones for landslide-prone ground, cultural heritage and quick clay.

The KU work is commissioned and paid for by the proposer, usually the developer for private plans or the municipality for municipal plans. The consultancies that deliver KU are typically multidisciplinary advisers (Asplan Viak, Norconsult, Multiconsult, Sweco, Cowi). The cost of a KU for a larger zoning plan is often between 0.5 and 5 million kroner depending on topic and complexity, and the assessment itself takes 6 to 18 months.

In Placepoint you use map layers to bring in the data layers that form part of a KU (noise, biodiversity, cultural heritage, flood, quick clay), and the report tool to summarise the risk of an objection before the plan work starts. Report: Nature values and objections gathers exactly these nature topics in one checklist.

How the dataset appears in the map

The dataset is part of the map layer Buildings as Developer activity:

Konsekvensutredning in Placepoint

From Placepoint's glossary: Konsekvensutredning

More information: Lovdata: Forskrift om konsekvensutredninger, Lovdata: Plan- og bygningsloven chapter 14, Miljødirektoratet: Konsekvensutredninger

English: Environmental impact assessment (KU).

Common questions we come across

What is a konsekvensutredning?

KU is a statutory assessment of the effects that a land use plan or a large building project has on the environment and society, and it is used as the basis for decisions before the plan is adopted.

Which plans and projects must be impact assessed?

Annex I to the regulations lists projects that must always be impact assessed (the land use element of the kommuneplan with new development areas, wind power plants, large industrial facilities). Annex II lists projects that must be assessed against whether they may have significant effects.

What is the difference between KU and ROS?

A ROS analysis (risk and vulnerability) applies to plans for development under plan- og bygningsloven § 4-3, regardless of the KU duty. KU is broader and covers both environmental and social effects; ROS focuses on societal safety and unwanted incidents.

Who pays for the impact assessment?

The proposer pays. For private zoning plans this is the developer; for the kommuneplan it is the municipality. The cost is typically between 0.5 and 5 million kroner depending on complexity.

What happens if the KU is inadequate?

An inadequate KU is a typical reason for an objection from a sector authority and can stop the plan, trigger mediation with Statsforvalteren or require the assessment to be completed before adoption.