The Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012

Regulation 2(2)

SCHEDULE 2 Descriptions of development and applicable thresholds and criteria for the purposes of the definition of “Schedule 2 development”

1.  In the Table below—

“area of the works”, includes any area occupied by apparatus, equipment, machinery, materials, plant, spoil heaps or other facilities or stores required for construction or installation;

“floorspace”, means floorspace in a building or buildings;

“waterway” and “underground strata” have the meanings assigned to them by Article 2(2) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999(1).

2.  The Table below sets out the descriptions of development and applicable thresholds and criteria for the purposes of classifying development as Schedule 2 development.

Column 1 Description of development		Column 2 Applicable thresholds and criteria
The carrying out of development to provide any of the following—
1.  Agriculture and aquaculture
(a) Projects for the use of uncultivated land or semi–natural areas for intensive agricultural purposes;	The area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectare.
(b) Water management projects for agriculture, including irrigation and land drainage projects;	The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(c) Intensive livestock installations (unless included in Schedule 1);	The area of floorspace exceeds 500 square metres.
(d) Intensive fish farming;	The installation resulting from the development is designed to produce more than 10 tonnes of dead weight fish per year.
(e) Reclamation of land from the sea.	All development.
2.  Extractive industry
(a) Quarries, open–cast mining and peat extraction (unless included in Schedule 1); (b) Underground mining;	All development (except the construction of buildings or other ancillary structures where the floorspace does not exceed 1,000 square metres).
(c) Extraction of minerals by fluvial or marine dredging;	All development.
(d) Deep drillings, in particular— (i) geothermal drilling; (ii) drilling for the storage of nuclear waste material; (iii) drilling for water supplies; with the exception of drillings for investigating the stability of the soil;	(i) In relation to any type of drilling the area of the works exceeds 1 hectare; or (ii) in relation to geothermal drilling and drilling for the storage of nuclear waste material only, drilling is to be undertaken within 100 metres of any waterway or water in underground strata.
(e) Surface industrial installations for the extraction of coal, petroleum, natural gas and ores, as well as bituminous shale.	The area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectare.
3.  Energy industry
(a) Industrial installations for the production of electricity, steam and hot water (unless included in Schedule 1);		The area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectare.
(b) Industrial installations for carrying gas, steam and hot water;		The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(c) Transmission of electrical energy by overhead cables (unless included in Schedule 1);		(i) The nominal voltage of the electric line exceeds 33kV; and (ii) the purpose of the line is the provision of a supply to more than one consumer; (iii) where the modification of an existing line is proposed, it is outside the tolerances specified in the Overhead Lines (Exemption) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (S.R. 1992 No. 118).
(d) Surface storage of natural gas; (e) Underground storage of combustible gases; (f) Surface storage of fossil fuels;		(i) the area of any building, deposit or structure exceeds 500 square metres; or (ii) a building, deposit or structure is to be sited within 100 metres of any waterway or water in underground strata.
(g) Industrial briquetting of coal and lignite;		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
(h) Installations for the processing and storage of radioactive waste (unless included in Schedule 1);		(i) The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres; or (ii) the installation resulting from the development will require an authorisation or the variation of an authorisation under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.
(i) Installations for hydroelectric energy production;		The installation is designed to produce more than 0.5 megawatts.
(j) Installations for the harnessing of wind power for energy production (wind farms).		(i) the development involves the installation of more than 2 turbines; or (ii) the hub height of any turbine or height of any other structure exceeds 15 metres.
(k) Installations for the capture of carbon dioxide streams for the purposes of geological storage pursuant to Directive 2009/31/EC from installations not included in Schedule 1.		All development
4.  Production and processing of metals
(a) Installations for the production of pig iron or steel (primary or secondary fusion) including continuous casting; (b) Installations for the processing of ferrous metals— (i) hot–rolling mills; (ii) smitheries with hammers; (iii) application of protective fused metal coats. (c) Ferrous metal foundries; (d) Installations for the smelting, including the alloyage, of non–ferrous metals, excluding precious metals, including recovered products (refining, foundry casting, etc.); (e) Installations for surface treatment of metals and plastic materials using an electrolytic or chemical process; (f) Manufacture and assembly of motor vehicles and manufacture of motor–vehicle engines; (g) Shipyards; (h) Installations for the construction and repair of aircraft; (i) Manufacture of railway equipment; (j) Swaging by explosives; (k) Installations for the roasting and sintering of metallic ores.		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
5.  Mineral industry
(a) Coke ovens (dry coal distillation); (b) Installations for the manufacture of cement; (c) Installations for the production of asbestos and the manufacture of asbestos-based products (unless included in Schedule 1); (d) Installations for the manufacture of glass including glass fibre; (e) Installations for smelting mineral substances including the production of mineral fibres; (f) Manufacture of ceramic products by burning, in particular roofing tiles, bricks, refractory bricks, tiles, stoneware or porcelain.		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
6.  Chemical industry (unless included in Schedule 1)
(a) Treatment of intermediate products and production of chemicals; (b) Production of pesticides and pharmaceutical products, paint and varnishes, elastomers and peroxides;		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
