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St Albans City & District Council Halcrow Group Limited St Albans City & District Council Core Strategy Issues and Options Papers Study to Inform Appropriate Assessment (Screening Report) April 2008 Halcrow Group Limited St Albans City & District Council Core Strategy Issues and Options Papers Study to Inform Appropriate Assessment (Screening Report) April 2008 Halcrow Group Limited Halcrow Group Limited Burderop Park Swindon Wiltshire SN4 0QD Tel +44 (0)1793 812479 Fax +44 (0)1793 812089 www.halcrow.com Halcrow Group Limited has prepared this report in accordance with the instructions of their client, St Albans City and District Council, for their sole and specific use. Any other persons who use any information contained herein do so at their own risk. © Halcrow Group Limited 2008 Halcrow Group Limited Burderop Park Swindon Wiltshire SN4 0QD Tel +44 (0)1793 812479 Fax +44 (0)1793 812089 www.halcrow.com © Halcrow Group Limited 2008 St Albans City & District Council Core Strategy Issues and Options Papers Study to Inform Appropriate Assessment (Screening Report) April 2008 Contents Amendment Record This report has been issued and amended as follows: Issue Revision Description Date Signed Reviewer Author 1 0 Draft for Natural 12.10.07 S. Isaac England and client comments. 1 19.10.07 Katie Born 2 29.10.07 Nick Murry 3 5.2.08 Nick Murry Contents Non-technical Summary 1 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Structure of the report 6 1.2 Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment requirements 6 2 The Appropriate Assessment Process 7 2.1 Requirements of the Habitats Directive 7 2.2 The Appropriate Assessment Process 8 2.3 Appropriate Assessment and Land Use Planning Documents 9 2.4 Role of Organisations 10 2.5 AA Screening Methodology 12 3 Relevant Natura 2000 Sites 15 3.1 Background 15 3.2 Task AA1: Natura 2000 sites that could be affected by the St Albans CSIOPs 16 3.3 Chilterns Beechwoods SAC 17 4 Analysis of St Albans Issues and Options DPDs 25 4.1 Task AA1-2: Connection with SAC Management Requirements 25 4.2 Task AA1-3: Options that will not Affect the SAC 25 4.3 Conclusion 28 5 In-combination Effects 29 5.1 Introduction 29 5.2 Analysis of Local (District) Level Plans 29 5.3 Analysis of Regional Plans 33 5.4 Possible Combined Impacts of the Plans 41 6 Final Screening Assessment 44 6.1 Summary of the Assessment 44 6.2 Possible mitigation measures 44 6.3 The Requirements for further AA 46 Glossary 48 Tables Table 1 Summary of potential impacts of the St Albans CSIOPs and other plans on the integrity of the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC. Table 2 Stages of Appropriate Assessment, based on (DCLG 2006) Table 3 AA screening methodology for the St Albans CSIOPs. Table 4 Summary of details of the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC Table 5 Chilterns Beechwoods SAC component SSSIs and their Conservation Objectives Table 6 Chilterns Beechwoods SAC qualifying features and key environmental conditions required to support the feature Table 7 Housing provision in Hertfordshire Table 8 SANGS Case Study – Thames Basin Heaths SPA Appendices Appendix 1 Plans, Programmes and Policies examined in relation to St Albans’ CSIOP Appendix 2 Natural England Citations Appendix 3 Figures Appendix 4 Guidelines for the Creation of Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace Non-technical Summary The Core Strategy Issues and Options Development Plan Document (DPD) for St Albans District Council and the St Albans City and District/ Dacorum Borough Councils’ Core Strategies Supplementary Issues and Options Paper: ‘Growth at Hemel Hempstead’ have been analysed as part of an Appropriate Assessment (AA) screening process, the findings of which are presented in this Screening Report. In parallel with this, the Issues and Options DPDs of three other Councils in South Hertfordshire (Dacorum Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council) were also subjected to Appropriate Assessment screening, the outcome of which is presented in separate reports, one for each council. Appropriate Assessment screening is required where any plan, alone or ‘in combination’ with other plans, could have an adverse affect on the integrity of Natura 2000 Site (i.e. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Area of Conservation (SACs)) following Article 6(3) of the European Habitats Directive, and therefore determines whether a full Appropriate Assessment is required. The first phase of this screening involved an analysis of St Albans Core Strategy Issues and Options DPD and St Albans City and District/ Dacorum Borough Councils’ Core Strategies Supplementary Issues and Options Paper: ‘Growth at Hemel Hempstead’ to ascertain any likely significant effects that may compromise the conservation objectives of nearby Natura 2000 sites. In agreement with Natural England, the statutory consultee for AA screening, it was decided that Chilterns Beechwoods SAC is the only site of relevance to this screening. The next phase of the AA screening involved examining all other plans, programmes and projects that may affect the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC in conjunction with the St Albans Issues and Options. This