Northern Area Plan 2016
Strategic Plan Framework: Environment and Conservation

The Plan area contains a variety of distinctive landscapes, wildlife habitats and heritage features that give it its distinctive character. Coleraine, Limavady and Moyle Council Areas share over 130 kilometres of coastline from Greysteel in Limavady Borough to Garron Point in Moyle District. The landscape along the coast is ever changing, and includes extensive fine sand beaches, the Giant’s Causeway, the sea stacks at Ballintoy, the prominent cliff lines and the wilderness character of Rathlin Island, and the bays at the foot of the Glens.

The majority of the environmental and nature conservation designations in the Northern Area are along or near the coastline. Away from the coast, the Rivers Roe and Bann are notable inland water features, along which the main towns of Limavady and Coleraine have developed historically. Elsewhere, the Sperrins and the Glens of Antrim provide an attractive setting to settlements, most notably Dungiven and Ballycastle.

Biodiversity is the total variety of all living things and includes the number of species as well as their variety and abundance. At the larger scale, biodiversity relates to the variation in landscapes and habitats and at the smallest scale to genetic differences in plants and animals. Biodiversity is vital to the health of the planet and to our own quality of life. Human activity within the landscape is the principal cause of decreasing biodiversity on land and in water in Northern Ireland.

Human activity has also played an important role in creating distinctive landscapes and townscapes. This is demonstrated in the range of archaeological sites and scheduled monuments, individual historic buildings and parkland landscapes in the Plan area. Within towns, notable environmental features include the historic core of settlements, and listed buildings. The quality of the built environment in parts of the Plan area is high, and is reflected in the designation of five conservation areas – Ballycastle, Ballymoney, Bushmills, Cushendall and Cushendun.

Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is required under the provisions of the Planning (NI) Order 1991 to compile a list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest for Northern Ireland (listed buildings) following consultation with the Historic Buildings Council and the relevant Council.

At present there are 879 buildings included in the statutory list within the Plan area (see Countryside Assessment), and it is anticipated that over the Plan period further buildings will be added as the process of building survey and resurvey is ongoing. In some cases, listed buildings have formed the basis for, or contributed to, the designation of Local Landscape Policy Areas.

The most common means of conserving biodiversity is designation, protection and management of the best sites of nature conservation importance. A hierarchy of designations is available under European and local legislation, and designation is primarily the responsibility of the EHS. Generally sites are selected for their rarity value or the diversity of species and habitats they contain, or as a representative example of their habitat type on a local, national or international scale. As an example, sites of international importance comprise sites listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, and European Sites (Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation) designated under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations (NI) 1995. Sites important in a national context include Areas of Special Scientific Interest and Nature Reserves. Sites of Local Nature Conservation Importance comprise Wildlife Refuges established under the Wildlife (NI) Order 1995 and Local Nature Reserves that may be established by local Councils under the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (NI) Order 1985. In addition, sites of local importance include nonstatutory nature reserves managed by public agencies or voluntary conservation bodies, as well as other Sites of Local Nature Conservation Importance highlighted in undertaking the Countryside Assessment. Management of these sites is generally through regulation of activities and negotiation with landowners, or government ownership.

These designations are either shown on the District Maps, the relevant Settlement Maps or Clarification Maps.