Geographic information systems: a consistent approach to land use planning decisions around hazardous installations

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises Local planning Authorities about the siting of major hazard installations and pipelines and the control of housing and other developments nearby. HSE uses quantified risk assessment (QRA) to set a consultation distance around each of the major hazards and advises on possible risks to people within this distance so these risks can be considered in reaching planning decisions. The risks may be derived from dispersion models which estimate concentration levels and exposure times for a range of loss of containment accidents. The paper describes how HSE has piloted a Geographic Information System (GIS) to support the expert decision making process and to assist in ensuring consistent responses within statutory deadlines. It considers both the advantages and disadvantages of a GIS over more conventional methods as well as potential developments such as the use of population data in considering societal risks, biological constraints and 3D terrain mapping. Crown Copyright (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.