Client: Irish Rail
Painestown River at Turnings Upper, Co. Kildare, photo by John Brophy
This project related to proposed scour protection works on bridges over the Morell and Painestown rivers at Turnings and Sherlockstown, Co. Kildare, on the Dublin-Cork rail line. BEC Consultants carried out surveys to assess the presence of species protected under the Wildlife Acts 1976-2012 and the Habitats and Birds directives. These included otter (Lutra lutra) and white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) surveys.
Due to conditions at the site, the crayfish survey included sweep-netting and hand-searching techniques. A Screening for Appropriate Assessment report was prepared and an Ecological Impact Assessment report completed.
In advance of the works commencing, crayfish were translocated from the footprint of the works to a site that would be unaffected.