ECOS Case Study: Appropriate Assessment

At the request of the planning authority an Appropriate Assessment was undertaken to determine the potential impact on a land fill development on a European designated site to determine what the impacts would be.

READ ARTICLE >

Minister of State introduces New Planning Regulations

Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Housing and Urban Development, Damien English, TD, has signed three new sets of exempted development regulations.  The Planning Act provides that the Minister may make regulations to provide that certain classes of development be exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission, thereby streamlining and creating efficiencies in...

READ ARTICLE >

Water Consumption – Sustainable Development

Concerns for sustainable urban development include: Increases in water consumption The urban heat island (UHI) effect, whereby building materials in cities, such as concrete and asphalt, retain heat and create local warming. A study in the United States has suggested that: Urban sprawl resulted in an increase in evaporation and therefore external water consumption.  As water evaporation...

READ ARTICLE >

Environmental Management System Structure

The components of an Environmental Management System (EMS) (as defined under the ISO 14001 specification, EMAS Regulation or in a license) incorporates: Baseline Environmental Review/Audit Planning Environmental Policy Environmental Objectives and Targets EM Programme Implementation and Operation Operational Control Emergency Preparedness and Response Responsibility Allocation Awareness and Training Communications Check and Review Checks and Corrective...

READ ARTICLE >