Cultural heritage in EIA - Reflections on practice in North West Europe

North-West Europe has a rich cultural heritage which is increasingly prone to impacts from development activities. This paper reports the findings of the "Planarch" study funded by the European Regional Development Fund Interreg IIIB programme. Overall, whilst there are examples of good practice, cultural heritage has a relatively low profile in EIA in the countries studied. Nevertheless, cultural heritage is important and makes wider contributions to society beyond its intrinsic value. Therefore, the profile of cultural heritage needs to be raised both within the planning process and EIA, and also in the minds of decision-makers, other specialists and the wider public. Ten guiding principles provide a first step in promoting the assessment of cultural heritage in EIA, and also to build the consideration of cultural heritage into more strategic planning decisions through SEA. © Imperial College Press.