Manston Airport Development Consent Order
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Manston Airport Development Consent Order Preliminary Environmental Information Report Volume 2: Biodiversity, Freshwater Environment, Historic Environment, Land Quality and LVIA June 2017 For consultation Scheme Name Manston Airport DCO Promoter’s Name RiverOak Strategic Partners Author Amec Foster Wheeler Document Number TR020002/SC/02/2 2 2017 Consultation Suite of Consultation Documents 1.1 As part of the statutory consultation under section 47 of the Planning Act 2008 a suite of consultation documents relating to the proposal to reopen Manston Airport is available to the public. Together these documents give an overview of the development proposals including information on the potential benefits and impacts of the Project, environmental considerations and the business case. The documents also provide further information on the consultation process and enable the public to submit their feedback. 1.2 This consultation also forms part of RiverOak’s initial engagement on the design of airspace and procedures associated with the airport. As such it is an opportunity for members of the community to highlight any factors which they believe RiverOak should take into account during that design phase. Having taken all such factors into account, the subsequent proposals for flightpaths and airspace will be subject to a separate round of consultation once the DCO application has been made. 1.3 The suite of consultation documents includes: 1. a Consultation Leaflet giving an overview of the proposals and details of where more information about the Project can be found; 2. a Feedback Form in order to collect responses to the consultation; 3. an Overview Report giving a summary of the proposals including the potential benefits and impacts of the Project, how we propose to mitigate against potential impacts, and a non-technical summary of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR); 4. a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR); containing preliminary information on the likely environmental effects of our proposals as we have ascertained them so far, including noise, transport and air quality, and how we propose to minimise these effects, as well as how we propose to maximise the benefits of the Project; 5. a draft Masterplan for Manston Airport; 6. Manston Airport - a Regional and National Asset, Volumes I-IV; an analysis of air freight capacity limitations and constraints in the South East and Manston’s ability to address these and provide for future growth; 7. an Outline Business Case; 8. a Statement of Community Consultation; 9. a Location Plan; and 10. an Interim Consultation Report, setting out the details of the first stage of consultation and how feedback received has been used to help develop the proposals. 1.4 This Preliminary Environmental Information Report has been prepared pursuant to the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009, as amended. 3 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Contents 7. Biodiversity 7-1 7.1 Introduction 7-1 7.2 Policy and legislative context 7-3 7.3 Data gathering methodology 7-6 7.4 Overall Biodiversity baseline 7-21 7.5 Environmental measures incorporated into the Proposed Development 7-25 7.6 Scope of the assessment 7-27 7.7 Assessment methodology 7-35 7.8 Assessment of effects on on Thanet Coast & Sandwich Bay SPA/Ramsar and Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes SSSI 7-37 7.9 Assessment of effects to Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA/Ramsar; Thanet Coast SAC; Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes SSSI; Sandwich and Pegwell Bay NNR through water discharge 7-43 7.10 Assessment of effects to designated sites/priority habitats through air quality effects 7-46 7.11 Assessment of effects to bat assemblage 7-48 7.12 Assessment of effects to great crested newt (GCN) 7-49 7.13 Assessment of effects to reptiles 7-51 7.14 Assessment of effects to breeding barn owl 7-52 7.15 Assessment of effects to terrestrial invertebrates/invertebrate assemblage 7-53 7.16 Conclusions of preliminary significance evaluation 7-54 May 2017 38199CR019i3 7-1 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 7. Biodiversity 7.1 Introduction 7.1.1 This chapter sets out the results of a preliminary assessment of the effects of the Proposed Development on biodiversity. 7.1.2 This chapter should be read in conjunction with the Description of the Proposed Development (Chapter 3). Following a summary of the limitations of the PEIR, the chapter outlines the relevant policy, legislation and guidance that has informed the preliminary assessment, and the data gathering methodology that was adopted as part of the biodiversity preliminary assessment. This leads on to a description of the overall baseline conditions, the scope of the assessment, and the assessment methodology. The chapter concludes with a summary of the results of the assessment at this point in time. 7.1.3 The Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) will focus on the likely significant effects of the construction and operation of the proposed development on conservation notable and legally protected habitats and species. Potential impacts on nature conservation interests both within and outside of the bounds of the Manston Airport site will be investigated and will broadly include: Temporary and permanent habitat loss; Habitat degradation / change (e.g. through changes in air quality); and Disturbance / displacement of fauna. 