N11/N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour E.3. Natura Impact Statement - Stage 1 Screening Appropriate Assessment 247517/IWE/CCT/09/C 06 September 2011 247517-09-C Route Selection Report Part 2 Appendices.doc E-7 N11/N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour This page left intentionally blank for pagination. 247517/IWE/CCT/09/C 06 September 2011 247517-09-C Route Selection Report Part 2 Appendices.doc E-8 N11-N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour Natura Impact Statement - Stage 1 Screening Appropriate Assessment June 2011 Wexford County Council N11-N25247517 IWE Oilgate CCT to 33 C Natura Impact Statement - Stage 1 Screening Appropriate Assessment doc Rosslare Harbour 30 June 2011 Natura Impact Statement - Stage 1 Screening Appropriate Assessment June 2011 Wexford County Council Wexford County Council County Hall Spawell Road Wexford Mott MacDonald, 5 Eastgate Avenue, Eastgate, Little Island, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland T +353 (0)21 4809 800 F +353 (0)21 4809 801, www.mottmac.com N11-N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour Issue and revision record λª·•·±² Ü¿¬» Ñ®·¹·²¿¬±® ݸ»½µ»® ß°°®±ª»® Ü»•½®·°¬·±² A December 2010 E. Bennett R. Hallissey P. Kelly Issue 1 Work in Progress B May 2011 E. Bennett R. Hallissey P. Kelly Issue 2 Work in Progress C June 2011 E. Bennett R. Hallissey P. Kelly Issue 3 This document is issued for the party which commissioned it We accept no responsibility for the consequences of this and for specific purposes connected with the above-captioned document being relied upon by any other party, or being used project only. It should not be relied upon by any other party or for any other purpose, or containing any error or omission which used for any other purpose. is due to an error or omission in data supplied to us by other parties. This document contains confidential information and proprietary intellectual property. It should not be shown to other parties without consent from us and from the party which commissioned it. Mott MacDonald, 5 Eastgate Avenue, Eastgate, Little Island, Cork, Co Cork, Ireland T +353 (0)21 4809 800 F +353 (0)21 4809 801, www.mottmac.com N11-N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour Content ݸ¿°¬»® Ì·¬´» п¹» 1. Introduction 9 1.1 Overview of Project __________________________________________________________________ 9 1.2 Legislative Background _______________________________________________________________ 9 2. Methodology 10 2.1 Appropriate Assessment _____________________________________________________________ 10 2.2 Route Selection Process _____________________________________________________________ 11 3. Description of the Project 14 4. Description of the Natura 2000 Sites 15 4.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________________________ 15 4.2 Slaney River Valley cSAC (Site Code: 000781) ___________________________________________ 16 4.2.1 Slaney River Valley cSAC – Qualifying Features __________________________________________ 16 4.2.2 Slaney River Valley cSAC – Conservation Objectives ______________________________________ 16 4.3 Wexford Harbour and Slobs SPA (Site Code 4076) ________________________________________ 17 4.3.1 SPA – Qualifying Features____________________________________________________________ 17 4.3.2 SPA - Conservation Objectives ________________________________________________________ 18 4.4 Designated Conservation Sites in proximity to the Study Area ________________________________ 18 4.5 Consultation with NPWS _____________________________________________________________ 18 5. Potential Ecological Impacts and Significance 19 5.1 Conditions Required to Maintain Site Integrity_____________________________________________ 19 5.2 Sensitivity of Qualifying Features_______________________________________________________ 19 5.3 RCS Stage 1 AA – Route option corridor Significance Test __________________________________ 21 6. Comparative Assessment of Route Options 26 6.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________________________ 26 6.2 Description of Qualifying Features Present in Route Options _________________________________ 26 6.2.1 Bird Species _______________________________________________________________________ 26 6.2.1.1 Crossing Location C1________________________________________________________________ 29 6.2.1.2 Crossing Location C2________________________________________________________________ 30 6.2.1.3 Crossing Location C3________________________________________________________________ 30 6.2.1.4 Crossing Location C4________________________________________________________________ 30 6.2.1.5 Crossing Location C5________________________________________________________________ 30 6.2.2 Aquatic Species ____________________________________________________________________ 30 6.2.3 Habitats __________________________________________________________________________ 32 6.2.3.1 Crossing Location C1________________________________________________________________ 32 6.2.3.2 Crossing Location C2________________________________________________________________ 33 6.2.3.3 Crossing Location C3________________________________________________________________ 33 6.2.3.4 Crossing Location C4________________________________________________________________ 35 6.2.3.5 Crossing Location C5________________________________________________________________ 35 6.2.3.6 Kyle _____________________________________________________________________________ 36 6.3 Potential Changes as a Result of the Development ________________________________________ 37 247517/IWE/CCT/33/C 30 June 2011 Natura Impact Statement - Stage 1 Screening Appropriate Assessment.doc N11-N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour 7. Comparative Assessment Conclusions 38 7.1 Elements of the Plan Likely to Give Rise to Significant Effects on the Natura 2000 Sites ___________ 39 7.2 Conservation Objectives of the Natura 2000 Sites _________________________________________ 39 7.3 Description of the crossing locations and their effects on key species and habitats________________ 40 7.3.1 Crossing Location 1 _________________________________________________________________ 40 7.3.2 Crossing Location 2 _________________________________________________________________ 40 7.3.3 Crossing Location 3 _________________________________________________________________ 40 7.3.4 Kyle _____________________________________________________________________________ 40 7.3.5 College Stream ____________________________________________________________________ 40 7.3.6 Preferred Crossing Location __________________________________________________________ 41 7.3.7 Stage 1 Route Options Analysis _______________________________________________________ 41 7.4 Factors affecting site integrity _________________________________________________________ 42 7.5 Mitigation Measures_________________________________________________________________ 42 7.6 Conclusions _______________________________________________________________________ 43 Appendices 44 Appendix A – Site Synopses _____________________________________________________________________ 45 Appendix B 51 Old sessile oak woods with Ilex and Blechnum in British Isles (91A0) _____________________________________ 51 Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae) (91E0) __ 53 Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide (1140) _______________________________________ 56 Twaite shad (Alosa fallax) _______________________________________________________________________ 57 River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis), Brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri) and Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)____ 60 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) ____________________________________________________________________ 65 Otter (Lutra lutra) ______________________________________________________________________________ 69 Appendix C - Figures___________________________________________________________________________ 71 247517/IWE/CCT/33/C 30 June 2011 Natura Impact Statement - Stage 1 Screening Appropriate Assessment.doc N11-N25 Oilgate to Rosslare Harbour 1. Introduction ïòï Ѫ»®ª·»© ±º Ю±¶»½¬ It is proposed to upgrade the existing N11 and N25 roads between Oilgate, Co. Wexford and Rosslare Harbour, Co. Wexford. At the northern extent of the scheme the road will connect into the end of proposed N11 Enniscorthy Bypass at Oilgate and will link to Rosslare Europort at the southern extent. The project is currently at route selection stage, whereby an assessment is being undertaken to identify the preferred route option. The potential for the proposed route options to impact on the designated European sites primarily arise due to the requirement for each route option to cross over the Slaney River Valley Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) and the Wexford Harbour and Slobs Special Protection Area (SPA), by way of a bridge. Due to the fact that all of the proposed route options have the potential to impact on the Slaney River Valley Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) and the Wexford Harbour and Slobs Special Protection Area (SPA), an Appropriate Assessment is required under Article 6, paragraph (3) of Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (commonly referred to as the Habitats Directive). The Appropriate Assessment is undertaken to ascertain if any of the route options have the potential to have a significant effect on the designated conservation sites, either individually or in combination with other developments. ïòî Ô»¹·•´¿¬·ª» Þ¿½µ¹®±«²¼ Article 6, paragraph (3) of the Habitats Directive requires