SEA ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR THE CLEW BAY DESTINATION AND EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN for: Fáilte Ireland 88-95 Amiens Street Dublin 1 by: CAAS Ltd. 1st Floor 24-26 Ormond Quay Upper Dublin 7 NOVEMBER 2020 SEA Environmental Report for the Clew Bay Destination and Experience Development Plan Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................v Glossary ...................................................................................................................vi SEA Introduction and Background ..................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction and Terms of Reference ........................................................................... 1 1.2 SEA Definition ............................................................................................................ 1 1.3 SEA Directive and its transposition into Irish Law .......................................................... 1 1.4 Implications for the Plan ............................................................................................. 1 The Plan ............................................................................................. 3 2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Relationship with other relevant Plans and Programmes ................................................ 3 SEA Methodology ............................................................................... 5 3.1 Introduction to the Iterative Approach ......................................................................... 5 3.2 Appropriate Assessment and Integrated Biodiversity Impact Assessment ......................... 6 3.3 Scoping ..................................................................................................................... 6 3.4 Alternatives ............................................................................................................... 7 3.5 Environmental Report ................................................................................................. 7 3.6 The SEA Statement .................................................................................................... 7 3.7 Difficulties Encountered .............................................................................................. 7 Environmental Baseline ..................................................................... 9 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 9 4.2 National Reporting on the Environment ........................................................................ 9 4.3 Sustainable Development Goals ................................................................................... 9 4.4 Likely Evolution of the Environment in the Absence of the Plan .....................................10 4.5 Biodiversity and Flora and Fauna ................................................................................12 4.6 Population and Human Health ....................................................................................25 4.7 Soil .......................................................................................................................... 25 4.8 Water .......................................................................................................................31 4.9 Air and Climatic Factors .............................................................................................41 4.10 Material Assets ..........................................................................................................43 4.11 Cultural Heritage .......................................................................................................45 4.12 Landscape ................................................................................................................49 Strategic Environmental Objectives ................................................ 51 Description of Alternatives .............................................................. 54 6.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................54 6.2 Current Situation (Alternative 1: Business as Usual) .....................................................54 6.3 Prepare a Plan (Alternatives 2A and 2B: Prepare a Plan) ...............................................54 Evaluation of Alternatives ................................................................ 56 7.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................56 7.2 Methodology .............................................................................................................56 7.3 Cumulative Effects .....................................................................................................58 7.4 Detailed Consideration of Alternatives .........................................................................60 7.5 Selected Alternative for the Plan .................................................................................62 CAAS for Fáilte Ireland i SEA Environmental Report for the Clew Bay Destination and Experience Development Plan Evaluation of Plan Provisions ........................................................... 65 8.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................65 8.2 Overall Findings ........................................................................................................67 8.3 Appropriate Assessment .............................................................................................73 8.4 Interrelationship between Environmental Components ..................................................73 8.5 More Detailed Assessment of Plan Provisions ...............................................................75 Mitigation Measures ......................................................................... 94 9.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................94 9.2 Establishing the status of the Plan and its interrelationship with the Statutory Decision- Making and Consent-Granting Framework ................................................................................94 9.3 Integrating Requirements for Environmental Protection and Management into the Plan ...97 Monitoring Measures ....................................................................... 99 10.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................99 10.2 Indicators and Targets ...............................................................................................99 10.3 Sources ....................................................................................................................99 10.4 Reporting and Responsibility ......................................................................................99 Appendix I SEA Determination ........................................................................... 103 Appendix II Relationship with Legislation and Other Plans and Programmes .. 104 Appendix III Designated Sites ............................................................................ 145 Appendix IV Non-Technical Summary……………………………..…Separately bound CAAS for Fáilte Ireland ii SEA Environmental Report for the Clew Bay Destination and Experience Development Plan List of Figures Figure 3.1 Overview of the SEA/AA/Plan-preparation Processes ....................................................... 5 Figure 4.1 Area to which the Plan relates .................................................................................... 11 Figure 4.2 European Sites within and adjacent to the area to which the Plan relates ....................... 18 Figure 4.3 Other connected European sites ................................................................................. 19 Figure 4.4 NHAs and pNHAs within and adjacent to the area to which the Plan relates .................... 20 Figure 4.5 Other ecological designations within and adjacent to the area to which the Plan relates .. 21 Figure 4.6 CORINE Land Cover Mapping 2018 ............................................................................. 22 Figure 4.7 WFD Register of Protected Areas: Drinking Water, Bathing Waters and Salmonid Regs .... 23 Figure 4.8 WFD Register of Protected Areas: Nutrient Sensitive Areas and Shellfish Areas ............... 24 Figure 4.9 Soils ......................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 4.10 Geological Heritage .................................................................................................. 29 Figure 4.11 Landslide Susceptibility and Previous Landslide Events ................................................ 30 Figure 4.12 Surface Water Status (2013-2018) ............................................................................ 37 Figure 4.13 WFD Groundwater Status (2013-2018) ...................................................................... 38 Figure 4.14 Groundwater Vulnerability ........................................................................................ 39 Figure 4.15 Groundwater Productivity ........................................................................................