SEA Environmental Report Appendix III: Non-Technical Summary
3.4 Population and Human Health In 2016 Census, the total population of the area that is now under the administration of Cork City Council 4 was 210,853 persons, showing an increase since previous census by c. 5.1%. The population growth projections for the City are 257,852 persons by 2028 5 and 274,000-286,000 persons by 2031 (as set out by the NPF and the Southern Regional Spatial Economic Strategy). Cork City is the largest urban centre in the Southern region and it is recognised by the Regional Spatial Economic Strategy as one of five Metropolitan Areas in Ireland. Cork Metropolitan Area acts as an international location of scale, a complement to Dublin and a primary driver of economic and population growth in the Southern Region. The Plan designates different City Areas as follows:
City Centre;
Docklands (City Docks, Tivoli Docks);
City Suburbs (North East Suburb, North West Suburb, South East Suburb, South West Suburb); Urban Town (Ballincollig, Blarney, Glanmire, Tower); and City Hinterland. The new population provided for in the Draft Plan will interact with various environmental components. Potential interactions include: Recreational and development pressure on habitats and landscapes; Increase in demand for waste water treatment at the municipal level; Increase in demand for water supply and associated potential impact of water abstraction; Potential interactions in flood-sensitive areas; and Potential effects on water quality. Human health has the potential to be impacted upon by environmental vectors (i.e. environmental components such as air, water or soil through which contaminants or pollutants, which have the potential to cause harm, can be transported so that they come into contact with human beings). Hazards or nuisances to human health can arise as a result of exposure to these vectors arising from incompatible adjacent land uses for example. These factors have been considered with regard to the description of: the baseline of each environmental component; and the identification and evaluation of the likely significant environmental effects of implementing the Plan. Existing Problems There is historic and predictive evidence of flooding in various locations across the City. The greatest health risk from radiation in Ireland is caused by radon. The presence of radon gas, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that originates from the decay of uranium in rocks and soils, occurs across the country. The number of homes within the City with radon levels above the reference level is within the normal range experienced in other locations across the country. 3.5 Soil Urban soils (underlying the City Centre) and brown earths 6 (to the north, south and west of the City Centre) are the two most dominant soil types in Cork City. There is an area of peat soil identified in the north-west of the City. There are two Sites of Geological Interest identified within the area of Cork City: Blackrock Diamond Quarry and St. Joseph's Section on Lee Road. Geological Survey of Ireland have identified that most of the City has relatively low levels of landslide susceptibility, with moderate to high susceptibility found mainly along steep river valleys in the centre, north and south of the City.
4 In 2019, the Cork City expanded to approx. five times its former size and the population of the City grew by c. 85,000. The Cork City boundary was expanded to include the areas of Douglas, Rochestown, Ballincollig, Tower, Blarney, Glanmire and Cork Airport. 5 Draft Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 6 Well drained mineral soils, associated with high levels of natural fertility.
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CAAS for Cork City Council
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