Cork City Environmental Report Non-Technical Summary

SEA Environmental Report Appendix III: Non-Technical Summary

3.10 Landscape The visual character of Cork City is due to its variety of landscapes and rich and diverse built and cultural heritage. Built around estuarine islands in the valley of the River Lee, Cork City is shaped by its rolling landscape, waterways and a rich mix of natural, built and cultural heritage. The Lee Valley runs through the centre of the City giving rise to steep hills to the north and to the south. The Lee Estuary flows into Cork Harbour to the east of the City. The Cork City Council Landscape Study (2008) 14 identified seven Landscape Character Areas, within the City:  Estuarine/Riverine;  Natural harbour;  Historic urban core;  Inner-city residential;  Sub-urban residential;  Urban sylvan character; and  Urban industrial/commercial/Institutional. Cork City Council seeks to protect and enhance the landscape character of the City by protecting the significant landscape elements that contribute to the general amenity of Cork City. Areas of High Landscape Value and Landscape Preservation Zones are identified in the Plan and must be considered when assessing planning applications. Areas of High Landscape Value display an intrinsic landscape character and a special amenity value. Landscape Preservation Zones are areas in need of special protection as their character and amenity value is considered to be to highly sensitive to development. Existing Environmental Problems New developments have resulted in changes to the visual appearance of lands within the City however legislative objectives governing landscape and visual appearance were not identified as being conflicted with. 3.11 Strategic Environmental Objectives Strategic Environmental Objectives (SEOs) are methodological measures developed from policies that generally govern environmental protection objectives established at international, Community or Member State level e.g. the environmental protection objectives of various European Directives that have been transposed into Irish law and that are required to be implemented. The SEOs are set out under a range of topics and are used as standards against which the provisions of the Draft Plan and the alternatives are evaluated in order to help identify which provisions would be likely to result in significant environmental effects and where such effects would be likely to occur, if - in the case of adverse effects - unmitigated. Table 3.1 Strategic Environmental Objectives

Environmental Component Biodiversity, Flora and

SEO Code BFF

Guiding Principle

Strategic Environmental Objectives

No net contribution to biodiversity losses or deterioration

 To preserve, protect, maintain and, where appropriate, enhance the terrestrial, aquatic and soil biodiversity, particularly EU designated sites and protected species  Ensure no adverse effects on the integrity of any European site, with regard to its qualifying interests, associated conservation status, structure and function  Safeguard national, regional and local designated sites and supporting features which function as stepping stones for migration, dispersal and genetic exchange of wild species  Enhance biodiversity in line with the National Biodiversity Strategy and its targets  To protect, maintain and conserve the City’s natural capital  Promote economic growth to encourage retention of working age population and funding of sustainable development and environmental protection and management  Ensure that existing population and planned growth is matched with the required public infrastructure and the required services  Safeguard the City’s citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and well-being

Fauna

PHH

Population and

Improve quality of life for all ages and abilities based on high-quality, serviced, well connected and sustainable residential, working,

Human

Health

14 This Study referred to the pre-2019 City area, and Cork City Council will undertake a revised landscape study that addresses the entirety of the administrative area including the urban towns, villages and suburbs.

CAAS for Cork City Council