Cllr. Marie Baker

To ask the Chief Executive for an update on the status of the East Coast Trail, has an AA and EIA taken place, at what stage is the design element of this project?
Reply:
The preparation of an EIAR is a process with several clear and distinct stages. The first stage consists of a compilation of facts – i.e., the description of the existing environment and the description of the proposed project.
The second stage consists of predictions of likely effects – this may be carried out a few times as the design is improved to eliminate excessive adverse effects. The final stage consists of the assessment of the environmental effects as part of a consent process which may decide to grant, condition, refuse or seek additional information.
We are currently at the first stage and we are carrying out the surveys required to inform the Appropriate Assessment process and the EIA process. Some of the surveys are seasonally dependent and therefore a programme of surveys have progressed over 2020 and will continue into 2021.
Once all the necessary information has been gathered to inform the environmental baseline, we will progress to the next stage of the EIA process. The EIA Report (EIAR) and the Appropriate Assessment will be informed by the environmental baseline and the design.
The design element of the project will start pending approvals from the NTA and it likely to start in mid 2021.