WRITTEN QUESTION No. 451/98 by Carlo RIPA DI MEANA to the Commission. Private residences in the Tor Marancia area
9. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 310/67 (98/C 310/86) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0450/98 by Carlo Ripa di Meana (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (27 February 1998) Subject: Building agreement involving the Parco Veio protected natural area Rome city council is about to approve three building agreements ( Volusiaí, Saxa Rubraí and Grottarossaí with a volume of more than half a million cubic metres extending over more than 40 hectares) for areas that fall partly within the Parco di Veio protected natural area designated by Regional Law 29/97 in view of its considerable natural and archaeological value. The measures covered by the Veio building agreement (development of urban areas involving more than 40 hectares) are of the type referred to in Annex B, 7b of the Presidential decree of 12 April 1996 on guidelines for and coordination of environmental impact assessment. Such measures must therefore be subjected to environmental impact assessment on the basis of the Presidential decree, Article 1(4) of which lays down that projects referred to in Annex B which fall even partly, within protected natural areas are subject to the environmental impact assessment procedure. The city council has never carried out the environmental impact assessment provided for projects of such a scale by the legislation in force nor required the undertakings involved in the agreements to do so. 1. Does such building require specific environmental impact assessment as laid down in the Presidential decree of 12 April 1996 transposing Directive 85/337/EEC (1)? 2. Does it require specific environmental impact assessment as laid down in Annex II, 10(C) of Directive 97/3/EC (2)? (1) OJ L 175, 5. 7. 1985, p. 40. (2) OJ L 27, 30. 1. 1997, p. 30. (98/C 310/87) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0451/98 by Carlo Ripa di Meana (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (27 February 1998) Subject: Private residences in the Tor Marancia area Rome city council decision 207/97 provides for an áagreementí on the construction of private residences (2 million cubic metres covering 220 hectares) in the Tor Marancia area adjacent to the Appia Antica regional park. Because of the considerable natural and archaeological value of the area the Latium region has included about half of the Tor Marancia territory (106 hectares) in the protected natural area known as the Appia Antica regional park in Regional Law 29/97. The local government has never carried out the requisite assessment of environmental compatibility unanimously adopted by Rome city council (agenda 15/95) which requires the Mayor and city council to wait for the outcome of environmental compatibility studies before taking any decision on the feasibility and scale of the project. The measures covered by the Tor Marancia building agreement (development of urban areas involving more than 40 hectares) are of the type referred to in Annex B, 7b of the Presidential decree of 12 April 1996 on guidelines for and coordination of environmental impact assessment; they must therefore be subjected to environmental impact assessment on the basis of the Presidential decree, Article 1(4) of which lays down that projects referred to in Annex B which fall even partly within protected natural areas are subject to the environmental impact assessment procedure