Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment – Statement October 2017 / IBE1171 rpsgroup.com/ireland The Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy Strategic Environmental Assessment Statement DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET Client Waterways Ireland Project Title The Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy Document Title IBE1171Rp00003_SEA_Statement_D01 Document No. IBE1171Rp0003 DCS TOC Text List of Tables List of Figures No. of This Document Appendices Comprises 1 1 33 1 1 2 Rev. Status Author(s) Reviewed By Approved By Office of Origin Issue Date D01 Draft D. King R. Bingham Dr A. Barr Belfast 09/10/17 Copyright Copyright – Waterways Ireland. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be copied or reproduced by any means without prior written permission from Waterways Ireland. Legal Disclaimer This report is subject to the limitations and warranties contained in the contract between the commissioning party (Waterways Ireland) and RPS Group Ireland. Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy SEA Statement TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT............................................................................................... 1 2 SUMMARY OF SEA PROCESS ................................................................................................ 2 2.1 SEA SCREENING ............................................................................................................. 3 2.2 SEA SCOPING ................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT ............................................ 4 2.4 CONSULTATIONS .............................................................................................................. 5 2.5 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT.............................................................................................. 7 2.6 SEA STATEMENT ............................................................................................................... 8 2.7 ADOPTION OF THE STRATEGY ........................................................................................... 8 3 INFLUENCE OF SEA ON THE STRATEGY ............................................................................. 9 3.1 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF PREFERRED ROUTES ................................................... 9 3.2 SEA OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................... 10 3.3 RECOMMENDED MITIGATION MEASURES ........................................................................... 15 3.3.1 General Mitigation .......................................................................................... 15 3.3.2 Mitigation by Environmental Impact ............................................................... 16 3.4 HOW CONSULTATION FEEDBACK HAS INFLUENCED THE FINAL STRATEGY ........................ 20 4 PREFERRED ROUTE AND REASON FOR CHOOSING THE FINAL STRATEGY .............. 22 4.1 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED ........................................................................................... 22 4.1.1 Enniskillen to Clones ...................................................................................... 22 4.1.2 Castle Saunderson to Clones ......................................................................... 22 4.1.3 Belturbet to Cloverhill ..................................................................................... 23 4.1.4 Cavan to Clones ............................................................................................. 23 4.1.5 Clones to Smithsborough ............................................................................... 23 4.1.6 Smithborough to the Ulster Canal Greenway in Monaghan Town ................. 23 4.1.7 The Ulster Canal Greenway in Monaghan Town to Middletown .................... 23 4.1.8 Monaghan to Glaslough ................................................................................. 23 4.1.9 Glaslough to Armagh ...................................................................................... 24 4.1.10 Armagh to Portadown ..................................................................................... 24 4.1.11 Middletown to Benburb ................................................................................... 24 4.1.12 Benburb to Lough Neagh ............................................................................... 24 4.2 FINAL ROUTE SELECTION ................................................................................................ 24 5 MEASURES TO MONITOR SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT OF IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY ......................................................................................... 26 6 SCREENING AND CHANGES TO FINAL STRATEGY .......................................................... 30 7 CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS ....................................................................................... 31 8 GLOSSARY OF TERMS .......................................................................................................... 32 IBE1171Rp00003 i Rev D01 Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy SEA Statement LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Overview of the SEA Process ........................................................................................ 2 Figure 2.2 Photograph from the Monaghan PCD ............................................................................ 6 Figure 2.3 Photograph from the Cavan PCD ................................................................................... 6 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Description of SEA Environmental Impact Scores ............................................................ 10 Table 3.2 Strategic Environmental Objectives................................................................................... 12 Table 3.3 Compatibility of Objectives ................................................................................................ 15 APPENDICES APPENDIX A – Stakeholder and Public Engagement and Consultation 1 Page APPENDIX B – Draft Strategy Specific Environmental Submissions 4 Pages IBE1171Rp00003 ii Rev D01 Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy SEA Statement ABBREVIATIONS AA Appropriate Assessment ASSI Area of Special Scientific Interest BTO British Trust for Ornithology CDP County Development Plan CEMP Construction Environmental Management Plan CFRAM Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management CMP Construction Management Plan CSO Central Statistics Office DAFM Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine DCCAE Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment DCHG Department of Culture, Heritage & Gaeltacht DHPLG Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government DfI Department for Infrastructure EEA European Environment Agency EPA Environmental Protection Agency GHG Greenhouse Gas GSI Geological Survey of Ireland GSNI Geological Survey of Northern Ireland IFI Inland Fisheries Ireland LA Local Authority LAP Local Area Plan NHA Natural Heritage Area NIEA Northern Ireland Environment Agency NIS Natura Impact Statement NISRA Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency NPWS National Parks and Wildlife Service OPW Office of Public Works PCD Public Consultation Day SAC Special Area of Conservation SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SEO Strategic Environmental Objective SPA Special Protection Area WFD Water Framework Directive IBE1171Rp00003 iii Rev D01 Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy SEA Statement 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT This Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Statement has been prepared as part of the SEA for the Ulster Canal Greenway Development Strategy; hereafter referred to as the Strategy. This document provides information on the decision-making process and further details the way in which environmental considerations, the views of consultees, the recommendations of the Environmental Report and the assessment carried out under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, have influenced and been taken into account by the Strategy. The Strategy has been developed on behalf of Waterways Ireland and their project partners; Monaghan County Council, Cavan County Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, and Mid Ulster District Council. Together, they propose to develop a long-distance greenway which links Castle Saunderson in County Cavan (Republic of Ireland) to Charlemont in County Armagh (Northern Ireland). The route of this greenway will be constructed mainly along the disused Ulster Canal and along sections of disused railway infrastructure. The Strategy lays out the proposed sections of greenway that Waterways Ireland and their project partners propose to develop as funding becomes available. This SEA Statement has been prepared in accordance with the European Communities (Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes) Regulations 2004 [S.I. 435/2004] and the Planning and Development (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Regulations 2004 [S.I. 436/2004], and their recent amendments of European Communities (Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 [S.I. 200/2011] and the Planning and Development (Strategic Environmental Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 [S.I. 201/2011], and in accordance with the Environmental