CLIENT:
Cork City Council
PROJECT NAME: REPORT TITLE:
Cork City Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy
SEA Environmental Report
Environmental Component
Summary of the Baseline Environmental Characteristics
Population & Human Health
In the 2022 Census, the total population of Cork City was 224,004 persons. Cork City is identified by the Southern Regional Assembly Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) 2019-2031 as being part of the Cork Metropolitan Area. The transitional population projection for the Cork Metropolitan Area until 2031 is 408,826 persons. There is 1 designated SPA partially within the Strategy area; Cork Harbour SPA (004030). There is 1 designated Ramsar site partially within the city boundary; Cork Harbour. There are 11 pNHAs within or partially within the City, of which include: Lee Valley, Shournagh Valley, Blarney Castle Woods, Douglas River Estuary, Glanmire Wood, Cork Lough, Dunkettle Shore, Ballincollig Cave, Blarney Lake, Ardamadane Wood and Blarney Bog. 12 TPOs within the City have been identified within the City Development Plan. There are 3 designated Flora Protection Order Sites in the City; near Cork City (Bryum intermedium), Cork City (Scleropodium touretii) and Blarney (Entosthodon muhlenbergii). There is 1 Wildfowl Sanctuary within the City: The Lough (WFS-12).
Biodiversity, Flora & Fauna
The River Lee is a protected salmonid water. The most dominant land cover type is urban.
Landscape, Seascape and Visual Amenity
The landscape of Cork City is formed by a unique set of natural and built elements that have evolved over time. The distinctive ridgelines and topography to the north of the city are formed by the lower ranges of the Boggeragh Mountains to the north-west and the Nagle Mountains to the north. The southern ridges belong to the Shehy Mountains, the peaks of which lie to the east of County Cork. The rivers Lee and Sulhane merge around Macroom to the west of the county, and flow east along the post-glacial valley into the Lee proper, through Cork City, into Lough Mahon, Cork Harbour and south into the Atlantic Ocean. The Cork City Council Landscape Study (2008) divides the city into 8 Landscape Character Areas. There are 11 Areas of High Visual Amenity in Cork City. There are 60 archaeological sites within Cork City Centre including standing stones and medieval walls and c. 400 entries to the RMP within the surrounding towns, villages and hinterland. Churches, houses, distilleries, factories and graveyards are amongst the most common recorded monuments and sites of significant archaeological, historic and cultural importance include St. Francis' Well, Skiddy's Castle, and Sunday's Well. Clusters of archaeological heritage are concentrated around the City’s historic core and within the centres of other settlements in the Strategy area. The City’s historic core consists of the Medieval City and Georgian City with many sites of significant archaeological interest. Cork City Centre is also designated a Zone of Archaeological Potential. There are hundreds of entries to the RPS within the City, which include many notable buildings such as: St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Elizabeth Fort and City Hall. Cork City has an important vernacular heritage with many important historic buildings and structures. Historic Street Character Areas are designated within Cork City and consist of groups of buildings with architectural and social interest. Dominant soil types in the country include Urban Soils and Brown Earth Soils. Other soils include Alluvial Soils, Gleys, and Brown Podzols. Land use mapping for Cork City is shown in Figure 4-9 of the main body of the report. This mapping shows the extent of all land use present in the city area (e.g., urban fabric) The Cork City conurbation is defined as ‘Zone B’ out of the four zones in Ireland. There are six monitoring stations within the city boundary. The current air quality in Cork City is identified by the EPA as being of Good status. Existing noise related impacts can be seen in Figure 4-10 of the main body of the report. The city is located mainly within the Lee River and Cork City Harbour catchments. The Celtic Sea lies on the west of the city’s coastline. The WFD status of coastal water bodies (2016-2021) for Cork City Harbour is of moderate status and the Celtic Sea is identified as being of high status.
Cultural Heritage - Archaeological & Architectural
Soils
Land Use
Air Quality & Noise
Water
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