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"The primary objective of an EIA is to ensure that the potential impacts, both positive and negative, of a project on the natural environment and local communities are assessed at the planning and decision-making stage, thus ensuring that appropriate measures can be put in place to maximise the positive impacts of a scheme, and prevent, limit or manage the negative impacts in accordance with the principles of sustainable development," the company said in its newsletter.

Environmental impact assessment refers to the formal process used to predict the environmental consequences of a proposed project such as a power generation facility, condominium or resort.

"Many developers consider EIA to be a necessary evil that they have to implement in order to obtain their construction permit. This is a blinkered attitude and does not do the process justice because producing a robust EIA actually makes sound economic sense. Focusing on energy efficiency and waste minimisation does not only benefit the environment, it also makes the accountants happy.

"Recent history has also demonstrated that a lack of public participation and stakeholder engagement during the early stages of a project can result in costly programme delays.

"The more astute developers have learned that it makes perfect economic and marketing sense to commit wholeheartedly to the EIA process and the principles of sustainable development in general."

EIAs are required for 22 types of proposed projects or activities, ranging from oil refineries to medium-sized hotels and condominiums.

Only environmental consultants approved by, and registered with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) can prepare and submit EIAs on behalf of their clients.

New hotels or condominium projects with more than 79 rooms are required to submit an EIA prior to construction work commencing although some less scrupulous developers have historically used Clause 39 of the Building Control Act as a loophole to let them to commence work before EIA approval is received.

This loophole has recently been effectively closed however, as ONEP will not now consider EIAs submitted after construction work has commenced.

More than 100 projects were suspended at the end of last year for using Clause 39 and ONEP is working its way through the backlog of resultant EIAs.

It is not uncommon for the entire process to take in excess of one year and developers need to factor this delay into their forward planning exercises.

The topics that are covered in a typical EIA are wastewater treatment, energy efficiency, solid waste management, traffic, air quality, soil and groundwater pollution, noise pollution, nature conservation, landscape, public health, visual aspects and socioeconomic factors.

This usually involves the collection and collation of robust site-specific field data to establish a baseline against which the potential impacts can be measured.

The environmental consultant will evaluate the scheme with regard to the above criteria and draft a report that clearly identifies the direct and indirect, short- and long-term, environmental impacts associated with the project under assessment.