Local Development Plan 2032 Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment October 2019 www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment Report Local Development Plan 2032 - Draft Plan Strategy Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council Local Development Plan 2032 Draft Plan Strategy October 2019 Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment Report Local Development Plan 2032- Draft Plan Strategy Have your say Making a Representation to the draft Plan Strategy The draft Plan Strategy provides the strategic direction for the Council area over a 15 year period, which will be reviewed following adoption of the Local Policies Plan. Regulation 16 of the Local Development Plan (LDP) Regulations 2015 states that any person may make representations about the draft Plan Strategy document. The Council is conducting a 13 week period of consultation on the draft Plan Strategy from 11 October 2019 – 10 January 2020. Whilst the formal (statutory) period for consultation is eight weeks, the council is adding an additional week to allow for the Christmas period. Formal Consultation The draft Plan Strategy will be published for formal consultation on Friday 8th November 2019 closing at 5pm on Friday 10th January 2020. Please note that representations received after the closing date on 10th January 2020 will not be considered. The Department for Infrastructure Development Plan Practice Note 09 ‘Submission and Handling of Representations’, sets out the following requirements for the submission of any representation to the draft Plan Strategy. In accordance with best practice, your representation: must be submitted in full during the public consultation period should demonstrate why the draft Plan Strategy is not sound and/or justify how any proposed changes make the draft Plan Strategy more sound should demonstrate how any proposed change(s) meet the requirements of the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and is more appropriate in terms of meeting the sustainability objectives of the draft Plan Strategy. The main test for the Plan Strategy is soundness which is assessed at Independent Examination (see the Department for Infrastructure’s Development Plan Practice Note 06 Soundness). It involves testing the principles, content and preparation process of the draft Plan Strategy against a list of key criteria. When telling us of any changes that should be made to the Plan Strategy to make it more sound, you must take into account the tests of soundness. Please indicate if you would like your representation to be dealt with at Independent Examination as a written or oral representation. You can make a representation in the following ways: Online: the online survey to the draft Plan Strategy and online survey to the Sustainability Appraisal incorporating Strategic Environmental Assessment, Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment, Section 75 Equality Impact Screening Report and Rural Needs Impact Assessment are available on the Council’s website at www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk following commencement of the formal consultation period. By email: the above forms are also available on the Council’s website which can be returned by email to [email protected] following commencement of the formal consultation period. By mail: Write to us at: Local Development Plan Team Civic Headquarters, Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn, BT27 4RL October 2019 Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment Report Local Development Plan 2032 - Draft Plan Strategy Contents Non-Technical Summary ......................................................................................................................... ii 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Identification of international sites potentially affected ................................................................. 5 3 Potential Impacts of Development .................................................................................................. 8 4 Screening draft Plan Strategy for Likely Significant Effects ............................................................ 12 5 Appropriate Assessment ............................................................................................................... 20 6 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 26 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Glossary ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix 1: References & Evidence Sources ........................................................................................ 29 Appendix 2: The Approach to Habitats Regulations Assessment for Plans ........................................... 30 Appendix 3: Site information ................................................................................................................. 41 Appendix 4: Maps .................................................................................................................................. 71 Appendix 5: Review of draft Plan Strategy Proposals and Policies ........................................................ 79 Page i October 2019 Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment Report Local Development Plan 2032- Draft Plan Strategy Non-Technical Summary Habitats Regulations Assessment Regulation 43 of the Habitats Regulations, which implements a requirement of the Habitats and Birds Directives, requires an appropriate assessment to be undertaken of plans and projects which are likely to have a significant effect on an international site in Northern Ireland, either alone or in combination with other plans or projects. This is known as Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) and provides for assessment of the implications of a land use plan for international sites in view of their conservation objectives. For this report international sites include Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs), proposed Special Protection Areas (pSPAs) and Ramsar sites. This draft HRA Report is prepared in support of the draft Plan Strategy for Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Local Development Plan (LDP). It records the assessment of the draft Plan Strategy and its potential impacts on international sites. Overview of draft Plan Strategy The draft Plan Strategy provides a plan-led policy framework for making day-to-day decisions to help Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (the Council) deliver sustainable development for employment, homes and infrastructure in a high quality environment across the Council area. It sets out how the area will change and grow until 2032. The nature of the draft Plan Strategy is that it has the potential to have a significant effect on some international sites, therefore we are undertaking a HRA in our role as a competent authority to ensure the legal requirements of the Habitats Regulations are fully met. International Sites Overview A total of 15 international sites that have a theoretical connection to the plan area were identified. On further review it was found that 13 of these sites might be affected by the draft Plan Strategy. There are only two international sites partly within the council area, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg SPA and Ramsar site. Sites beyond the Council area with an ecological connection were also included, for example Belfast Lough SPA and Ramsar site which is connected via the River Lagan. On a precautionary basis, all sites within 10km of the plan area were also considered. Appendix 4, Maps 2 to 5 illustrate these sites in relation to the Council area. Screening of the Plan All of the Plan Strategy proposals were reviewed, from the Vision and Plan Objectives and the Strategic Policies and Spatial Strategy in Part 1, to the Operational Policies in Part 2. Following the screening of plan proposals it was found that there is potential for likely significant effects to arise from ten operational policies: ED5 Major Economic Development in the Countryside; MD3 to MD5 Minerals Development policies; TOU2 to TOU7 Tourism policies; UT1 Utilities; and these were screened in for appropriate assessment. Appropriate Assessment Those policies screened in were assessed under four groups: Major Economic Development in the Countryside; Minerals Development; Tourism; and Utilities. Mitigation measures were identified to strengthen the protection afforded to international sites by these policies through amendments to the policies and clarification in the Justification and Amplification. Conclusions of the HRA Assuming that the recommended mitigation measures are all accepted, and the plan amended accordingly, it is possible to ascertain that the draft Plan Strategy will have no adverse effect on the integrity of any international sites. Following public consultation and independent examination of the draft Plan Strategy the HRA will be finalised and adopted by the Council and published alongside the adopted Plan Strategy. Page ii October 2019 Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment Report Local Development Plan 2032- Draft Plan Strategy 1 Introduction Local Development Plan 2032 The draft Plan Strategy is the first document in a two-stage process, the second being the Local Policies Plan. Together these will constitute