Impact study: writing the non-technical summary

You have written the impact study for your operating permit application, giving full details and justifications for the subjects covered. The non-technical summary required by the regulations is therefore of great interest.

Not everyone interested in your project is an environmental specialist, and not everyone has the time to read the entire impact study.

• What does this summary need to contain to cover all the topics addressed in the study?

• What precautions should be taken to ensure that it is understandable to all?

The purpose of the non-technical summary and its conclusions is to make it easier for the public to understand the information provided in the impact study.

After reading the summary and its conclusions, readers can either feel that they have sufficient information to answer their questions, or decide to refer to a specific part of the study that concerns them and about which they have doubts, or which is of particular interest to them.