COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, June 17, 2021

MOTION NO. 107

MOTION: Councillor Peter Kavanagh, Councillor Liam Sinclair, Councillor L. Donaghy, Councillor S.McEneaney

Natural, Cultural and Built Heritage - pg 65 Motion: To amend NCBH 2 Objective 2 as follows: To ensure the protection of designated sites and local biodiversity at non-designated sites in compliance with relevant EU Directives and applicable national legislation.

REPORT:

 This motion proposes to insert wording into the existing objective NCBH 2 Objective 2 from:

“To ensure the protection of designated sites in compliance with relevant EU Directives and applicable national legislation”.

To:

“To ensure the protection of designated sites and local biodiversity at non-designated sites in compliance with relevant EU Directives and applicable national legislation”.

The objective as included in the Draft Plan specially relates to ‘Designated Sites’ such as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas that are designated and protected under European legislation.

Local biodiversity at ‘non-designated sites’ is covered in the Draft Plan under other policy and objectives such as:

NCBH Policy 5: - “Protect and promote the conservation of biodiversity outside of designated areas and ensure that species and habitats that are protected under the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2018, the Birds Directive 1979 and the Habitats Directive 1992, the Flora (Protection) Order 2015, and wildlife corridors are adequately protected”.

And

NCBH 2 Objective 3 - “To protect and conserve the natural heritage of the County, and to conserve and manage EU and nationally designated sites and non-designated locally important areas which act as ‘stepping stones’ for the purposes of green infrastructure and Article 10 of the Habitats Directive”.

It is considered that the policies and objectives outlined above capture the intent of the proposed motion and therefore it is considered that the Motion can be adopted with amendment whereby the existing policy/objective NCBH Policy 5 and NCBH 2 Objective 3 reflect the motions substance.

Recommendation: It is recommended that this motion is adopted with amendment to reflect that the existing policies and objectives NCBH Policy 5, NCBH 2 Objective 3, as currently set out in the CE Draft Plan are sufficient to provide for the intent of the motion:

NCBH Policy 5: - “Protect and promote the conservation of biodiversity outside of designated areas and ensure that species and habitats that are protected under the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2018, the Birds Directive 1979 and the Habitats Directive 1992, the Flora (Protection) Order 2015, and wildlife corridors are adequately protected”.

And

NCBH 2 Objective 3 - “To protect and conserve the natural heritage of the County, and to conserve and manage EU and nationally designated sites and non-designated locally important areas which act as ‘stepping stones’ for the purposes of green infrastructure and Article 10 of the Habitats Directive”.