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.
Category | Northern Ireland | Republic of Ireland |
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Planning development |
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Discharge Consents |
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Abstraction & Impoundments |
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Forestry |
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Marine Licensing |
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Waste Licensing |
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Planning Appeals |
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Habitats Directive |
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Drainage and Flood Risk |
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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: