Defining 'local area' for assessing impact of offshore renewables and other marine developments: guidance principles

3. Application of the Principles

The principles defined in the previous section can be applied to projects which assess socio-economic impacts on local areas. This section outlines the process for applying these principles to both Supply Chain and Investment Impacts and Wider Socio-Economic Impacts.

3.1 Supply Chain and Investment Impact Local Area Process

The eight areas that need to be considered in order to define a local area for the assessment of Supply Chain and Investment impacts are outlined in Figure 3.1 and described in more detail in this section.

What supply chain and investment impacts will be considered as part of this study?

The supply chain and investment impacts that will be considered as part of a study will be those that have been scoped in to any assessment and those that are of particular interest to stakeholders. The list in section 2.3.2. provides some examples of what these impacts may be, however this is not an exhaustive list.

What are the epicentres of these impacts?

At this stage it is necessary to consider what the epicentres will be for each of the individual impacts identified at the previous stage. This may be the main places where the work is carried out or the zone in which activities may be impacted on by visibility. The list in section 2.3.2. provides some examples of what these impacts may be however, this is not an exhaustive list.

Where are these epicentres located?

At this stage it is necessary to consider where each of the epicentres identified in the previous stage are located. For example, if one of the epicentres of impact that has been identified is the main operational port it will be necessary to identify which port facilities in particular this would be. Due to the timing of these studies it may be necessary to add multiple locations to an epicentre to reflect the fact the decisions have not been made or to protect commercial sensitivity. This approach should be described in the assessment literature.

What are the political and economic organisations that represent the epicentre locations?

For each epicentre it will be necessary to list all of the political and economic organisations that represent that geography. The political organisations are likely to include local authorities, city deal areas or governments. The economic organisations may include regional development agencies or location-based industry bodies.

What is the smallest of these areas with sufficient data available to analyse supply chain and investment impacts?

The impacts should be measured at as small an area as possible. In order to assess an impact, it will be necessary to establish the baseline for the indicators that may be affected. If the assessment forms part of an environmental impact assessment, the availability of relevant data is particularly important. This is because the impacts are measured against a baseline position to gain an understanding of the effect these impacts will have on the studied areas.

Therefore, if one of the impacts is considering changes in employment, it will be necessary to source data on the baseline employment environment. At this stage it will be necessary to consult the sources of data to identify the geographies at which the required data is available.

Do communities in these areas recognise these defined geographies?

Communities are able to recognise and identify with a defined geography if it is familiar to them. This is likely to include the area covered by bodies such as councils, rather than geographies defined by radii or travel to work areas.

Are additional areas required to connect the defined geographies of the epicentres?

Supply chain and investment impacts require a single continuous geography to enable the use of economic multipliers and to aid understanding. If the defined area is disjointed, the connecting geographies should comprise of the same type of geography that has been identified. For example, if the defined area consists of two non-connected local authorities, the area should be connected using other local authority areas.

Graphic text below:

• What supply chain and investment impacts will be considered as part of this study?
• What are the epicentres of these impacts?
• Where are these epicentres located?
• What are the political and economic organisations that represent the epicentre locations?
• What are the smallest of these areas with sufficient data available to analyse supply chain and investment impacts?
• Do communities recognise these areas as defined geographies?
• Are additional areas required to connect the defined geographies of the epicentres?
• Define Local Area based on these geographies

The issues for consideration at each stage are outlined in more detail below.

3.2 Wider Socio-Economic Impact Local Area Process

There are seven stages to be considered in order to define a local area for the assessment of Wider Socio-Economic Impacts which are outlined in Figure 3‑2. Unlike the Supply Chain and Investment Impact, there is no need to add in additional areas to join up the local areas surrounding the epicentres of wider-socio economic impact.

Graphic text below:

• What wider socioeconomic impacts will be considered as part of this study?
• What are the epicentres of these impacts?
• Where are these epicentres located?
• What are the political and community organisations that represent the epicentre locations?
• What are the smallest of these areas with sufficient data available to analyse wider socio-economic impacts?
• Do communities recognise these areas as defined geographies?
• Define Local Areas based on these geographies

The issues for consideration at each stage are outlined in more detail below.

What wider socio-economic impacts will be considered as part of this study?

The wider socio-economic impacts that will be considered as part of a study will be those that have been scoped in to any assessment and those that are of particular interest to stakeholders. The list in section 2.3.2. provides some examples of what these impacts may be, however this is not an exhaustive list.

What are the epicentres of these impacts?

At this stage it is necessary to consider what the epicentres will be for each of the individual impacts identified at the previous stage. These may be the main places where there is a visible change in activity or landscape. The list in section 2.3.2. provides some examples of what these impacts may be however, this is not an exhaustive list.

Where are these epicentres located?

At this stage it is necessary to consider where each of the epicentres identified in the previous stage are located. For example, if one of the epicentres of impact that has been identified is the temporary accommodation facility it will be necessary to identify where this facility would be based. Due to the timing of these studies it may be necessary to add multiple locations to an epicentre to reflect the fact that the decisions have not been made or to protect commercial sensitivity.

What are the community and economic organisations that represent the epicentre locations?

For each epicentre it will be necessary to list all of the political and economic organisations that represent that area. The political organisations are likely to include local authorities, or parliamentary constituencies. The community organisations may include community councils or residents associations.

What are the smallest of these areas with sufficient data available to analyse supply chain and investment impacts?

The impacts should be measured at as small an area as possible. In order to assess an impact, it will be necessary to establish the baseline for the indicators that may be affected. Therefore, if one of the impacts is considering changes in demographics, it will be necessary to source data on the baseline demographic environment. At this stage it will be necessary to consult the sources of data to identify the geographies for which the required data is available.

Data availability at the smaller geographies may be an issue that assessors encounter when trying to keep the local areas as small as possible. It may be necessary to older data from census sources or indicative data from sources such as the Improvement Service Community Planning Outcome Profile^[11]. This data may also be collected through consultations with local stakeholders.

Do communities in these areas recognise these defined geographies?

Communities are able to recognise and identify with a defined geography if it is familiar to them. This is likely to include the area covered by bodies such as villages and councils, rather than geographies defined by radii or travel to work areas.