SEA ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT FOR THE LAOIS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2017-2023 for: Laois County Council Áras an Chontae Portlaoise County Laois R32 EHP9 by: CAAS Ltd. 1st Floor 24-26 Ormond Quay Upper Dublin 7 D07 DAV9 JULY 2017 Includes Ordnance Survey Ireland data reproduced under OSi licence no. 2003/07CCMA/Laois County Council. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Ordnance Survey Ireland and Government of Ireland copyright © Ordnance Survey Ireland 2008 SEA Environmental Report for the Laois County Development Plan 2017-2023 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................v Glossary ...................................................................................................................vi Section 1 SEA Introduction and Background ..................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction and Terms of Reference ........................................................................... 1 1.2 SEA Definition ............................................................................................................ 1 1.3 SEA Directive and its transposition into Irish Law .......................................................... 1 1.4 Implications for the Plan and the Planning Authority ...................................................... 1 Section 2 The Plan ............................................................................................. 2 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Content of the Plan .................................................................................................... 2 2.3 Plan Vision ................................................................................................................. 2 2.4 Strategic work undertaken by the Council to ensure contribution towards environmental protection and sustainable development ................................................................................... 3 2.5 Relationship with other relevant Plans and Programmes ................................................ 3 Section 3 SEA Methodology ............................................................................... 4 3.1 Introduction to the Iterative Approach ......................................................................... 4 3.2 Appropriate Assessment and Integrated Biodiversity Impact Assessment ......................... 5 3.3 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment .................................................................................. 5 3.4 Scoping ..................................................................................................................... 5 3.5 Environmental Baseline Data ......................................................................................15 3.6 Alternatives ..............................................................................................................15 3.7 The SEA Environmental Report ...................................................................................15 3.8 The SEA Statement ...................................................................................................16 Section 4 Environmental Baseline ................................................................... 18 4.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................18 4.2 Likely Evolution of the Environment in the Absence of a new Plan .................................18 4.3 Biodiversity and Flora and Fauna ................................................................................20 4.4 Population and Human Health ....................................................................................28 4.5 Soil .......................................................................................................................... 29 4.6 Water .......................................................................................................................32 4.7 Air and Climatic Factors .............................................................................................41 4.8 Material Assets ..........................................................................................................43 4.9 Cultural Heritage .......................................................................................................47 4.10 Landscape ................................................................................................................52 4.11 Overlay of Environmental Sensitivity Mapping ..............................................................55 Section 5 Strategic Environmental Objectives ................................................ 57 Section 6 Description of Alternative Scenarios ............................................... 61 6.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................61 6.2 Excluding the ‘Do-Nothing’ Scenario ............................................................................61 6.3 Drivers and Zones of Change .....................................................................................61 CAAS for Laois County Council i SEA Environmental Report for the Laois County Development Plan 2017-2023 6.4 Background to Scenarios ............................................................................................66 6.5 Description of Alternative Scenarios ............................................................................66 Section 7 Evaluation of Alternative Scenarios ................................................. 73 7.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................73 7.2 Methodology .............................................................................................................73 7.3 Cumulative Effects .....................................................................................................75 7.4 Detailed Evaluation of Alternatives ..............................................................................77 7.5 Summary Evaluation against SEOs ..............................................................................89 7.6 Overall Findings ........................................................................................................90 Section 8 Evaluation of Plan Provisions ........................................................... 92 8.1 Methodology .............................................................................................................92 8.2 Appropriate Assessment and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment .......................................94 8.3 Interrelationship between Environmental Components ..................................................94 8.4 Potential Impacts and their Determination ...................................................................96 8.5 Residual Adverse Effects ............................................................................................97 8.6 Detailed Evaluation ....................................................................................................98 Section 9 Mitigation Measures ....................................................................... 164 9.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 164 9.2 Strategic work undertaken by the Council to ensure contribution towards environmental protection and sustainable development ................................................................................ 164 9.3 Integration of individual SEA, AA and SFRA provisions into the text of the Plan ............. 164 9.4 Integration of amendments into the text of the Plan ................................................... 165 9.5 Integration of environmental considerations into Zoning of the Plan ............................ 168 Section 10 Monitoring Measures ..................................................................... 175 10.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 175 10.2 Indicators and Targets ............................................................................................. 175 10.3 Sources .................................................................................................................. 175 10.4 Reporting ............................................................................................................... 175 10.5 Thresholds .............................................................................................................. 175 Section 11 SEA Summary Table ....................................................................... 179 Appendix I Relationship with Legislation and Other Plans and Programmes .... 181 Non-Technical Summary………………………………………………..…Separately bound CAAS for Laois County Council ii SEA Environmental Report for the Laois County Development Plan 2017-2023 List of Figures Figure 3.1 Laois County Development Plan and SEA/AA/SFRA Stages .............................................. 4 Figure 4.1 CORINE Land Cover 2012 .......................................................................................... 24 Figure 4.2 SPAs and cSACs within the County .............................................................................. 25 Figure 4.3 Natural Heritage