Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly Draft Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy Natura Impact Report Tionól Reigiúnach Oirthir agus Lár-Tíre Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Eastern and Midlands Region RSES - NIR TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 SCOPE OF THE NATURA IMPACT REPORT ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 APPROACH TO NATURA IMPACT REPORT PREPARATION ........................................................................ 2 1.3 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT FOR APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ......................................................................... 2 2 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................... 4 2.1 GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS ON AA ........................................................................................................ 4 2.2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND CASE LAW ................................................................................................. 5 2.3 PURPOSE OF THE AA PROCESS ......................................................................................................... 5 2.4 STAGES OF APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT .............................................................................................. 6 2.5 INFORMATION SOURCES CONSULTED ................................................................................................. 7 2.6 IMPACT PREDICTION........................................................................................................................ 8 2.7 CONSULTATION .............................................................................................................................. 9 3 EASTERN AND MIDLAND RSES ........................................................................................ 10 3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 10 3.2 STRATEGIC VISION FOR THE EASTERN AND MIDLAND REGION .............................................................. 10 3.3 KEY ASPECTS OF THE DRAFT EM RSES ............................................................................................. 11 4 OVERVIEW OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................ 13 4.1 IDENTIFICATION OF EUROPEAN SITES ............................................................................................... 13 4.2 CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................... 18 4.3 CONSERVATION STATUS OF EU PROTECTED HABITATS AND SPECIES ...................................................... 19 4.4 EXISTING THREATS AND PRESSURES TO EU PROTECTED HABITATS AND SPECIES ...................................... 20 5 STAGE 1 SCREENING FOR AA........................................................................................... 22 5.1 POTENTIAL FOR LIKELY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ..................................................................................... 22 5.2 SCREENING FOR APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT CONCLUSION................................................................... 22 6 STAGE 2 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT OF THE DRAFT RSES ............................................... 23 6.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 23 6.2 ASPECTS OF THE PLAN TO BE ASSESSED ............................................................................................ 23 6.3 APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 24 6.4 IMPACT PREDICTION...................................................................................................................... 24 7 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF DRAFT RSES ....................................................................... 30 7.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 30 7.2 STRATEGIC VISION (CHAPTER 2 OF RSES) ......................................................................................... 33 7.3 GROWTH AND SETTLEMENT STRATEGY (CHAPTER 3 AND 4 OF RSES) .................................................... 36 MDR1402Rp0011_F01 i Eastern and Midlands Region RSES - NIR 7.4 DUBLIN METROPOLITAN AREA STRATEGIC PLAN (CHAPTER 5 OF RSES)................................................. 75 7.5 ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT (CHAPTER 6 OF RSES)......................................................................... 88 7.6 ENVIRONMENT (CHAPTER 7 OF RSES) ............................................................................................. 91 7.7 CONNECTIVITY (CHAPTER 8 OF RSES) .............................................................................................. 95 7.8 QUALITY OF LIFE (CHAPTER 9 OF RSES) ......................................................................................... 118 7.9 INFRASTRUCTURE (CHAPTER 10 OF RSES) ...................................................................................... 121 7.10 ALL ISLAND COHESION (CHAPTER 11 OF RSES) ............................................................................... 127 7.11 IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING (CHAPTER 12 OF RSES)........................................................... 129 7.12 ASSESSMENT OF IN COMBINATION EFFECTS WITH OTHER PLANS OR PROJECTS ..................................... 130 7.13 CHANGES MADE TO DRAFT RSES BY COUNCILLOR MOTION ............................................................... 145 8 MITIGATION MEASURES / RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................... 148 8.1 OVERALL MITIGATION STRATEGY .................................................................................................. 148 9 NEXT STEPS .................................................................................................................. 163 10 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 164 APPENDICES Appendix A Summary of Statutory Consultation Responses (Prior to Draft RSES) Appendix B Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) Eastern & Midland Region Appendix C Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Eastern & Midland Region Appendix D Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) Northern Ireland Appendix E Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Northern Ireland Appendix F Screening for Appropriate Assessment Appendix G EU Condition Assessment Appendix H Threats and Pressures Considered Relevant to the RSES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3-1 – Regional Assemblies and the Eastern and Midland Region .............................................. 10 Figure 4-1 – AA within the Planning Hierarchy of the RSES .................................................................. 15 Figure 4-2 – Euopean Sites in the Eastern and Midlands Region ......................................................... 16 Figure 4-3 – Euopean Sites and Hydrological Connectivity in the Eastern and Midlands Region ........ 17 Figure 7-1 – European Sites and Ecological Resources in the Eastern & Midland Region .................... 35 Figure 8-1 – Hierarchy of Preferred Mitigation Options ..................................................................... 148 MDR1402Rp0011_F01 ii Eastern and Midlands Region RSES - NIR LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 – European Sites within the Zone of Influence of the RSES .................................................. 15 Table 6.1 – Potential Ecological Effects Associated with the Policy Objectives Outlined in the RSES .. 26 Table 7.1 – Protective Policy Relevant to European Sites and / or Natura 2000 Network ................... 30 Table 7.2 – In-Combination Impacts with Other Plans and Strategies ............................................... 131 Table 8.1 – How Mitigation Measures/Recommendations have been Addressed in the Draft RSES 149 MDR1402Rp0011_F01 iii Eastern and Midlands Region RSES - NIR 1 INTRODUCTION The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) is currently preparing the Eastern and Midland Regional, Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES). The main statutory purpose of the RSES is to support the implementation of Project Ireland 2040 – the National Planning Framework (hereafter referred to as the NPF), and the economic policies and objectives of the Government by providing a long-term strategic planning and economic framework for the development of the region. The Eastern and Midland RSES is a strategic plan which identifies regional assets, opportunities and pressures and will provide appropriate policy, objective and target responses. It will put in place policies and recommendations that will better manage regional planning and economic development throughout the region. 1.1 SCOPE OF THE NATURA IMPACT REPORT RPS, on behalf of the EMRA, as the competent Authority for the Eastern and Midlands RSES, prepared Screening for Appropriate Assessment (AA) Report in accordance with the requirements of Part XAB of the Planning and Development Act 2000, to assess in view of best scientific knowledge, whether the Eastern and Midlands RSES, individually or in combination with other plans and projects, is likely to have a significant effect on a European site. The determination by EMRA on the Screening for AA is as follows;