Cumulative effects assessment: A review of UK environmental impact statements Lourdes M. Cooper * , William R. Sheate Environmental Policy and Management Group, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BP, UK Received 1 January 2002; received in revised form 1 March 2002; accepted 1 March 2002 Abstract The consideration of cumulative effects in environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been required in the UK, though somewhat ambiguously, since the EC Directive (85/337/ EEC) was implemented in 1988. This paper describes the results of a review of cumulative effects considerations in 50 UK environmental impact statements (EISs) prepared for a variety of project types produced between 1989 and 2000. The results of the review suggest that cumulative effects are far from thoroughly addressed. Only 24 EISs (48%) mentioned the term ‘cumulative effects/impacts’ and only 9 EISs (18%) provided a discussion, which were mostly qualitative. The problems in addressing these issues are explored, and the main findings include the various interpretations of the concept of cumulative effects and the varied treatment of cumulative effects issues. Where cumulative effects are considered in the scoping stage, this led to a further discussion or analysis of these effects. The research concludes that for a better consideration of cumulative effects, an effective driving force would be the local planning authority (and other competent authorities) requiring developers during the scoping process to address cumulative effects and so help meet the most recent strengthened legal requirements of the EC EIA Amendment Directive 97/11/EC and UK Regulations. More tailored guidance for developers and authorities alike is needed for this to happen. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Cumulative effects assessment (CEA); Habitats directive; Ramsar sites; Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); EIA; SEA 0195-9255/02/$ – see front matter D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII:S0195-9255(02)00010-0 * Corresponding author. Fax: +44-20-7594-9334. E-mail address: lourdes.cooper@ic.ac.uk (L.M. Cooper). www.elsevier.com/locate/eiar Environmental Impact Assessment Review 22 (2002) 415 – 439