National Broadband Plan Ireland’s Broadband Intervention Natura Impact Statement 2018 National Broadband Plan - Intervention Strategy Appropriate Assessment Natura Impact Statement October 2018 rpsgroup.com/ireland Natura Impact Statement (NIS) for the National Broadband Plan Intervention Strategy TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 APPROACH TO NIS PREPARATION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 LAYOUT OF NIS .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT FOR APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ......................................................................... 2 1.4 PURPOSE OF THE AA PROCESS ......................................................................................................... 3 1.5 OVERLAP WITH THE STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE NBP ............................................ 3 1.6 CONSULTATION .............................................................................................................................. 4 2 BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF THE NBP INTERVENTION STRATEGY ............................. 9 2.1 NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN (NBP) ................................................................................................. 9 2.2 NBP INTERVENTION STRATEGY ......................................................................................................... 9 2.3 THE INTERVENTION AREA ............................................................................................................... 11 2.4 CONTENT OF THE INTERVENTION STRATEGY ...................................................................................... 14 2.5 PROCUREMENT PROCESS ............................................................................................................... 14 3 ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................... 15 3.1 GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS ON AA ...................................................................................................... 15 3.2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND CASE LAW ............................................................................................... 16 3.3 STAGES OF APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................ 16 3.4 INFORMATION SOURCES CONSULTED ............................................................................................... 18 3.5 IMPACT PREDICTION ..................................................................................................................... 18 4 OVERVIEW OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................. 20 4.1 IDENTIFICATION OF EUROPEAN SITES ............................................................................................... 20 4.2 CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................... 24 4.3 CONSERVATION STATUS OF EU PROTECTED HABITATS AND SPECIES ...................................................... 25 4.4 EXISTING THREATS AND PRESSURES TO EU PROTECTED HABITATS AND SPECIES ...................................... 26 4.5 RELEVANT BIODIVERSITY POLICY ...................................................................................................... 26 5 STAGE 2 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT OF DRAFT INTERVENTION STRATEGY ...................... 28 5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 28 5.2 APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 28 5.3 IMPACT PREDICTION ..................................................................................................................... 28 5.4 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF DRAFT INTERVENTION STRATEGY ............................................................. 35 5.5 ASSESSMENT OF IN‐COMBINATION EFFECTS WITH OTHER PLANS OR PROJECTS ....................................... 41 6 ASSESSMENT OF CHANGES TO INTERVENTION STRATEGY ................................................. 53 7 MITIGATION ..................................................................................................................... 62 MDR1216Rp0005 F02 ii Natura Impact Statement (NIS) for the National Broadband Plan Intervention Strategy 8 FINDINGS OF THE NIS ........................................................................................................ 72 9 REFERENCES...................................................................................................................... 73 APPENDICES Appendix A Consultation Responses – AA Specific Appendix B Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) Republic of Ireland Appendix C Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Republic of Ireland Appendix D Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) Northern Ireland Appendix E Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Northern Ireland Appendix F AA Screening Determination Appendix G EU Condition Assessment Appendix H Generic Threats and Pressures Considered Relevant to the Intervention Strategy LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 The High Speed Broadband Map ................................................................................... 13 Figure 4.1 European Sites .............................................................................................................. 22 Figure 5.1 Utilities Network and European Sites ............................................................................ 30 LIST OF TABLES Table 1‐1 Summary of Consultation Responses with Relevance to AA –Scoping ............................. 4 Table 1‐2 Summary of Consultation Responses with Relevance to AA – Draft Intervention Strategy ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Table 2‐1 Content of the Intervention Strategy ............................................................................. 14 Table 4‐1 European Sites within the Zone of Influence of the Intervention Strategy ...................... 21 Table 5‐1 Main Negative Ecological Impacts Associated with the Intervention Strategy ................ 32 Table 5‐2 Intervention Strategy Objectives Assessment ................................................................ 35 Table 5‐3 In‐Combination Impacts with Other Plans and Programmes .......................................... 44 Table 5‐4 In‐Combination Impacts with Environmental Legislation and Policy ............................... 51 Table 6‐1 AA Assessment of Changes to Intervention Strategy arising from Addendum to the Intervention Strategy 2015 ........................................................................................................... 53 Table 7‐1 AA Mitigation and How it has Been Addressed .............................................................. 63 MDR1216Rp0005 F02 iii Natura Impact Statement (NIS) for the National Broadband Plan Intervention Strategy 1 INTRODUCTION The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (referred to hereinafter as DCCAE) has prepared the National Broadband Plan ‐ Intervention Strategy (referred to hereinafter as the ‘Intervention Strategy’). The Intervention Strategy sets out a series of high level Government policy objectives in respect of the proposed State intervention to ensure high speed broadband services are provided to all parts of Ireland. It outlines various aspects of the proposed intervention including the type of network envisaged, the minimum speeds being demanded, the length of the contract for services, and whether the network should be public or privately owned. This is in response to the EU Digital Agenda for Europe which envisages providing all EU citizens with access to high speed broadband at a minimum of 30 Mbps by 2020 and 50% of all EU citizens with access to speeds of 100 Mbps. This Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been prepared to inform the Appropriate Assessment (AA) of the Intervention Strategy in accordance with requirements of Article 6 of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (Habitats Directive), as transposed into Irish law by the Birds and Natural Habitats Regulations 2011, as amended. This NIS has been prepared by RPS on behalf of DCCAE. 1.1 APPROACH TO NIS PREPARATION In preparing this NIS, a two stage approach has been taken. The purpose of this two stage approach is to align with the requirements of the SEA process (2001/42/EC as transposed into Irish law). Art. 9(1)(b) of the SEA Directive expressly links to Appropriate Assessment. The SEA process requires that an environmental report is prepared to accompany a draft plan for public consultation. Only after public consultation is a plan finalised, having had regard to the environmental report prepared and the submissions and observations of the public. To facilitate an informed assessment under both processes, it is necessary to consider both the draft and final versions of the plan in compiling the NIS. As such, an NIS was prepared in relation to the draft Intervention Strategy. This included proposed mitigation and recommendations and a conclusion based on the