7.1.4 Potential impacts may be associated with the: Construction of cargo facilities, hangers, aircraft stands, taxiways and associated infrastructure (e.g. a fuel farm); Operation of aircraft and associated activities (e.g. aircraft loading) whilst within the bounds of the airport; Operation of aircraft approaching and leaving the airport (i.e. outside of the bounds of the airport); and Road traffic associated with the construction and operational phases of the Proposed Development. 7.1.5 The EcIA will include an assessment of the potential effects on internationally, nationally and locally designated sites of nature conservation interest. This assessment (with regards to internationally designated sites) will be supported by the production of information necessary for the competent authority (in this case the Secretary of State for Transport) to undertake a Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA). Limitation of the PEIR 7.1.6 As outlined in Section 1.5 the PEIR provides preliminary information based on the Proposed Development to date and data gathered up to this point, that will May 2017 38199CR019i3 7-2 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited subsequently be provided in full and final form within the ES. In addition to the assessment of potential effects on European wildlife sites that will need to be addressed in the ES, there is a requirement under The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (SI 2010 No. 490) (the ‘Habitats Regulations’) to determine whether any of these sites is likely to be significantly affected by the proposed development, either alone or in combination with other plans and projects. This will be achieved through the production of an Evidence Plan (in ongoing consultation with Natural England), supported by evidence gathered from desk studies, field surveys, and air quality and noise modelling. 7.1.7 This assessment is based on surveys and data gathered to the point of writing, and as such, it cannot be taken as a complete picture of the potential presence and significance of important biodiversity receptors that could be affected by the proposed development. As indicated here and in the baseline section (Section 7.4), it is intended to complete surveys for valued receptors so that a full dataset is available for the ES in 2017/18. The results of these surveys, where indicating the presence of a receptor, will allow for further design development. This will allow for refinement of the existing data and assessments, and consequently provide an informed assessment of the potential effects of the proposed development. 7.1.8 The decision as to whether to carry out further survey is influenced by two factors: the potential presence of valued receptors considered likely to be present in the zone of influence, and the potential for likely significant effects to arise as a result of development. Further surveys may need to be carried out: Where data are incomplete to date due to Site access constraints; and, To inform the design and planning of site specific design and development of mitigation in advance of the DCO determination being made. 7.1.9 After consultation with Natural England (NE), it was agreed that the biodiversity chapter of the Environmental Statement was to be based upon the results of information available in the public domain from other planning applications for the Manston Airport site, to be supplemented, if required, with targeted ecological surveys off-site and on-site to cover any identified gaps. Ground-truthing88 of an existing extended Phase 1 habitat survey89 was undertaken in February 2017, and concluded that the work provided an appropriate basis upon which to proceed. An application to grant access, under Section 53 of the Planning Act, to the site to undertake further (Phase 2) ecological surveys has been submitted to the Secretary of State, these surveys will be undertaken to support the Environmental Statement. 7.1.10 At the time of the PEI assessment, sufficient data on receptors is not yet available, and consequently, any evaluation of effects on receptors is considered following a generic approach to the delivery of construction works and operation for this proposed development. Thus, at this point, environmental measures are limited to those described in Section 7.5. A full assessment will be provided within the ES. 88 This is a process where the facts/information of a desk study are confirmed through a site visit. 89 This was associated with the Stone Hill Park proposal, which occupies the Manston Airport site and therefore has a site extent very similar to the current proposal.