Planning Guidelines

Planning and Statutory Consultations

Loughs Agency is the statutory body charged with the conservation, protection and development of inland fisheries within the Foyle and Carlingford systems, the promotion of development of Loughs Foyle and Carlingford, and catchments for commercial and recreational purposes in respect of marine, fisheries and aquaculture issues and the development of marine tourism.

The Agency acts as a consultee to a range of statutory bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as shown in the table below.

Overview of Statutory Bodies and their role in consulting with Loughs Agency.

Loughs Agency takes its role as a consultee very seriously. We provide advice in relation to proposed developments that could affect the conservation and protection of inland fisheries and aquaculture in the Foyle and Carlingford areas. These include housing developments, road schemes, forestry operations, windfarms, hydro schemes, wastewater utilities and agriculture.

Every application is considered on its own merits. An environmental risk assessment is undertaken to determine whether there’s any threat to fisheries and the aquatic environment. The assessment guides what conditions we might propose and information we provide to the planning authority or statutory bodies.

Six main elements are considered during the risk assessment:

• Water Quality – will the proposed development worsen downstream pollution?
• Habitat Integrity – is the aquatic habitat likely to be damaged or degraded as a result?
• River Flow – will the proposed works lead affect flow, resulting in detrimental effects on downstream habitat; is the proposed development in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for Atlantic salmon?
• Fish Passability – will the proposal present any barrier to the movement of salmonids and other fish?
• Timing of Works – are there any specific limitations on the timing and duration of the proposed works?
• Biosecurity – are there any invasive plant species on or near the site?