Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 1997

Vol. 478 No. 7

Written Answers - Special Areas of Conservation.

Cecilia Keaveney

Question:

108 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the extent to which the newly designated special areas of conservation landowners will be affected in terms of planning permission, land use and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12171/97]

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. M. Higgins)

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) will be designated in accordance with the terms of the EU habitats directive. This directive requires member states to protect, in an effective manner, the areas listed for protection as SACs.

In practical terms, this means that planning authorities will be required to make an appropriate assessment of the effects that proposed developments will have on the ecology of SACs. Where such developments will have a negative ecological impact, the position is that for SACs hosting habitats defined in the habitats directive as priorities, a development may only proceed where this is necessary for reasons of human health or public safety, or, further to an opinion from the European Commission, to other imperative reasons of overriding public interest. (SACs proposed to date are those hosting such priority habitats). For sites without such priority habitats, developments which will have a negative effect may proceed where there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest, including those of a social and economic nature, and where appropriate compensatory measures are taken to ensure that the overall integrity of the Europe-wide network of protected sites is maintained.

Where my Department's National Park and Wildlife Service is asked for an assessment of the ecological implications of proposed developments, every effort will be made to take a balanced, reasonable position, and negative assessments will be given only where what is proposed would have significant negative effects on the environment.