A vibrant community offering a new way of living Clonburris Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) Draft Planning Scheme STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (SEA) ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT September 2017 __________________________________________________________________________________ Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Scale, nature and location of development ................................................................................ 1 1.3 SEA Environmental Report ........................................................................................................ 3 1.4 Report Preparation ................................................................................................................... 4 2.0 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Stages in the SEA Process .......................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Screening ........................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Scoping .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Baseline Data ..........................................................................................................................16 2.4 Consideration of alternatives ...................................................................................................17 2.5 Approach to assessment of significant environmental impacts ..................................................17 2.6 Mitigation ...............................................................................................................................18 2.7 Monitoring ..............................................................................................................................18 2.8 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment ...............................................................................................18 2.9 Data Gaps ................................................................................................................................18 3.0 Relationships to Plans, Policies and Programmes. .....................................................................20 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................20 3.2 Relevant Plans, Policies and Programmes .................................................................................20 3.2.1 International .....................................................................................................................20 3.2.2 National ............................................................................................................................21 3.2.3 Regional and County .........................................................................................................22 3.3 Key principles identified from review. ......................................................................................22 4.0 Environmental Baseline ...........................................................................................................24 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................24 4.2 Population and Human health ..................................................................................................25 4.2.1 Population ........................................................................................................................26 4.2.2 Human Health ...................................................................................................................27 Human Health and Noise ...........................................................................................................28 Human Health and Air Quality ...................................................................................................30 Radon .......................................................................................................................................30 4.2.3 Existing issues Population and human health. ........................................................................31 4.3 Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna ...................................................................................................31 __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ 4.3.1 Designated Nature Conservation Areas ..............................................................................32 4.3.2 Habitats Directive Assessment ...........................................................................................38 4.3.3 Rare & Protected Fauna .....................................................................................................38 4.3.4 Invasive Plant Species........................................................................................................42 4.3.5 Habitats ............................................................................................................................45 4.3.6 Freshwater ........................................................................................................................49 4.3.7 Grassland ..........................................................................................................................50 4.3.8 Woodland .........................................................................................................................54 4.3.9 Disturbed Ground and built land ........................................................................................56 4.3.10 Fauna ..............................................................................................................................58 Birds ..........................................................................................................................................58 Non-volant Mammals ................................................................................................................58 4.3.11 Ecological Corridors .........................................................................................................64 4.3.12 Existing issues –Biodiversity, flora and fauna ....................................................................66 4.4 Water resources including surface water management and flood risk. ......................................67 4.4.1 Water Framework Directive ...............................................................................................67 4.4.2 Surface Water ...................................................................................................................68 4.4.3 Groundwater ....................................................................................................................70 4.4.4 Register of Protected Areas (RPA) ......................................................................................70 4.4.5 Flooding and Flood risk .........................................................................................................70 Surface Water Strategy ..................................................................................................................73 4.4.6 Existing issues – Water Resources ......................................................................................74 4.6 Geology and Soil ......................................................................................................................75 4.6.1 Geology ................................................................................................................................75 4.6.2 Geological Heritage and Extraction activities ......................................................................77 4.6.3 Soil ...................................................................................................................................79 4.6.4 Existing issues –Soils and Geology ......................................................................................81 4.7 Climatic Factors and climate change .........................................................................................81 4.7.1 Energy and Climate Change Mitigation ...............................................................................83 4.7.2 Existing Issues –Climatic Factors ........................................................................................83 4.8 Cultural Assets .........................................................................................................................83 4.8.1 Archaeology ......................................................................................................................84 4.8.2 Built Heritage ....................................................................................................................86 4.8.3 Existing issues –Cultural assets ..........................................................................................89 4.9 Material Assets ........................................................................................................................89