SEA Environmental Report for the Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028
4.6.5 Land Cover Mapping CORINE 23 land cover mapping for the City is shown on Figure 4.3. The most dominant land cover types are urban fabric (concentrated within the City’s centre) and pastures and agricultural lands (in the areas surrounding the City’s centre). Categories from CORINE mapping that may indicate areas with the potential for Annex I habitats (see Figure 4.5) include:
Great Island Channel SAC 19 (001058) – c.1.40 km to the east of the City; Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC 20 (002170) – c.7 km to the north of the City; and Cork Harbour SPA 21 (004030) – partially within the eastern parts of the City.
For more detail on European sites please refer to the AA Natura Impact Report that accompanies the Draft Plan and this SEA Environmental Report. 4.6.4 Proposed Natural Heritage Areas Proposed NHAs (pNHAs) were published on a non-statutory basis in 1995, but have not since been statutorily proposed or designated. Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated due to their national conservation value for ecological and/or geological/geomorphological heritage. They cover nationally important semi- natural and natural habitats, landforms or geomorphological features, wildlife plant and animal species or a diversity of these natural attributes. NHAs are designated under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. There are no NHAs designated within the City but there are 11 pNHAs designated within, partially within or adjacent to the City. These sites are mapped 22 on Figure 4.2 and comprise:
Non-irrigated arable land;
Pastures;
Complex cultivated patterns;
Land principally occupied by agriculture with significant areas of natural vegetation;
Broad-leaved forest; Coniferous forest;
Mixed forests;
Transitional woodland-shrub;
Salt marshes; Intertidal flats; Estuaries; and
Green urban areas.
4.6.6 Register of Protected Areas In response to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive a number of water bodies or parts of water bodies that must have extra controls on their quality by virtue of how their waters are used by people and by wildlife have been listed on Registers of Protected Areas (RPAs). Entries to the RPAs within and adjacent to the City designated by virtue of their value to biodiversity are addressed in this section while RPAs designated by virtue of their value to humans are addressed under Section 4.9.7.
Lee Valley pNHA (000094); Shournagh Valley pNHA (001039); Blarney Castle Woods pNHA (001039); Douglas River Estuary pNHA (001046); Glanmire Wood pNHA (001054); Cork Lough pNHA (001081); Dunkettle Shore pNHA (001082); Ballincollig Cave pNHA (001249); Blarney Lake pNHA (001798); Ardamadane Wood pNHA (001799); and Blarney Bog pNHA (001857).
Water bodies designated on these lists (mapped on Figure 4.4) include:
22 All sites within a 15 km buffer are also shown on Figure 4.2. 23 The CORINE (Coordinated Information on the Environment) land cover data series was devised as a means of compiling geo-spatial environmental information in a standardised and comparable manner. CORINE has become a key data source for informing environmental and planning policy on a national and European level. The main land cover type in Ireland is agricultural land including forestry, which accounts for two-thirds of the national landmass. Most of this is permanent grassland pastures. Peatlands and wetlands are the second most widespread land cover type, covering almost one-fifth of the country. While forested areas cover about one-tenth of the country. Despite rapid development in the past two decades, Ireland’s landscape is predominantly rural and agricultural.
19 Sensitive features include: tidal mudflats and sandflats; and Atlantic salt meadows. 20 Sensitive features include: estuaries; tidal mudflats and sandflats; perennial vegetation of stony banks; salicornia mud; Atlantic salt meadows; Mediterranean salt meadows; floating river vegetation; old oak woodlands; alluvial forests; freshwater pearl mussel; white-clawed crayfish; sea lamprey; brook lamprey; river lamprey; twaite shad; Atlantic salmon; otter; and Killarney fern. 21 Sensitive features include: little grebe; great crested grebe; cormorant; grey heron; shelduck; wigeon; teal; pintail; shoveler; red-breasted merganser; oystercatcher; golden plover; grey plover; lapwing; dunlin; black-tailed godwit; bar-tailed godwit; curlew; redshank; black-headed gull; common gull; lesser black-backed gull; common tern; wetland and waterbirds.
CAAS for Cork City Council
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