Today, even the smallest of projects may require some form of environmental assessment and invariably the type of assessment most often required now is Appropriate Assessment.
Appropriate Assessment is the process of assessment of the likely significant effects of a plan or project on the European Natura 2000 network of designated sites i.e. Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas.
Useful Links: www.npws.ie/protectedsites and www.ec.europa.eu/environment
The main concern of appropriate assessment is focused on identifying and assessing the impact on flora and fauna, however it is usually the effect on supporting conditions and the inter-relationship between these factors that requires in depth assessment. Hence a holistic, integrated approach covering a number of environmental media is often required in order to conduct an appropriate assessment and prepare a robust Natura Impact Statement.
Redkite Environmental personnel have experience of preparing and completing Natura Impact Statements for projects ranging from one-off housing planning applications to larger scale projects including industrial development. We can bring together the necessary expertise from our panel of specialist partners to ensure that your project needs are met.