CLIENT:
Cork City Council
PROJECT NAME: REPORT TITLE:
Cork City Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy
SEA Environmental Report
4.14 Evolution of the Baseline Environment Without the Implementation of the Strategy The SEA Directive requires that consideration is given to the likely evolution of the baseline environment in the event the Strategy is not progressed and implemented. In the event the Strategy was not implemented; the baseline environment in Cork City would primarily evolve in line with local plans and policies currently being implemented for the area (e.g., the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028, the Cork City Local Authority Climate Action Plan 2024 - 2029, the Cork City Heritage and Biodiversity Plan). These local plans and policies are predicted to align with high-level policy defined in the national plans such as the National Planning Framework or the national Climate Action Plan (CAP24), and regional policy defined in the Southern Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy, for example. These higher order plans are predicted strongly influence the land use planning framework and environmental conditions in Cork City. These plans will support the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society generally, including the transition to alternative fuel vehicles in particular, active travel development, compact growth and transport sector decarbonisation. Traffic and transport conditions in Cork City will evolve in line with the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy 2040 which aims to deliver an accessible, integrated transport network in the Cork Metropolitan Area. This Strategy supports a variety of sustainable transport and travel initiatives such as the development of transport mobility hubs and strategic park and ride facilities. Not progressing the more focussed and community specific set of EV charging infrastructure development proposals defined in the Strategy would present several significant lost opportunities. The Strategy provides a greater degree of focus and specificity in relation to the development of EV charging infrastructure in Cork City. A variety of likely positive environmental effects associated with the Strategy implementation would not come to fruition (e.g., the better facilitation of a reduction in Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) based vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improvements in local air quality conditions). A number of potential adverse effects associated with the existing baseline scenario are more likely to continue to occur (existing ICE based vehicle emissions may be maintained or reduced more gradually in the context of Cork City - resulting in ongoing impacts on climate and local air quality). The likelihood of exceedances of ambient air quality standards in the City due to vehicle emissions in congested areas would be greater as a result. In the event none of the proposals defined in the Strategy are implemented, the expansion of the EV network in the city will have less express policy support. Promoting and facilitating a shift from ICE-based vehicle use to the use of electric vehicles in Cork City will have less express policy support.
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