elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council

Chapter 10: Development Management Guidelines and Standards
All proposed developments must comply with Environmental Management Guidelines in the Extractive
Industry, EPA 2006. Under Section 261 of the Planning and Development Act 2000-2004, registration of
all quarries operating in the Country is required. This section commenced with effect from 28th April
2004 and it is intended to bring all quarries - including those that have claimed exemption because they
were operating before the 1963 Planning Act - within the planning system and thus deal with concerns
regarding unauthorised sand and gravel quarries in the country.
10.29 FORESTRY (To be read in conjunction with Chapter 6 of the RCDP 2008 - 2014)
The Council recognises the economic and recreational potential of forestry. Forestry as a land use and its
ancillary development will be encouraged in suitable areas subject to such development not interfering
with significant views or prospects or being unduly obtrusive in the landscape. The Council will cooperate
with the Forest Service in promoting greater recreational use of state forests in the County. In
cases where forestry development is likely to adversely affect public roads, charges will be levied on
developers to defray the improvement/maintenance of such roads.
The introduction of large-scale forestry areas can have significant negative impacts on an area if they are
not in context with the surrounding environment. Forestry activities must be appropriate in terms of nature
and scale with the surrounding area, so they are not visually intrusive on the landscape or cause damage to
important habitats or the ecology of the area. In order to avoid acidification of our soils and watercourses
from coniferous plantations and to promote bio-diversity in so far as it is possible, the Council shall
encourage a diversity of species in afforestation proposals. This shall require a proportion of all new
forestry development to consist of native hardwood species in order to extend the range of potential end
uses and to reduce the potential for adverse impact on the landscape and biodiversity resulting from
monoculture.
10.30 RIVER DRAINAGE
Traditional drainage practices have resulted in the widening, deepening and straightening of rivers or
streams and the creation of channels of uniform gradient and sections. This is highly destructive to
fisheries and the following shall be taken into account:
- Flood relief can be handled in an environmentally sensitive way by constructing flood berms
away from the existing channel or flood bypass channels. These techniques leave the existing
channel and bank vegetation intact.
- If it is necessary to drain the existing channel consider a two-stage channel retaining as much
bank vegetation as possible and avoiding disturbance of the existing river bed.
- If lowering the existing channel bed cannot be avoided. Maintain the original low flow channel
width. Retain existing bankside vegetation on one side if possible. Restore riffles, pools, bed
material and bank cover at the new drainage level. Store gravel bed material for reuse if not
naturally available in the lower excavated bed.
- Spoil should not be deposited in mounds on the river banks except as a flood berm.
10.30.1 Other Works
Any development of the following works (including ancillary) wherein the aquatic environment may be
affected shall have regard to Fishery Guidelines published in 1998 by the Department of Marine and
Natural Resources including the following: river diversion / road-works; bridges; culverts; fords; storage
of fuels and chemicals; concrete and cement; and, amenity works.
The council shall also have regard to the prevention or mitigation of any impacts that a development may
have on the aquatic environment where amenity is impinged on, especially in urban areas.
Elphin Local Area Plan 2009-2015 Page 154