(c) Storage facilities for petroleum, petrochemical and chemical products.		(i) The area of any building or structure exceeds 0.05 hectare; or (ii) more than 200 tonnes of petroleum, petrochemical or chemical products is to be stored at any one time.
7.  Food industry
(a) Manufacture of vegetable and animal oils and fats; (b) Packing and canning of animal and vegetable products; (c) Manufacture of dairy products; (d) Brewing and malting; (e) Confectionery and syrup manufacture; (f) Installations for the slaughter of animals; (g) Industrial starch manufacturing installations; (h) Fish–meal and fish–oil factories; (i) Sugar factories.		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
8.  Textile, leather, wood and paper industries
(a) Industrial plants for the production of paper and board (unless included in Schedule 1); (b) Plants for the pre–treatment (operations such as washing, bleaching, mercerisation) or dyeing of fibres or textiles; (c) Plants for the tanning of hides and skins; (d) Cellulose–processing and production installations.		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
9.  Rubber industry
Manufacture and treatment of elastomer–based products.		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
10.  Infrastructure projects
(a) Industrial estate development projects; (b) Urban development projects, including the construction of shopping centres and car parks; (c) Construction of intermodal transshipment facilities and of intermodal terminals (unless included in Schedule 1);		The area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectare.
(d) Construction of railways (unless included in Schedule 1);		The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(e) Construction of airfields (unless included in Schedule 1);		(i) The development involves an extension to a runway; or (ii) the area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(f) Construction of roads (unless included in Schedule 1);		The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(g) Construction of harbours and port installations, including fishing harbours (unless included in Schedule 1);		The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(h) Inland–waterway construction (unless included in Schedule 1), canalisation and flood–relief works; (i) Dams and other installations designed to hold water or store it on a long–term basis (unless included in Schedule 1); (j) Tramways, elevated and underground railways, suspended lines or similar lines of a particular type, used exclusively or mainly for passenger transport;		The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
(k) Oil and gas pipeline installations and pipelines for the transport of carbon dioxide streams for the purposes of geological storage (unless included in Schedule 1); (l) Installations of long–distance aqueducts;		(i) The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare; or, (ii) in the case of a gas pipeline, the installation has a design operating pressure exceeding 7 bar gauge.
(m) Coastal work to combat erosion and maritime works capable of altering the coast through the construction, for example, of dykes, moles, jetties and other sea defence works, excluding the maintenance and reconstruction of such works;		All development.
(n) Ground water abstraction and artificial ground water recharge schemes (unless included in Schedule 1); (o) Works for the transfer of water resources between river basins (unless included in Schedule 1).		The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare.
11.  Other projects
(a) Permanent racing and test tracks for motorised vehicles;		The area of the development exceeds 1 hectare.
(b) Installations for the disposal of waste (unless included in Schedule 1);		(i) The disposal is by incineration; or (ii) the area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectare; or (iii) the installation is to be sited within 100 metres of any waterway or water in underground strata or, marine waters.
(c) Waste–water treatment plants (unless included in Schedule 1);		The area of the development exceeds 1,000 square metres.
(d) Sludge–deposition sites; (e) Storage of scrap iron, including scrap vehicles;		(i) The area of the deposit or storage exceeds 0.5 hectare; or (ii) a deposit is to be made or scrap stored within 100 metres of any waterway or water in underground strata or, marine waters.
(f) Test benches for engines, turbines or reactors; (g) Installations for the manufacture of artificial mineral fibres; (h) Installations for the recovery or destruction of explosive substances; (i) Knackers’ yards.		The area of floorspace exceeds 1,000 square metres.
12.  Tourism and leisure
(a) Ski–runs, ski–lifts and cable–cars and associated developments;		(i) The area of the works exceeds 1 hectare; or (ii) the height of any building or other structure exceeds 15 metres.
(b) Marinas;		The area of the enclosed water surface exceeds 1,000 square metres.
(c) Holiday villages and hotel complexes outside urban areas and associated developments; (d) Theme parks;		The area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectare.
(e) Permanent camp sites and caravan sites.		The area of the development exceeds 1 hectare.
13.
(a) Any change to or extension of development of a description listed in paragraphs 1 to 12 of column 1 of this table, where that development is already authorised, executed or in the process of being executed. (b) Any change to or extension of development of a description listed in Schedule 1 (other than a change or extension falling within paragraph 22 of that Schedule) where that development is already authorised, executed or in the process of being executed.		The thresholds and criteria in the corresponding part of column 2 of this table applied to the development as changed or extended. are met or exceeded and in such a case the change or extension may have significant adverse effects on the environment; The thresholds and criteria in column 2 of the paragraph of this table indicated below applied to the development as changed or extended are met or exceeded and in such a case the change or extension may have significant adverse effects on the environment.
		Paragraph in Schedule 1	Paragraph of this table
		1	6 (a)
		2(a)	3 (a)
		2(b)	3 (h)
		3	3 (h)
		4	4
		5	5
		6	6 (a)
		7(a)	10 (d) (in relation to railways) or 10 (e) (in relation to airports)
		7(b) and (c)	10 (f)
		8(a)	10 (h)
		8(b)	10 (g)
		9	11 (b)
		10	11 (b)
		11	10 (n)
		12	10 (o)
		13	11 (c)
		14	2 (e)
		15	10 (i)
		16	10 (k)
		17	1 (c)
		18	8 (a)
		19	2 (a)
		20	3 (c)
		21	6 (c)
		23	3 (k)
		24	3 (k)
(c) Development of a description mentioned in Schedule 1, undertaken exclusively or mainly for the development and testing of new methods or products and not used for more than two years.		All development

(1)

S.I. 1999 No. 662 (N.I.6)