What is Environmental Planning and Its Relationship to Environmental Management

In this post I will cover the vital subject of planning to improve environmental performance.

We will consider various contexts from governmental planning, to legislation (such as the  UK Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025, and the Environment Act 2021,) and how planning applies directly to organisations. 

The importance of planning is summed from a quote by Benjamin Franklin 

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

To get the best outcomes environmentally we need to plan, and I’ll take a look at the reasons for doing this and how it might be done. Planning is a key part of environmental management, in fact the environmental management system standard ISO 14001 has a whole section (clause) devoted to it. If we do not plan then we are unlikely to make the best use of resources, the quality of the work will be poor and valuable time will be wasted.

What is Environmental Planning?

Planning is defined in the Collins Dictionary as being

“…the process of deciding in detail how to 

do something before you actually start to do it.”

It is worth therefore considering the difference and links between planning and management. Planning tends to be an action that is more forward thinking, long term and strategic. Its aim is to reduce the risk of negative environmental outcomes. Environmental management is a day to day operational activity, which incorporates dealing with problems as they occur rather than planning which aims to prevent problems from occurring in the first place. 

If we don’t plan then we increase the risk of a whole host of problems such as legal breaches, increased financial costs, accidents and emergencies and poor publicity. It is the root cause of many environmental problems that organisations encounter. 

Key Components of Environmental Planning

There is stringent legislation in place in the UK (the English example can be found here)  that forces developers to complete an environmental impacts assessment (EIA). This not only includes an assessment of environmental impacts but also outlines mitigation measures. This applies to listed developments such as industrial sites and windfarms. An EIA is completed before these developments are built so that environmental improvements can be incorporated into the design. 

Similar to EIA, is strategic environmental assessment (SEA). This covers the environmental assessment of certain types of largely governmental plans, policies and programmes such as those for forestry, tourism and waste management. This requires the production of an environmental report that includes assessment of impacts, development of mitigation measures etc so that environmental management is considered in the plan, policy and programme.

The planning section of ISO 14001 is also key, providing a mechanism to understand and plan for the assessment of environmental impacts, objectives, compliance obligations and change management. It sets the requirements as to what needs to be completed to improve environmental performance. 

Governments also set numerous types of plans. For example in England an Environmental Improvement Plan has been developed  that sets a strategic framework for improving the natural environment up to 2043. It consists of ten overarching goals  covering issues such as waste minimisation, restored nature, clean air and climate change. 

How Do Environmental Planning and Environmental Management Work Together?

Often, environmental professionals will work in both planning and management, for example when implementing or maintaining an environmental management system. However, on other occasions two roles will be separate, as we will see in the EIA example below.

Both environmental planners and managers will contribute to sustainability goals but in different ways. For example, planners will develop plans to improve environmental performance, whereas those involved in environmental management will ensure that plans are implemented. There may be some similarity in the work of planners and managers, but the context is different.

Environmental planning defines the framework of what will happen in the future. It covers preparations to ensure an effective outcome. Environmental management ensures that the plan has been correctly implemented. For example, an EIA practitioner will develop an environmental statement that covers the content of the EIA. Whereas the EIA will be implemented by the developer. Basically, planning is pre-development, and management is an ongoing process during development. 

It is important that those involved in planning and environmental management work closely together. Planners need to be aware that their aims are feasible, provide for legal compliance and are cost effective. Effective consultation of those involved in environmental management will ensure this occurs. It is of little use if a plan is unrealistic as there is a lack of resources for it to be implemented. 

Careers in Environmental Planning and Management

Environmental planning is involved in many types of job roles such as EIA Consultants, Environmental Managers and Sustainability Managers. If you are considering embarking on a career in environmental planning it is important first to gain a strong grounding in environmental management in general,  gaining knowledge on topics such as environmental issues and impacts, assessment tools and the environmental law. This can be achieved  by gaining a recognised qualification such as a relevant degree or attending an environmental management training course. Following this it  recommended that more specialist knowledge is developed through further training specific to the planning discipline (for example EIA, SEA or EMS – sorry for all the acronyms!) in addition to work based experience in the environmental planning discipline that you would like to work. 

Conclusion

Without effective planning there is a high likelihood of poor environmental performance in an organisation. There are many different types of environmental planning that practitioners can be involved in such as environmental impact assessment and environmental management systems. Practitioners should be aware that having a good knowledge of both planning and management is important for a successful career. The two disciplines are closely linked. To work in environmental planning you should be aware that a good general knowledge in environmental management is required, which can be achieved by recognised training, followed by more specialised qualifications and experience.