Implications of Brexit for environmental assessment in the United Kingdom – results from a 1-day workshop at the University of Liverpool

There is currently a lack of clarity for what the anticipated British Exit from the European Union will mean for environmental assessment (EA) in the United Kingdom (UK) in the medium to long term. It is within this context that a workshop was organised by the Environmental Assessment and Management Centre (University of Liverpool) and held in Liverpool on 14 June 2017, with the involvement of the Ireland-UK branch of the International Association for Impact Assessment. Seven speakers talked on various aspects of the potential implications of Brexit for EA in the UK. The letter provides the key messages delivered by the speakers and in doing so draws out the benefits and risks associated with Brexit. Overall, the workshop concluded with the message that Brexit has the potential to allow EA, and other environmental legislation to be revisited, updated and strengthened.