Appropriate Assessment of the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment
Section 4
4.1 Introduction The Stage 2 AA assesses whether the Plan alone, or in-combination with other plans, programmes, and/or projects, would result in adverse effects on the integrity of the two European Sites brought forward from screening (those considered on Table 3.1 for which there is “Potential Pathway for Significant Effects” and/or “Potential for In-Combination Effects”), with respect to site structure, function and/or conservation objectives. 4.2 Characterisation of European Sites Potentially Affected The AA Screening identified two European Sites with pathway receptors for potential effects arising from the implementation of the Plan. Appendix I characterises each of the qualifying features of the two European Sites brought forward from Stage 1 in context of each of the sites’ vulnerabilities. Each of these site characterisations were taken from the NPWS website 9 . 4.3 Identifying and Characterising Potential Significant Effects The following parameters can be used when characterising impacts 10 : Direct and Indirect Impacts - An impact can be caused either as a direct or as an indirect consequence of a Plan/Project. Magnitude - Magnitude measures the size of an impact, which is described as high, medium, low, very low or negligible. Extent - The area over that the impact occurs – this should be predicted in a quantified manner. Duration - The time that the effect is expected to last prior to recovery or replacement of the resource or feature. Temporary: Up to 1 Year; Short Term: The effects would take 1-7 years to be mitigated; Medium Term: The effects would take 7-15 years to be mitigated; Long Term: The effects would take 15-60 years to be mitigated; and Permanent: The effects would take 60+ years to be mitigated. Likelihood – The probability of the effect occurring taking into account all available information. Certain/Near Certain: >95% chance of occurring as predicted; Probable: 50-95% chance as occurring as predicted; Unlikely: 5-50% chance as occurring as predicted; and Extremely Unlikely: <5% chance as occurring as predicted. Ecologically Significant Impact - An impact (negative or positive) on the integrity of a defined site or ecosystem and/or the conservation status of habitats or species within a given geographic area. Integrity of a Site - The coherence of its ecological structure and function, across its whole area, which enables it to sustain the habitat, complex of habitats and/or the levels of populations of the species for which it was classified. The Habitats Directive requires the focus of the assessment at this stage to be on the integrity of the site as indicated by its Conservation Objectives. It is an aim of NPWS to draw up conservation management plans for all areas designated for nature conservation. These plans will, among other things, set clear objectives for the conservation of the features of interest within a site. Site-Specific Conservation Objectives (SSCOs) have been prepared for a number of European Sites. These detailed SSCOs aim to define favourable conservation condition for the qualifying habitats and species at that site by setting targets for appropriate attributes that define the character habitat. The maintenance of the favourable condition for these habitats and species at the site level will contribute to the overall maintenance of favourable conservation status of those habitats and species at a national level. Favourable conservation status of a species can be described as being achieved when: ‘population data on the species concerned indicate that it is maintaining itself, and the natural range of the species is neither being reduced or likely to be reduced for the foreseeable future, and there is, and will probably continue to be, a sufficiently large habitat to maintain its populations on a long-term basis.’ Favourable conservation status of a habitat can be described as being achieved when: ‘its natural range, and area it covers within that range, is stable or increasing, and the ecological factors that are necessary for its long-term maintenance
9 Last accessed 20 th April 2021 https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites 10 These descriptions are informed by publications including: Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (2016) “Guidelines for ecological impact assessment”; Environmental Protection Agency (2002) “Guidelines on the Information to be contained in Environmental Impact Statements”; and National Roads Authority (2009) “Guidelines for Assessment of Ecological Impacts of National Roads Schemes”.
CAAS for Cork City Council
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