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New Wallonia Territorial Development Scheme (SDT): environmental impact report

Stratec was commissioned by the SPW to prepare the EIR for the Territorial Development Scheme (SDT).

Location: Walloon Region
Client: Public Service of Wallonia
Date: 2021-2023

Context and Challenges

In their Regional Policy Declarations (2014-2019 and 2019-2024), the two successive Walloon Governments reaffirmed their intention to define a strategic vision for the territory by updating the former Regional Spatial Development Scheme (SDER), which has become the Territorial Development Scheme (SDT).

Like its predecessor, the SDT sits at the highest level in the hierarchy of spatial planning instruments. It guides choices related to land use allocation, housing, living environment, mobility, economic activities, urban planning, and the preservation of natural environments.

As a plan and programme, it is subject to European Directive 2001/42/EC of 27 June 2001 and must therefore be accompanied by an environmental impact report (EIR).

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Study objectives

The EIR’s main objective is to present the SDT, its aims and its drafting process, while highlighting its potential impacts, whether positive or negative. Where appropriate, it also provides for suitable corrective actions.

The purpose is to identify possible effects on the environment, broadly defined, in order to ensure a high level of protection and to promote the integration of environmental considerations into the design and adoption of the plan. The report therefore aims to inform the stakeholders concerned, as well as the public directly or indirectly affected.

In addition, it must also assess the SDT’s ability to respond to Wallonia’s territorial challenges and to ensure its effective implementation.

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Methodology

The environmental assessment was carried out in parallel with the drafting of the SDT and involved extensive back-and-forth with the team responsible for preparing the SDT. The impact analysis was conducted at two levels:

  • The first level, global and strategic in nature, concerned the alignment of the SDT revision project with the challenges that the development of the Walloon territory will have to address,
  • The second level, more operational in nature, focused on implementation principles, management and programming measures, measures guiding urbanisation, territorial concepts and their applications, as well as the territorial structure proposed in the draft SDT.
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Results

The iterative process between drafting the SDT revision project and its environmental assessment made it possible to fully integrate environmental issues and ensure the document’s consistency with other planning instruments. The analysis showed that all the identified territorial challenges were addressed in the revised draft. It also highlighted the strong potential for positive impacts, particularly in socio-economic terms, mobility and transport, energy, climate, and land use.

One of the major advances of this revision lies in the gradual limitation of land take, with the aim of achieving net zero land take by 2050. However, the analysis highlighted certain limitations and risks of negative effects. To address these, a series of complementary and corrective measures was proposed, to reduce these impacts or, conversely, to amplify the beneficial effects.

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