CLIENT:
Cork City Council
PROJECT NAME: REPORT TITLE:
Cork City Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy
SEA Environmental Report
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act (as amended) provides a statutory underpinning to climate action in Ireland. It specifies the requirement to develop a national Climate Action Plan (CAP), in which sets out actions that must be taken to commit Ireland to a target reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 51% by 2030 and to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050. The CAP 2024 has set targets for a 50% reduction in transport emissions by 2030. This includes a 20% reduction in total vehicle kilometres, a reduction in fuel usage, and significant increases to sustainable transport trips and modal share. It acknowledges that fleet electrification and use of biofuels will provide the greatest share of emissions abatement in the medium term, requiring 30% of the private car fleet to be electrified by 2030. The CAP supports regional and local authorities with the development of EV Network Plans, and that these plans should be aligned with the adopted national Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025 3 . The Cork City Development Plan has also set out a clear objective (Objective 5.22) in support of the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure both on-street and within existing car parks, in addition to their inclusion in new development. In response, Cork City Council (CCC) has prepared the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Strategy for the functional area of Cork City. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Screening of the Strategy has determined that it should be subject to full SEA. 1.2 SEA Environmental Report This document has been produced by FT and is the SEA Environmental Report for the Strategy. It forms the main written output of the SEA process and as such presents information on the environmental assessment and likely environmental issues related to the implementation of the Strategy. The broad purpose of this SEA Environmental Report was as follows: 1. Identify, evaluate and describe the likely significant effects on the environment of the Strategy and reasonable alternatives. 2. Inform the preparation of the Strategy. 3. Provide environmental authorities and the public with an early opportunity to make submissions on a draft version of the Strategy and its potential environmental effects - and incorporate changes where necessary to the Strategy and SEA processes.
3 The Department of Transport published their Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy for 2022-2025, which is the framework for the delivery of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Ireland to support the Climate Action Plan targets.
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P23-206
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