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NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT Draft Fourth National Hazardous Waste Management Plan This report was prepared on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency MDR1648 Natura Impact Statement F01 16 July 2021 rpsgroup.com NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Legislative Context ....................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 European Sites .............................................................................................................1 1.2 Purpose of the Appropriate Assessment Process ......................................................................2 1.3 Stages of Appropriate Assessment ............................................................................................2 1.4 Overlap with the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the draft NHWMP ..............................3 1.5 Consultation ..............................................................................................................................3 2 BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF THE NHWMP .........................................................................5 2.1 Key Objectives of the NHWMP ..................................................................................................5 2.2 Audience ...................................................................................................................................5 2.3 Scope and Function of the Plan .................................................................................................5 2.4 Content of the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan ....................................................6 2.5 Plan Implementation..................................................................................................................7 3 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................8 3.1 Guidance Documents on AA .....................................................................................................8 3.2 Guiding Principles and Case Law ..............................................................................................8 3.3 Information Sources Consulted..................................................................................................9 3.4 Impact Prediction ......................................................................................................................9 3.5 Aspects of the Management Plan to be Assessed ................................................................... 10 3.5.1 Likely Significant Effect ...............................................................................................10 3.6 Approach to AA for the NHWMP ..............................................................................................11 3.6.1 Stage 1 - Screening for Appropriate Assessment ........................................................ 11 3.6.2 Stage 2 - Appropriate Assessment.............................................................................. 11 4 OVERVIEW OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................... 12 4.1 Identification of European and Zone of Influence ..................................................................... 12 4.2 Transboundary Considerations ................................................................................................13 4.3 Conservation Objectives..........................................................................................................15 4.4 Conservation Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species ..................................................... 15 4.5 Existing Threats and Pressures to EU Protected Habitats and Species .................................... 17 4.6 Relevant Biodiversity Policy.....................................................................................................18 5 STAGE 1: SCREENING FOR APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ........................................................ 20 5.1 Screening Conclusion .............................................................................................................20 6 STAGE 2: APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................21 6.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................21 6.2 Approach to Assessment .........................................................................................................21 6.3 Prediction of Effects ................................................................................................................21 6.3.1 Context for Impact Prediction ......................................................................................21 6.3.2 Impact Identification ...................................................................................................22 6.3.3 Impact Prediction........................................................................................................23 6.3.4 Assessment of Draft NHWMP Actions ........................................................................ 31 6.4 In Combination Effects ............................................................................................................35 7 MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................................................................................45 8 PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS: DRAFT NHWMP .......................................................................... 51 9 NEXT STEPS ...................................................................................................................................52 MDR1648 | Natura Impact Statement | F01 | 16 July 2021 rpsgroup.com Page ii NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT Tables Table 2-1: NHWMP Overview .......................................................................................................................6 Table 3-1: Elements of the draft NHWMP Assessed in the NIS .................................................................... 10 Table 4-1: European Sites in the Republic of Ireland ................................................................................... 13 Table 4-2: Threat/ Pressure Categories, Notes, and Terrestrial Examples (Based on NPWS Article 17 Report, 2019) ..........................................................................................................................18 Table 6-1: Main Ecological Impacts that could Potentially Arise from the Actions Outlined in the draft NHWMP ..................................................................................................................................23 Table 6-2: Assessment of draft NHWMP Actions .........................................................................................31 Table 6-3: Assessment of In-combination Effects ........................................................................................36 Table 7-1: Mitigation Measures outlined for the Draft NHWMP .................................................................... 45 Figures Figure 4.1: European Sites in the Zone of Influence of the NHWMP ............................................................ 14 Figure 6.1: Ireland’s Planning Hierarchy ......................................................................................................26 Figure 6.2: Key Waste Legislation and Other Documents ............................................................................ 26 Appendices Appropriate Assessment Screening Report by CAAS List of SACs in the Republic of Ireland List of SPAs in the Republic of Ireland List of SACs in Northern Ireland List of SPAs in Northern Ireland Conservation Status of EU Habitats and Species Threats and Pressures to EU Protected Habitats and Species MDR1648 | Natura Impact Statement | F01 | 16 July 2021 rpsgroup.com Page iii NATURA IMPACT STATEMENT 1 INTRODUCTION The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently preparing Ireland’s Fourth National Hazardous Waste Management Plan (hereafter referred to as the “draft NHWMP” or “the Plan”) which will cover a six year period from 2021-2027. It will set out the objectives and recommendations to be pursued over the next six years and beyond to improve the management of hazardous waste in Ireland; taking into account the progress made since the third iteration of the plan as well as changes that have occurred since the previous plan was published in 2014. The NHWMP is being prepared by the EPA in accordance with Section 26 of the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended. The first such plan was published in 2001 and was replaced by a second plan published in 2008. The third plan was a revision of the second plan and covered the period 2014-2020. With reference to the legislative context summarised below, a Stage 1 - Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening Report was published by CAAS Ltd with respect to the draft NHWMP during January 2020 (see Appendix A). This concluded that the draft Plan was: • Not directly connected with or necessary to the management of a European Site; and • Likely significant effects on some European Sites could not be ruled out. On that basis, the AA Screening Report states that, applying the precautionary principle, and with reference to Article 6(3) of the EU Habitats Directive