What is the Integrated Appraisal Toolkit?

The Integrated Appraisal Toolkit has been developed to ensure that policies and projects developed in the Northwest integrate fully economic, social and environmental objectives to ensure sustainable development.

It is an interactive and dynamic decision support tool, a valuable information source, and a transparent and coherent audit record for those producing policies, programmes and other proposals.  It is free to use, free to download and free training is available subject to office resource.  Please contact UK CEED on 01733 311644.

The Integrated Appraisal Toolkit has been designed to address concisely the sustainable development issues that are pertinent to the Northwest, whilst incorporating enough flexibility to allow both regional and local initiatives to be assessed. It can be used by several members of a team simultaneously from different locations, thereby enhancing the dynamics of partnership working.

Many agencies in the region have developed their own form of sustainability appraisal documentation to undertake their assessments.  Cumbria County Council for example have developed a framework which they promote around the County and other local authorities in the region use their own internal systems to appraise.  The toolkit can lend itself to these options as an information resource supporting appraisal or as a means of testing your own framework of choice for comprehensiveness.

The IAT complements the Northwest Sustainability Checklist for Developments, which the Northwest Regional Assembly and partners have developed to provide a focused set of questions that are directly relevant to the construction and development process.