THE ROLE OF HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN LAND USE PLANNING
22ND JUNE 2005
IMPERIAL COLLEGE, LONDO

Heath Impact Assessment (HIA) is increasingly being used to
assist planners and politicians with their decision-making
on a range of planning applications for urban regeneration,
waste management facilities, large residential developments
as well as more conventional polluting industry. However,
many of the approaches to HIA that have evolved in recent
years sit uncomfortably within the planning system.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the provision of
health services is not the main determinant of public health
and that a range of socio-economic factors such as
employment, education, housing and the environment are of
greater importance. HIA is designed to check whether a
proposal might inadvertently damage people's health or
reinforce social inequalities.

Sustainability lies at the heart of the new planning system,
which itself is based on the principles of putting people at
the centre and using scientific knowledge. Greater public
consultation is required than previously and therefore local
health concerns are likely to figure more prominently in the
planning process in the future. L ocal planning authorities
are also being encouraged to consult with Primary Care
Trusts over certain applications, but there is evidence that
they are not in the position to respond appropriately. This
will be explored in the conference.

Guidelines for HIA have been produced, drawing on the
experience of environmental impact assessment (EIA), but are
more relevant to policy assessment than to specific planning
applications.

There are significant differences between HIA and EIA; not
least that EIA is often mandatory while HIA is not a
statutory requirement. Health impacts withi n EIA are
general ly assessed i n the context of environmental quality
standards (EQS) rather than looking at the medical evidence
such as doseresponse relationships. That is, it is
implicitly assumed that if an EQS is achieved then there
will be no health impact. Where socio-economic factors are
included in an EIA the analysis is not extended to the
positive health impact of, for example, job creation or
regeneration.

The practitioners of HIA tend to be drawn from the social
sciences and often find it difficult to work within the
science-based approach of the planning system. Significant
weight has been given in some HIAs to public views, which
run counter to widely accepted scientific or medical views.

For private developers to voluntarily commission an HIA they
need to see a clear benefit. It must assist the process
rather than be seen as giving unnecessary prominence to
marginal issues. It must also be well defined at the project
onset so that the developer can understand the financial
commitment being made. One of the benefits for HIA to
developers is that it is often able to counter any negative
effects with the positive effects for the community. Thus a
major incentive for developers is that HIA can be used to
promote a proposal's benefits.

The conference aims to bring together all the professionals
working in this emerging field, that is those working in
public health, urban regeneration, land use planning, land
development and
pollution control, to share experiences and discuss the
issues, and move towards a consensus on the way forward.

Venue
Imperial College London is central London's leading academic
conference centre. The Charing Cross Campus is situated in
Hammersmith, and is only a 3 minute walk from Baron's Court
tube station. The college offers a hotel booking service
that has specially negotiated rates on local accommodation.
Please visit their website for further details
www. i mperial.ac. uk/conferences.

Enquiries and booking form from:
AE Technology Transfer, Richmond House, 16 Blenheim Terrace,
Leeds LS2 9HN
Tel: 0113 2424200
Fax: 0113 2442166
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