Table 4-4: Generic Guidelines for the assessment of magnitude
| Magnitude | Guidelines |
|---|---|
| High | Total loss or major alteration to key elements/features of the baseline conditions such that post development character/composition of baseline conditions will be fundamentally changed. |
| Medium | Loss or alteration to one or more key elements/features of the baseline conditions such that post development character/composition of the baseline conditions will be materially changed. |
| Low | Minor shift away from baseline conditions. Changes arising from the alteration will be detectable but not material; the underlying character/composition of the baseline conditions will be similar to the pre-development situation. |
| Negligible | Very little change from baseline conditions. Change is barely distinguishable, approximating to a “no change” situation. |
4.6.8 The approach to the assessment of significance is outlined in Table 4-5. A combination of the magnitude of the effect under consideration and the sensitivity of the receiving environment determines the significance of effect.
4.6.9 It should be noted that this general approach is a framework and should not be treated as a matrix. In each specialist chapter of the PEIR, significance of effects will be explained with reference to that particular discipline.
Table 4-5: Classification of effects
Value and sensitivity of receptor
Magnitude Very High High Medium Low Negligible
High Major Major Moderate Moderate Minor
Medium Major Moderate Moderate Minor Negligible
Low Moderate Moderate Minor Negligible Negligible
Negligible Minor Minor Negligible Negligible Negligible