Natura Impact Statement (To Support the Appropriate Assessment Process) of a Proposed Development at Ardra

Whitehill Environmental Noreen McLoughlin, MSc Environmental Consultant Whitehill Edgeworthstown Co. Longford (087) 4127248 / (043) 6672775 [email protected] NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT (TO SUPPORT THE APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT PROCESS) OF A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT ARDRA, BRACKNAGH, COUNTY OFFALY IN L INE W ITH THE RE QU IRE ME NTS OF AR T ICLE 6(3) OF THE EU HA B ITA TS D IRE CT IV E For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. Rosderra Farms c/o Pauric Fay C.L.W. Environmental Planners Ltd The Mews 23 Farnham Street May 2016 (Revised) All Maps and Aerial Photography used in this report are reproducedi under OSI Licence No. EN 0079016 EPA Export 19-05-2016:01:29:30 N AT U R A IIM P AC T S T A TE M E N T O F A P R O P O S E D DE VE L O P M E N T A T AR D R A, B R AC K N AG H , C O . O FF AL Y TA BLE O F C ON TE N TS 1 INTRODUCTION ______________________________________________________ 3 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 The Aim of This Report................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Regulatory Context ..................................................................................................... 4 2 METHODOLOGY _____________________________________________________ 7 2.1 Appropriate Assessment .............................................................................................. 7 2.2 Desk Studies ............................................................................................................... 9 3 STAGE I - SCREENING ________________________________________________ 10 3.1 Development Description ........................................................................................... 10 3.2 Site Location and Existing Environment ...................................................................... 14 3.3 Natura 2000 Sites Identified ....................................................................................... 17 3.4 Identification of Potential Impacts .............................................................................. 20 3.5 Assessment of Significance ........................................................................................ 21 3.6 Screening Conclusions ............................................................................................... 21 4 STAGE II – APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT (NIS) ______________________________ 22 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 22 4.2 Natura 2000 Sites Identified ....................................................................................... 22 4.3 Identification and Assessment of Potential Impacts ..................................................... 26 5 MITIGATION MEASURES ______________________________________________ 34 5.1 Design Concepts ....................................................................................................... 34 5.2 Additional Best Practice Measures .............................................................................. 35 6 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT E FFECTS For inspection ________________________________ purposes only. ____ 39 Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. 7 CONCLUSIONS ______________________________________________________ 40 APPENDIX I-NPWS SITE SYNOPSIS __________________________________________ 41 APPPENDIX II - REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING _______________________ 49 ii EPA Export 19-05-2016:01:29:30 N AT U R A IIM P AC T S T A TE M E N T O F A P R O P O S E D DE VE L O P M E N T A T AR D R A, B R AC K N AG H , C O . O FF AL Y 1 I N TROD UCTION 1.1 B ACKGROUND This Natura Impact Assessment follows on from an Appropriate Assessment Screening Determination prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency in regards to an application for a License for an existing poultry farm at Ardra, Bracknagh, County Offaly. Having regard to the location of the proposed development site and its proximity to sites designated under the EU Habitats Directive and the EU Birds Directive, the EPA made the following AA Screening Determination: “That the proposed activity is not directly connected with or necessary to the management of any European Sites and that it cannot be excluded, on the basis of objective information, that the proposed activity, individually or in combination with other plans or projects, will have a significant effect on any European site and accordingly determined that an Appropriate Assessment of the proposed activity is required, and for this reason determined to require the applicant to submit a Natura Impact Statement” 1.2 T H E A I M O F T H I S R EPORT This Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been prepared in accordance with the current guidance (DoEHLG, 2009, Revised February 2010), and it provides an ecological impact assessment (EcIA) for a proposed development at Ardra, Bracknagh, County Offaly. For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. An NIS should provide the information required in order to establish whether or not a proposed development is likely to have a significant impact on certain Natura sites in the context of their conservation objectives and specifically on the habitats and species for which the Natura 2000 conservation sites have been designated. Accordingly, a comprehensive assessment of the ecological impacts of this proposed development was carried out in May 2016 by Noreen McLoughlin, MSc, MCIEEM of Whitehill Environmental. This assessment allowed areas of potential ecological value and potential ecological constraints associated with this proposed development to be identified and it also enabled potential ecological impacts associated with the proposed development to be assessed and mitigated for. 3 EPA Export 19-05-2016:01:29:30 N AT U R A IIM P AC T S T A TE M E N T O F A P R O P O S E D DE VE L O P M E N T A T AR D R A, B R AC K N AG H , C O . O FF AL Y 1.3 R E G U LA T OR Y C ONTEXT RELEVANT LEGALISATION The Birds Directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC) implies that particular protection is given to sites (Special Protection Areas) which support certain bird species listed in Annex I of the Directive and that surveys of development sites should consider the status of such species. The EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) gives protection to sites (Special Areas of Conservation) which support particular habitats and species listed in annexes to this directive. Articles 6(3) and 6(4) of this Directive call for the undertaking of an Appropriate Assessment for plans and projects likely to have an effect on designated sites. This is explained in greater detail in the following section. The Wildlife Act 1976 (and its amendment of 2000) provides protection to most wild birds and animals. Interference with such species can only occur under licence. Under the act it is an offence to “wilfully interfere with or destroy the breeding place or resting place of any protected wild animal”. The basic designation for wildlife is the Natural Heritage Area (NHA). This is an area considered important for the habitats present or which holds species of plants and animals whose habitat needs protection. Under the Wildlife Amendment Act (2000) NHAs are legally protected from damage. NHAs are not part of the Natura 2000 network and so the Appropriate Assessment process does not apply to them. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC), which came into force in December 2000, establishes a framework for community action in the field of water policy. The WFD For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Water Policy) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 722 of 2003). The WFD rationalises and updates existing legislation and provides for water management on the basis of River Basin Districts (RBDs). RBDs are essentially administrative areas for coordinated water management and are comprised of multiple river basins (or catchments), with cross-border basins (i.e. those covering the territory of more than one Member State) assigned to an international RBD. The aim of the WFD is to ensure that waters achieve at least good status by 2015 and that status doesn’t deteriorate in any waters. APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT AND THE HABITATS DIRECTIVE Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and Wild Fauna and Flora – the ‘Habitats Directive’ - provides legal protection for habitats and species of European importance. Article 2 of the Directive requires the maintenance or restoration of habitats and species of European Community interest, at a favourable conservation status. Articles 3 - 9 provide the legislative means to protect habitats and species of Community interest 4 EPA Export 19-05-2016:01:29:30 N AT U R A IIM P AC T S T A TE M E N T O F A P R O P O S E D DE VE L O P M E N T A T AR D R A, B R AC K N AG H , C O . O FF AL Y through the establishment and conservation of an EU-wide network of sites known as Natura 2000. Natura 2000 sites are Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) designated under the Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the Conservation of Wild Birds Directive (79/409/EEC). Articles 6(3) and 6(4) of the Habitats Directive sets out the decision-making tests for plans or projects affecting Natura 2000 sites. Article 6(3) establishes the requirement for Appropriate

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