ABSTRACT
F.P.Tindall (Lothian Regional Council, UK). There is great value in having sites designated in advance. Mr Carder admitted this was the crucial factor in his Company selecting Mossmorran. The national planning guidelines have been developed in the Forth Estuary, which includes the Mossmorran site, by the three regional councils working together with central government to identify the possible sites and service requirements for oilrelated development and to understand industrial hazards arising from them. The Forth Estuary study’s1 objective was to identify the likely sites where the infrastructure services could be provided and that necessary pipeline routes could be safeguarded. The study involved not only environmental impact analysis but gathering all the necessary land-use information and service provisions. The sites identified as a result of the study will be incorporated in structure plans and local plans. Thus the local authorities will have taken a positive view of where oil-related developments should be and where they should not be. Such a study is a step in overcoming the difficulties of environmental impact analysis which relate to individual sites rather than a whole range of possible sites.
