N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project Natura Impact Statement DECEMBER 2017 Roughan & O’Donovan - AECOM Alliance Roscommon County Council Consulting Engineers N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project Natura Impact Statement TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 General Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT ........................................................................... 3 2.1 Site Location ........................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Description of the Proposed Road Development .................................................. 3 2.2.1 Baseline Ecology Environment ................................................................. 4 3. SUMMARY OF APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT SCREENING ......................... 6 3.1 Background to European Sites ............................................................................ 6 3.1.1 European Sites ......................................................................................... 6 3.2 European Sites in the Zone of Impact of the Proposed Road Development ......... 7 3.3 Conclusions of Appropriate Assessment Screening Report ................................. 7 4. NATURA IMPACT ASSESSMENT .................................................................... 9 4.1 Annaghmore Lough (Roscommon) SAC (001626) ............................................. 10 4.1.1 Identification of Pathways for Impacts .................................................... 10 4.2 Bellanagare Bog SAC (000592) ......................................................................... 17 4.2.1 Identification of Pathways for Impacts .................................................... 17 4.3 Cloonshanville Bog SAC (000614) ..................................................................... 26 4.3.1 Identification of Pathways for Impacts .................................................... 26 4.4 Lough Forbes Complex SAC (001818) .............................................................. 33 4.4.1 Identification of Pathways for Impacts .................................................... 33 4.5 Bellanagare Bog SPA (004105) ......................................................................... 42 4.5.1 Identification of Pathways for Impacts .................................................... 42 4.6 Lough Gara SPA (004048)................................................................................. 44 4.6.1 Identification of Pathways for Impacts .................................................... 44 4.7 Control Measures That Are in Place to Block Identified Pathways ..................... 47 4.7.1 Potential for Direct Impacts on the European Sites ................................. 47 4.7.2 Potential for Indirect Impacts on the European Sites .............................. 48 4.7.3 Specific Control Measures relating to the individual European Sites ....... 51 5. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ................................................................................. 54 5.1 Assessment of Cumulative Impacts ................................................................... 54 5.2 Conclusion of Cumulative Impact Assessment ................................................... 62 6. CONCLUDING STATEMENT ........................................................................... 63 6.1 Characteristics of the Sites and Development .................................................... 63 6.2 Assessment of Significance of Effects................................................................ 63 6.3 Data Collected to Carry Out Assessment ........................................................... 63 6.4 Integrity of the European Sites ........................................................................... 64 Ref: (14.155) Page ii Roughan & O’Donovan - AECOM Alliance Roscommon County Council Consulting Engineers N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project 6.4.1 Integrity of Annaghmore Lough (Roscommon) SAC (001626) ................ 65 6.4.2 Integrity of Bellanagare Bog SAC (000592) ............................................ 68 6.4.3 Integrity of Cloonshanville Bog SAC (000614) ........................................ 70 6.4.4 Integrity of Lough Forbes Complex SAC (001818) ................................. 73 6.4.5 Integrity of Bellanagare Bog SPA (004105) ............................................ 76 6.4.6 Integrity of Lough Gara SPA (004048) .................................................... 78 6.5 Concluding Statement ........................................................................................ 81 7. REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 82 APPENDIX 1 Appropriate Assessment Screening APPENDIX 2 Biodiversity Chapter of EIAR APPENDIX 3 NPWS Site Synopses APPENDIX 4 Hydrology & Hydrogeology Chapters of the EIAR APPENDIX 5 Construction Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (CESCP) Ref: (14.155) Page iii Roughan & O’Donovan - AECOM Alliance Roscommon County Council Consulting Engineers N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Introduction McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan Ltd. has been appointed to prepare an Appropriate Assessment (AA Screening Report and subsequent Natura Impact Statement) to provide the information necessary to allow the competent authority to conduct an Article 6(3) Appropriate Assessment of the proposed development in accordance with Article 6(3) of the EU Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended); and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477/2011).. This is a national road project which is not directly connected with or necessary for the management of any European Site. Screening for Appropriate Assessment is required under Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the Habitats Directive). Where it cannot be objectively concluded that a project or plan, either alone or in combination with other projects or plans, is not likely to have significant effects on a European Site then same shall be subject to an appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in view of the site's conservation objectives. The project has been subject to the screening process and the Appropriate Assessment Screening Report is provided as Appendix 1. This statement is based on a desk study and field surveys and utilizes data collected during 2014, 2015 and 2016. It specifically assesses the potential for the proposed road development to impact on European sites. This report is a Natura Impact Statement (NIS), and has been prepared in accordance with the European Commission guidance document Assessment of Plans and Projects Significantly affecting Natura 2000 Sites: Methodological Guidance on the provisions of Article 6(3) and 6(4) of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (EC, 2001) and the Department of the Environment’s Guidance on the Appropriate Assessment of Plans and Projects in Ireland (December 2009, amended February 2010). In addition to the guidelines referenced above, the following relevant guidance was considered in preparation of this report: (1) DoEHLG (2010) Appropriate Assessment of Plans and Projects in Ireland Guidance for Planning Authorities. Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, (2) European Communities (2000) Managing Natura 2000 Sites: the provisions of Article 6 of the ‘Habitats’ Directive 92/43/EEC, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. European Commission, (3) 92/43/EEC, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. European Commission, (4) EC (2007) Guidance document on Article 6(4) of the 'Habitats Directive' 92/43/EEC – Clarification of the concepts of: alternative solutions, imperative reasons of overriding public interest, compensatory measures, overall coherence, opinion of the commission. European Commission, (5) EC (2013) Interpretation Manual of European Union Habitats. Version EUR 28. European Commission, Ref: (14.155) Page 1 Roughan & O’Donovan - AECOM Alliance Roscommon County Council Consulting Engineers N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project (6) EPA (2002) Guidelines on the information to be contained in Environmental Impact Statements. Environmental Protection Agency, (7) EPA (2003), Advice Notes on current practice in the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements. Environmental Protection Agency, and (8) CIEEM (2016) Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management Guidelines for Ecological Impact Assessment. (9) NRA (2009) Guidelines for Assessment of Ecological Impacts of National Roads Schemes – National Roads Authority, Dublin. (10) EPA (2015) Guidelines on the information to be contained in Environmental Impact Statements (DRAFT) . Environmental Protection Agency, (11) EPA (2015), Advice Notes for preparing Environmental Impact Statements (DRAFT). Environmental Protection Agency. Ref: (14.155) Page 2 Roughan & O’Donovan - AECOM Alliance Roscommon County Council Consulting Engineers N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT 2.1 Site Location The proposed N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project extends from the townland of Rathkeery (Grid Ref: E169065 N293002), located