Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Report Proposal for Detailed Plans: The Case Study of Vale Da Cabrita in Leiria

Human activity has a direct or indirect impact on the environment and, therefore, a protection policy focused on prevention is crucial and implies a prior assessment of environmental impacts, before taking decisions. Thus, minimizing damage to the environment by weighing ecological consequences/impacts, for example, of master plans, or large-scale urban planning projects or considering environmental values within the scope of the decision-making process, is fundamental. This procedure constitutes a strategic instrument for sustainability which was given the designation of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). In the present work, a methodology developed to obtain the Strategic Environmental Assessment and the Environmental Report of a detailed urban plan is presented. The goal is to contribute to the integration of environmental sustainability considerations in the development of a detailed urban plan, to detect and enhance opportunities, minimize strategic risks, encourage stakeholders’ involvement and public discussion in decision-making processes, and contribute to sustainable strategic planning. The methodology was applied to the Detailed Urban Plan of Vale da Cabrita in Leiria used as a case study. In conclusion, the detailed urban plan developed induces, in general, significant positive impacts in the study area. Planning and management guidelines were proposed that will allow a reduction/mitigation of the potential negative impacts and associated risks, as well as a governance framework for this purpose. The work also reveals the need for deeper integration of certain aspects of sustainable development, in order to positively influence local territorial strategic development.