Southern Environs Local Area Plan 2021 – 2027 – Environmental Reports May 2021 Forward/Strategic Planning Economic Development Directorate Limerick City and County Council Merchants Quay Limerick In accordance with the provisions of Section 20 (4A) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), the Southern Environs Local Area Plan came into effect on the 31st of May 2021, six weeks after the adoption of the Local Area Plan by the Elected Members of the Metropolitan District of Limerick on 19th of April 2021. 2 Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report Southern Environs Local Area Plan 2021 – 2027 May 2021 Forward/Strategic Planning Economic Development Directorate Limerick City and County Council Merchants Quay Limerick Contents Part A – Strategic Environmental Assessment of Southern Environs Local Area Plan 1.0 Non-Technical Summary ......................................................................................... 5 1.1 Introduction..................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Contents and Main Objectives of the Southern Environs LAP ........................ 6 1.3 Current State of the Environment ................................................................... 7 1.4 Existing Environmental Issues ....................................................................... 15 1.5 Consideration of Alternative Strategies ........................................................ 16 1.6 Environmental Protection Objectives (EPOs) ................................................ 17 1.7 Likely Significant Effects on the Environment of Implementing the Sothern Environs Local Area Plan as reviewed .................................................................. 19 1.8 Monitoring Proposals .................................................................................... 19 2.0 Introduction to SEA ............................................................................................... 20 2.1 Background .................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Strategic Environmental Assessment ............................................................ 21 2.3 The Contents and Main Objectives of the Southern Environs Local Area Plan 22 2.4 Relationship of the revised plans with other Plans ...................................... 23 3.0 SEA Methodology ................................................................................................. 25 3.1 Steps in the SEA Process ............................................................................... 25 3.2 Difficulties Encountered in Compiling the Required Information ................ 26 4.0 Current State of the Environment ........................................................................ 30 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 30 4.2 Baseline and Relevant Environmental Problems .......................................... 32 4.3 Interrelationships between the above environmental factors ..................... 39 4.4 Evolution of the Environment in the absence of the review to incorporate updated policy content ......................................................................................... 41 4.5 Conclusion – Significant Environmental Issues ............................................. 41 4.6 Consideration of Alternative Strategies ........................................................ 42 5.0 Environmental Protection Objectives Relevant to the review of SELAP 2011 ..... 44 5.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 44 5.2 Environmental Protection Objectives ........................................................... 44 5.3 Use of Environmental Protection Objectives ................................................ 46 6.0 SEA of Proposed Southern Environs Local Area Plan 2021 - 2027 ....................... 47 6.1 Content of the proposed Local Area Plan ..................................................... 47 6.2 Methodology for Assessment and Determination of Significance of Effects . 72 3 6.3 Summary of Likely Significant Effects ........................................................... 77 6.3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 77 6.3.2 Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna ...................................................................... 77 6.3.3 Population and Human Health ................................................................... 77 6.3.4 Water/Wastewater ..................................................................................... 77 6.3.5 Air Quality & Climate .................................................................................. 78 6.3.6 Geology and Soil ......................................................................................... 78 6.3.7 Cultural Heritage ......................................................................................... 78 6.3.8 Landscape ................................................................................................... 79 6.3.9 Material Assets ........................................................................................... 79 6.4 In-combination Effects .................................................................................... 80 7.0 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 83 7.1 Summary of how environmental considerations were factored into the proposed review to date ...................................................................................... 84 7.2 Summary of how the Environmental Report and submissions received from Statutory Authorities following scoping were taken into account ...................... 85 7.3 Reasons for choosing the proposed review in the light of other reasonable alternatives considered. ...................................................................................... 85 8.0 Monitoring ............................................................................................................. 86 8.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 86 Appendix I International Conventions and Agreements .................................. 92 4 1.0 Non-Technical Summary 1.1 Introduction Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a formal process that is carried out as part of the review of the existing Southern Environs Local Area Plan (SELAP) 2011 - 2017 (as extended). A new Local Area Plan for the Southern Environs has been prepared to replace the 2011-2027 plan under this review. The review will update the policy content of the plan, bearing in mind the introduction of new national and regional level policy guidance. Amongst the changes during the review will be: 1) Re-zoning of lands, where it is considered necessary to accommodate changes required since the preparation of the last plan; 2) Rationalisation of residential zoning to maintain consistency with the population and housing targets as specified in the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) for the Southern Region; 3) Changes to zoning to reflect the new content of the NPF and the RSES; 4) Changes to the plan to reflect the importance of climate change including the incorporation of the contents of the EPA guidance note Integrating Climatic Factors into the Strategic Environmental Assessment Process in Ireland (June 2019). 5) Changes to both policy content in the plan and the zoning matrix to reflect the new policy content following adoption of both NPF and RSES and changed planning requirements that have come about since the adoption of the last plan. The SEA process informs decision making during the preparation of the plan, by improving the environmental compliance of the plan and raising awareness of the potential environmental consequences of its implementation, so that these consequences may be mitigated or avoided altogether. It also gives the public and other interested parties an opportunity to comment on, and to be kept informed of, decisions that may affect the local environment and how the review to the plan is carried out. In accordance with the legislation, a ‘scoping’ exercise was carried out to determine the range of environmental issues and level of detail to be contained in the Environmental Report. This took place in May 2020 and involved consultation with the relevant Environmental Authorities: The Environmental Protection Agency; The Department of the Housing, Planning and Local Government; 5 The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; The Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment; The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The main part of the SEA process is the Environmental Report, which outlines the findings of the assessment process. This is the Environmental Report for the review that has been prepared in accordance with the Planning and Development (SEA) Regulations 2004 and SEA (Review) Regulations 2011 (SI 200 of 2011). This report should be read in tandem with the plan and the Natura Impact Report. Figure 1: Boundaries of the Southern Environs Local Area Plan 1.2 Contents and Main Objectives of the Southern Environs LAP The Local Area Plan (LAP) is a legal document consisting of a public statement of Limerick City