Strategic Environmental Assessment Report

CLIENT:

Cork City Council

PROJECT NAME: REPORT TITLE:

Cork City Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy

SEA Environmental Report

4. THE ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE

4.1 Introduction An evaluation and a characterisation of the current state of the environment likely to be affected by the Strategy was undertaken to inform the SEA process. This section of the SEA Environmental Report documents this evaluation. The following Environmental Components were considered during this evaluation:

Population & Human Health Biodiversity, Flora & Fauna

• • • • • • • • • • •

Landscape, Seascape & Visual Amenity

Cultural Heritage - Archaeological & Architectural

Soils

Land Use

Air Quality & Noise

Water

Material Assets

Tourism & Recreation

Climate Change

Baseline environmental information for the local authority functional area (herein referred to as the 'study area') was gathered using available environmental datasets. The evaluation of the baseline environment was informed by the SEA Scoping Report produced and the consultation responses received during the SEA Scoping process. It was also guided and informed by the in-depth experience and expert judgement of the SEA Environmental Report Authors. This section of the SEA Environmental Report included information on the state of the environment within the defined study area (Figure 4-1), including maps of individual environmental components, environmental sensitivity mapping and a description of the baseline environment under the Environmental Components identified by the SEA Directive and transposing Regulations (i.e. population and human health, biodiversity and flora and fauna, soil, water, air and climatic factors, material assets, cultural heritage, landscape and the interrelationship between these factors). Existing environmental problems which are relevant to the Strategy were identified and examined under each Environmental Component heading. This SEA Environmental Report also considered the zone of influence for the Strategy and includes baseline information beyond the Strategy boundary for certain environmental components (e.g., the status of shared water bodies).

www.fehilytimoney.ie

P23-206

Page 27 of 103

Powered by