National Planning Agency
Environmental assessment process
This website uses automatic translation for English content, which may not fully capture the original meaning. For complete accuracy, refer to the Icelandic version, which is the official source.
If a project that needs assessment plan is to be carried out, the impact that the project may have on the environment must be assessed.
Assessment plan
The environmental assessment process starts with the preparation of an assessment plan. The assessment plan describes the way in which the developer intends to evaluate the environmental impact of the project.
The developer is preparing an evaluation plan. In this plan, the developer describes the project and how it intends to comply with its environmental assessment.
The developer submits the evaluation plan to the organising body, which presents it to the public and publishes it on Skipulagsgátt and on the organising body’s website.
The organisation seeks comments from the commentary body according to the nature of the case at any given time, such as the licensor and professional organisations. The public and other interested parties also have the option to provide an opinion.
The developer is given the opportunity to respond to comments before the organi sation issues an opinion on the evaluation plan.
The organisation issues an opinion on the assessment plan which contains, where appropriate, instructions to the developer on the processing, content and presentation of an environmental assessment report.
Evaluation plans and opinions on them are available in gagnagrunni umhverfismats..
Environmental Assessment Report
The developer evaluates the environmental impact of the project in accordance with the evaluation plan and the organisation's opinion on it and presents the results of the environmental assessment in an environmental assessment report.
Once the developer has completed the environmental assessment report, he submits it to the organi sation.
Once the Agency has verified that the report is in accordance with the implementation evaluation plan, the Agency's opinion on the evaluation plan and the provisions of laws and regulations, it will publicly present the environmental assessment report to the public on the Agency's website and on the website of the Agency and will seek comments from the commentary. The public will also have the opportunity to submit comments on the proposed project and its environmental assessment.
Opinion of the National planning agency
The organisation issues an opinion on environmental assessments after the presentation of an environmental assessment report and after receiving comments from the commentator and the public and the response of the developer. In the opinion, the organisation can specify conditions and countermeasures that it considers that need to be included in permits for the project.
Implementation permits
After an environmental assessment of a project, the developer applies for a permit to construct to the local authority concerned and, where applicable, other permit holders. The permit granting shall take into account the environmental assessment of the project.