Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
We will prepare and submit an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) as part of our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO). An EqIA is a tool that will help us to understand and assess the likely effects of our proposals on people with the protected characteristics set out above.
The EqIA process plays an important role in informing our design development. By considering different people’s needs we can deliver services that are appropriate and inclusive for everyone. This supports good decision making and helps us to comply with our Public Sector Equality Duty obligations. Our Accessibility and Inclusion factsheet also explains how we plan to embed a human-centred design approach into our developing plans and designs.
As part of the EqIA process, we will identify potential equality effects by assessing how the Project may result in impacts on community resources, specific locations, or sections of the population. We will also identify potential positive and negative, temporary and permanent, direct and indirect effects on people with protected characteristics, to understand whether any disadvantage as a result of our proposals is expected because of that person or group’s protected characteristic.
The EqIA will be informed by several sources of information including relevant chapters of our Environmental Statement, feedback received during non-statutory consultation, existing baseline data, and input from stakeholders. Through the EqIA process we will develop measures to reduce any potential negative effects and maximise any positive effects of our proposals. Mitigation measures identified within the Environmental Statement relevant to equalities will also be considered as part of the EqIA process. In addition, we will develop a plan for ongoing monitoring of equality impacts.
The EqIA will be submitted alongside the outcomes of the Environmental Impact Assessment process detailed in the Environmental Statement as part of our DCO application.
Asset-specific EqIA
While design choices for specific assets are still under development, our commitment to equality remains important. We will continue to gather evidence demonstrating how equality considerations are being integrated into the decision-making process. This evidence will be assessed using established protocols and where necessary this could include an EqIA tailored to a specific asset and its current design stage.
Engaging with stakeholders and communities
To help us understand a range of views on equality issues, we are talking to community groups, national and local charities and organisations that represent people and groups with protected characteristics.
This engagement also provides opportunities for stakeholders, including equality groups and the wider community, to inform and influence our design and development of both our proposals and the EqIA.