Appropriate Assessment
An Appropriate Assessment (AA) is an assessment of the potential adverse effects of a plan or project (in combination with other plans or projects) on European sites (Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas). These sites are protected by National and European Law.
Appropriate Assessment Overview
The requirement for "Appropriate Assessment" is set out in Articles 6(3) and 6(4) of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). The Habitats Directive is transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 as amended (hereafter referred to as the Habitats Regulations).
European Sites are defined in Regulation 2(1) of the Habitats Regulations and comprise Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), at all stages of designation commencing with the Minister's notice of intention to designate. Regulation 42 of the Habitats Regulations requires Public Authorities such as the EPA to undertake Stage 1 Screening for Appropriate Assessment (AA) and where necessary Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment of any plan or project for which an application for consent is received.
Appropriate Assessment GeoTool
The AA GeoTool application can assist with the data gathering process for Stage 1 and Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have worked together to develop the AA GeoTool and the application uses data provided by the NPWS.
The AA GeoTool allows the user to select a point on the map and then search for SACs and SPAs within a defined distance and/ or upstream/ downstream of the point. The distance selected by the user is dependent on the plan or project. The information gathered for each European Site located within the selected distance range includes the following:
- European site type, e.g., SAC or SPA
- Unique site code for the European site
- European site name
- Distance of the European site from the users selected starting point
- Search direction selected by user
- List of Qualifying Interests (i.e. habitats / species) for each European site
- Url link to the conservation objectives for each European site (link to NPWS website)
For instructions on how to use the tool please refer to the User guide, accessible through the Help button in the application.
Further information on specific European Sites can be found on the NPWS website.
The Northern Ireland European Sites are not currently included in this application. For more information on the Northern Ireland European Sites please consult the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs website.
Licensable activities with ammonia emissions and/or nitrogen deposition
The EPA has published two documents on how applicants should assess the predicted impact of air emissions on European sites.
These Instruction Notes should assist applicants/licensees in assessing the impact of ammonia emissions to air and nitrogen deposition on European sites when preparing licence/licence review applications. These can be found on the licence application guidance webpage.
Licence Application Instruction Note (IN1) – Assessing the Impact of Ammonia Emissions and Nitrogen Deposition from Intensive Agriculture Installations on European sites - for intensive agriculture activities under classes 6.1 (poultry) and 6.2 (pigs) of the First Schedule of the Environmental Protection Agency Acts 1992 as amended.
Licence Application Instruction Note (IN2) – Assessing the Impact of Ammonia Emissions to Air and Nitrogen Deposition from EPA licensable activities on European sites - for all other licensable activities.
Disclaimer
The AA GeoTool is a data gathering tool only and does not intend to replace the assessment element of any part of the AA process. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided by the AA GeoTool, it is not possible to guarantee that it is accurate in all cases. Accordingly, it is recommended that you obtain a copy of the original documentation on which the information is based and verify its accuracy. The EPA will not be held responsible for any decisions made based on the information displayed in this tool.