Environmental Impact Assessment Report Volume 2 of 3 – Main Report For FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF UMMERA GRAVEL PIT MACROOM, COUNTY CORK Prepared for: Drimoleague Concrete Works Limited Bredagh Cross Drimoleague County Cork Prepared by: Keohane Geological & Environmental Consultancy Ivy House Clash Carrigrohane County Cork September 2020 Environmental Impact Assessment Report Volume 2 of 3 – Main Report For FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF UMMERA GRAVEL PIT MACROOM, COUNTY CORK TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................1 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................5 1.1 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT ...................................................................................................5 1.2 PROJECT BACKGROUND .................................................................................................6 1.2.1 Section 261 Application ........................................................................................7 1.2.2 Section 261A Process ...........................................................................................7 1.3 PRE-SUBMISSION CONSULTATION ...................................................................................8 1.4 SCOPING ........................................................................................................................9 1.5 CONTRIBUTORS ........................................................................................................... 12 1.6 FORMAT OF EIAR ........................................................................................................ 12 1.6.1 Technical Difficulties .......................................................................................... 13 2. DESCRIPTION OF DEVELOPMENT .............................................................................. 17 2.1 SITE SETTING .............................................................................................................. 17 2.1.1 Settlement Pattern ............................................................................................. 17 2.2 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING PIT ..................................................................................... 18 2.2.1 Extraction Operations ........................................................................................ 18 2.3 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ................................................................ 18 2.3.1 Site Plant ............................................................................................................ 19 2.3.2 Settlement Ponds ............................................................................................... 20 2.3.3 Power Supply ..................................................................................................... 21 2.3.4 Fuel Storage ...................................................................................................... 21 2.3.5 Water Usage ...................................................................................................... 21 2.3.6 Welfare Facilities ................................................................................................ 21 2.3.7 Working Hours ................................................................................................... 22 2.3.8 Security .............................................................................................................. 22 2.3.9 Lighting............................................................................................................... 22 2.3.10 Waste Management ........................................................................................... 22 2.3.11 Proposed New Infrastructure ............................................................................. 22 2.4 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING ..................................................................................... 23 2.5 LIFESPAN & RESTORATION ........................................................................................... 24 3. POPULATION & HUMAN HEALTH ................................................................................ 27 3.1 HUMAN BEINGS IN THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................... 27 3.1.1 Recreation and Amenity ..................................................................................... 28 3.1.2 Settlement Pattern near Site .............................................................................. 28 3.2 PUBLIC HEALTH & EXTRACTION INDUSTRY .................................................................... 29 3.3 HUMAN BEINGS – IMPACTS ASSESSMENT ..................................................................... 29 3.3.1 Health and Safety .............................................................................................. 29 3.3.2 Socio-Economics ............................................................................................... 30 3.3.3 Recreation, Amenity & Tourism ......................................................................... 30 3.4 HUMAN BEINGS – MITIGATION MEASURES .................................................................... 30 3.4.1 Health and Safety .............................................................................................. 30 3.4.2 Socio-Economics ............................................................................................... 30 3.4.3 Recreation, Amenity & Tourism ......................................................................... 30 3.5 CONCLUSIONS ON HUMAN BEINGS ............................................................................... 31 4. MATERIAL ASSETS ....................................................................................................... 32 4.1 EXISTING ROAD NETWORK ........................................................................................... 32 4.1.1 Traffic Counts ..................................................................................................... 33 4.1.2 Site Entrance ..................................................................................................... 35 4.1.3 Road Safety ....................................................................................................... 36 4.2 IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................. 37 4.2.1 Do Nothing Impact ............................................................................................. 37 4.2.2 Operational Impacts ........................................................................................... 37 4.3 MITIGATION MEASURES ............................................................................................... 38 4.4 CONCLUSIONS ON ROADS & TRAFFIC ........................................................................... 38 Ummera Gravel Pit – Further Development i/vii September 2020 Environmental Impact Assessment Report Volume 2 of 3 – Main Report 5. NOISE .............................................................................................................................. 40 5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 40 5.1.1 Statement of Authority ....................................................................................... 41 5.2 CRITERIA .................................................................................................................... 41 5.3 RECEPTORS ................................................................................................................ 42 5.4 BASELINE SOUNDSCAPE .............................................................................................. 43 5.5 PROPOSED FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................. 47 5.6 IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................. 47 5.6.1 Do Nothing Impact ............................................................................................. 47 5.6.2 Operational Phase ............................................................................................. 48 5.7 POPULATION & HUMAN HEALTH ................................................................................... 50 5.8 MITIGATION ................................................................................................................. 51 5.9 SUMMARY OF EFFECTS ................................................................................................ 51 5.10 GLOSSARY OF TERMS .................................................................................................. 52 6. AIR QUALITY, CLIMATE & CLIMATE CHANGE ........................................................... 54 6.1 LOCAL CLIMATE ........................................................................................................... 54 6.2 AIR QUALITY IN THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................ 55 6.3 AIR & CLIMATE - IMPACT ASSESSMENT ......................................................................... 56 6.3.1 Do Nothing Impact ............................................................................................. 56 6.3.2 Operational Phase ............................................................................................