Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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561. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the Planning and Development Act 2000 makes provision on the way in which to proceed with a planning application to take into account the impact of a planning application on the unique features of the existing physical landscape and-or subterranean features in the context of environmental impact assessments, archaeological assessments and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28976/18]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, makes provision under section 172 that an applicant for consent to carry out proposed development subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) must prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for submission to the planning authority, or the Board as the case may be, in accordance with permission regulations made by the Minister in this regard.

Section 177 of the Act further provides that the Minister may prescribe the information that is to be contained in an EIS prepared by the developer as part of such an application. In this regard, Article 94 and Schedule 6 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) set out the information to be contained in an EIS and specify that it must incorporate “a description of the aspects of the environment likely to be significantly affected by the proposed development including, in particular”, inter alia, “landscape” and “material assets, including the architectural and archaeological heritage, and the cultural heritage”, as well as “the inter-relationship between these factors”. Schedule 6 also requires that an EIS shall contain a “description of the measures envisaged in order to avoid, reduce and, if possible, remedy significant adverse effects”.

The EIA process ensures that any potential significant environmental impacts of a proposed development on any existing physical landscape and/or subterranean features in the context of EIA are considered and taken into account, prior to a decision being made on such an individual planning application or appeal.