included the Issues and Options DPDs of neighbouring councils, including Dacorum Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council, and regional planning documents. The screening process concluded, in agreement with Natural England, that any likely potential impacts of the St Albans Issues and Options (including the combined Dacorum/ St Albans Issues and Options for Hemel Hempstead growth), either alone or in combination with other plans and programmes, are not considered to be significant, providing that Option 21(c) in the St Alban’s Issues Doc No 1 Rev: 3 Date: April 2008 St Albans City & District Council Issues & Options AA Screening 1 and Options is only pursued under certain circumstances. Mitigation measures were nevertheless recommended as being necessary if these options were pursued. These would need to be agreed with Natural England and could also be used as best practice to limit recreational pressure on Chilterns Beechwoods SAC even if the above options were not pursued. In light of the assessment it was concluded that it would not be necessary to undertake a full Appropriate Assessment on the St Albans Core Strategy Issues and Options DPDs. Doc No 1 Rev: 3 Date: April 2008 St Albans City & District Council Issues & Options AA Screening 2 Table 1: Summary of potential impacts of the St Albans CSIOP DPDs and other plans on the integrity of the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC. Designated Conditions required Possible impacts from Possible impacts in Potential impact on site Recommendations to ensure interest feature to support site the St Albans CSIOP combination with other plans integrity no adverse effects on integrity and projects Chilterns Beechwoods SAC. Extensive tract of - No reduction in Impacts are associated 1. Dacorum CSIOP environmental In line with the precautionary As a precautionary measure, to Asperulo-Fagetum with the wider region, impacts (in combination with other principal the following reduce the need for building an mixed broadleaved beech forests rather than specifically the plans) on Chilterns Beechwoods potential impacts on site expanded transport network and woodland except SAC. Impacts that could SAC are: integrity have been identified: therefore decrease traffic and air where clearance will arise from long-term • increased air pollution from • increased disturbance to pollution, and disturbance, it is result in benefit for strategic policy option 21c construction works and transport beech woodland habitat recommended that Core Strategy (employment land • long-term strategic policy juniper scrub or red emissions trampling impacts options), under a worst • increased tourist pressure • reduction in numbers or Option 21(c) is only pursued in helleborine case scenario involving resulting in disturbance and noise deterioration in health of if: Cephalanthera rubra increased road traffic and affecting wildlife and trampling species sensitive to air a) Employment sites outside the road building could lead impacts affecting sapling pollution, e.g. beech trees, district were located close to the - Limit impact of to the impacts described regeneration from increased epiphytes district boundary (e.g. Hemel browsing/grazing below. visitors However, the risk of this Hempstead, Hatfield). -Natural processes Question 15 (development 2. East of England Plan impacts (as effect occurring is considered and structural at Pouchen End) in the above) caused by: to be low if the b) Roads that pass near to development of ‘Growth at Hemel a) housebuilding targets before recommendations in the next Hempstead’ paper could Chilterns Beechwoods SAC (i.e. woodland 2021, including: column are followed. potentially lead to: • 83,200 new homes in A41, A4251, A4146) do not • - Reduce occurrence Loss of habitat and Hertfordshire undergo any significant increase biodiversity through land • of conifer plantations 26,300 new homes in S Beds in traffic as a result of siting of take • 1350 new homes in S Bucks new employment land. - No reduction in stag • Habitat fragmentation beetle habitat and reduced landscape b) Regional Transport Strategy connectivity Objectives (M25 widening, M1 c) Sustainable transport • - No loss of box Increased light and improvements) requirements such as improved noise pollution associated dominated scrub public transport, improved cycle with urbanisation of South East Plan impacts (as above) countryside and caused by: routes and Green Travel Plans construction works • 5,620 new homes in Windsor & were met . • Increased air pollution Maidenhead Doc No 1 Rev: 3 Date: April 2008 St Albans City & District Council Issues & Options AA Screening 3 from construction works • 10,200 new homes in S Following these and transport emissions Oxfordshire recommendations should result • 6,600 new homes in Wycombe in no significant effect on the These impacts would only Chilterns Beechwoods SAC. apply under certain Hertfordshire Minerals Local Plan However, best practice circumstances – see impacts (as above) caused by: mitigation of recreational column 6. • Increased mineral extraction pressure and water abstraction • Associated infrastructure and pressures is provided in section The development of a traffic 6.2.
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