John Gormley
Ceist:621 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the protection special area of conservation status gives to designated rivers with respect to sewage treatment facilities. [26524/01]
Written Answers. - Special Areas of Conservation.
Development of sewage treatment facilities requires approval under the Planning and Development Acts. Under the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations, 1997, where a proposed development is likely to have a significant impact on management of a special area of conservation, a planning authority has a duty to ensure that an appropriate assessment of the implications of this development for the conservation status of the site is undertaken. Permission for the proposed development should be given only after it has been established that it will not adversely affect the integrity of the site, unless the development has been necessitated by imperative reason of overriding public interest. This protection would be separate and additional to the protection afforded by the designation of a water body as a sensitive area by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, for the purpose of urban waste water treatment.