The future of Murphys Yard

Environmental Impact Assessment (‘EIA’) Scoping Report (2026/3564/P)

You may have noticed that Camden Council is currently consulting on an Environmental Impact Assessment (‘EIA’) Scoping Report for Murphys Yard (2026/3564/P). 

An EIA Scoping consultation is an early stage in the planning process, carried out before the planning application is submitted. It sets out the applicant’s proposed scope for the Environmental Statement (‘ES’) including the topics to be assessed, the proposed assessment methods and the level of detail required. The Scoping Report is reviewed by Camden Council in consultation with statutory consultees and independently reviewed by a third-party consultant.

The EIA is a formal legal process. Under EIA Regulations the assessment is required to be proportionate and focus on topics where there is the potential for likely significant environmental effects. It should be noted that where potential likely significant effects are identified, the ES will set out clear measures to prevent, reduce, or manage them. Where the evidence shows that significant effects are unlikely or can be appropriately mitigated, a topic may be scoped out of the EIA. This does not mean it is not being considered or assessed as part of the application. Instead, it will be addressed through technical reports in line with the relevant planning policies and requirements, which will also be available for comment alongside the planning application. 

The environmental assessments are based on a ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’ – in this case the maximum development parameters that could come forward, rather than a final design, to ensure all potential environmental effects are properly considered.

The EIA must also consider the ‘cumulative’ impact of the Proposed Development meaning it looks at how our scheme interacts with other nearby schemes (“cumulative schemes”) rather than just looking at the Proposed Development in isolation. It does this by identifying cumulative schemes of a certain scale within the surrounding area that are not yet fully built (e.g. are under construction, consented, or being considered for approval by the local authority). These cumulative schemes will be selected in agreement with Camden Council and their third-party reviewer.

Each technical topic scoped into the EIA will assess and present the likely effects of the Proposed Development in combination with these surrounding schemes to ensure the full impact is clearly understood. A preliminary list of other developments and schemes to be considered within the ES can be found in Annex E: Cumulative Schemes of the EIA Scoping Report.

We are still developing the proposals and gathering feedback through our public consultation. Your comments will help shape the emerging masterplan before a planning application is submitted. Once a planning application has been made, there will be another opportunity for the public to comment before Camden Council makes a decision.