Re. Draft Kilkenny County Development Plan 2014-2020 and Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report
Dear Director,
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledges your notice, dated 21st June 2013, regarding the above. Please find attached the Environmental Protection Agency’s submission in relation to the Draft Kilkenny County Development Plan, hereafter called “the Plan”, and Environmental Report. /sites/default/files/files/D13%20EPA%20comments.pdf
Annex 1 of Directive 2001/42/EC (SEA Directive) and Schedule 2B of the Planning and Development (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 436 of 2004), the SEA Regulations, set out the “Information to be contained in an Environmental Report”.
This submission is intended to promote -
Full and transparent integration of environmental considerations in the Plan,
- The integration of the Plan-making and SEA processes and
- Compliance with the requirements of the SEA Directive and associated Regulations.
Future Amendments to the Draft Plan
Where amendments to the Plan are proposed, these should be screened for likely significant effects in accordance with the criteria as set out in Schedule 2A of the SEA Regulations and should be subject to the same method of assessment applied in the “environmental assessment” of the Draft Plan.
Updated Circulars/Regulations
Your attention is also brought to the recent DoECLG Circular (Circular PL 9 of 2013) ‘Article 8 (Decision Making) of EU Directive 2001/42/EC on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as amended’ which should be taken into account during the preparation of the Draft Plan and in undertaking the SEA process.
SEA Statement – “Information on the Decision”
Following adoption of the Plan, an SEA Statement, should summarise the following:
• How environmental considerations have been integrated into the Plan;
• How the Environmental Report, submissions, observations and consultations have been taken into account during the preparation of the Plan;
• The reasons for choosing the Plan adopted in the light of other reasonable alternatives dealt with; and,
• The measures decided upon to monitor the significant environmental effects of implementation of the Plan.
A copy of the SEA Statement with the above information should be sent to any environmental authority consulted during the SEA process. Should you have any queries or require further information in relation to the above please contact the undersigned. I would be grateful if an acknowledgement of receipt of this submission could be sent electronically to the following address: sea@epa.ie.
Yours sincerely
Tadhg O'Mahony
