Airports Nps - Habitats Regulations Assessment Appendix B Appropriate Assessment of Short List Alternatives
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AIRPORTS NPS - HABITATS REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT APPENDIX B APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT OF SHORT LIST ALTERNATIVES JUNE 2018 AIRPORTS NPS - HABITATS REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT APPENDIX B APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT OF SHORT LIST ALTERNATIVES Department for Transport Project no: 70030195 Date: June 2018 WSP The Forum Barnfield Road Exeter EX1 1QR Tel: (01392) 229700 www.wsp.com iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................ 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.2 HABITATS REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT (HRA) SCREENING ................... 1 1.3 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT (AA) ............................................................... 2 1.4 IN-COMBINATION EFFECTS ON NATURA 2000 AND RAMSAR SITES ....... 3 1.5 CONSULTATION ............................................................................................... 5 2 EFFECTS OF DISTURBANCE ..................................................... 6 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 6 2.2 RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES ........................................................................ 6 2.3 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ........................................................................ 7 2.4 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON INTEGRITY AS A RESULT OF CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE SCHEMES ...................... 13 2.5 AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 14 2.6 EFFICACY OF MITIGATION PROPOSALS AND RESIDUAL EFFECTS ...... 14 2.7 EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS ....... 15 2.8 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 16 3 EFFECTS OF OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT ........................ 17 3.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 17 3.2 RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES ...................................................................... 17 3.3 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ...................................................................... 18 3.4 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON INTEGRITY ............................... 20 3.5 AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 20 3.6 EFFICACY OF MITIGATION PROPOSALS AND RESIDUAL EFFECTS ...... 20 3.7 EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS ....... 21 3.8 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 22 iv 4 EFFECTS OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT LOSS AND FRAGMENTATION ON HABITATS AND FUNCTIONALLY LINKED HABITAT ...................................................................... 23 4.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 23 4.2 RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES ...................................................................... 23 4.3 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ...................................................................... 24 4.4 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON INTEGRITY ............................... 25 4.5 AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 25 4.6 EFFICACY OF MITIGATION PROPOSALS AND RESIDUAL EFFECTS ...... 25 4.7 EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS ....... 25 4.8 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 26 5 EFFECTS OF CHANGES TO AIR QUALITY ............................. 27 5.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 27 5.2 RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES ...................................................................... 27 5.3 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ...................................................................... 33 5.4 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON INTEGRITY ............................... 39 5.5 AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 40 5.6 EFFICACY OF MITIGATION PROPOSALS AND RESIDUAL EFFECTS ...... 41 5.7 EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS ....... 41 5.8 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 41 6 EFFECTS OF CHANGES TO WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY .................................................................................. 42 6.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 42 6.2 RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES ...................................................................... 42 6.3 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ...................................................................... 44 6.4 AVOIDANCE AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 45 6.5 EFFICACY OF MITIGATION PROPOSALS AND RESIDUAL EFFECTS ...... 47 6.6 EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS ....... 47 6.7 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 48 v 7 SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT .................................................. 49 TABLES TABLE 1.1: INITIAL SCREENING OF OTHER POLICIES, PLAN AND PROJECTS FOR IN-COMBINATION EFFECTS .................................................... 3 TABLE 2.1: RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND DISTURBANCE PATHWAY ............... 6 TABLE 2.2: SOUTH WEST LONDON WATERBODIES SPA COMPONENTS ................... 7 TABLE 2.3: SHOVELER PEAK COUNTS 2010/11 – 2014/15 AT THE SOUTH WEST LONDON WATERBODIES COMPLEX AND SURROUNDING SITES ................................................................................................... 7 TABLE 2.4: GADWALL PEAK COUNTS 2010/11 – 2014/15 AT THE SOUTH WEST LONDON WATERBODIES COMPLEX AND SURROUNDING SITES ................................................................................................... 8 TABLE 2.5: POTENTIAL EFFECTS AT SOUTH WEST LONDON WATERBODIES ....... 14 TABLE 2.6: POTENTIAL DISTURBANCE EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS .................................................... 15 TABLE 3.1: RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND POTENTIAL OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT IMPACT PATHWAY ............................................... 17 TABLE 3.2: POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AT LHR- ENR .................................................................................................... 20 TABLE 3.3: POTENTIAL OPERATIONAL EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS .................................................... 21 TABLE 4.1: RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND POTENTIAL DIRECT AND INDIRECT LOSS AND FRAGMENTATION IMPACT PATHWAY .... 23 TABLE 4.2: POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF FUNCTIONALLY LINKED HABITAT LOSS AT LHR-ENR ..................................................................................... 25 TABLE 4.3: POTENTIAL HABITAT LOSS AND FRAGMENTATION EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND PROJECTS ............... 26 TABLE 5.1: RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND POTENTIAL AIR QUALITY IMPACT PATHWAY .......................................................................... 28 TABLE 5.2: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF MOLE GAP TO REIGATE ESCARPMENT SAC ......................................................................... 29 TABLE 5.3: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF ASHDOWN FOREST SAC (AND SPA HABITATS) ............................................................................... 30 TABLE 5.4: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF SOUTH WEST LONDON WATERBODIES SPA AND RAMSAR .............................................. 31 TABLE 5.5: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF WINDSOR FOREST AND GREAT PARK SAC ........................................................................................ 31 TABLE 5.6: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF BURNHAM BEECHES SAC ................ 32 TABLE 5.7: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF THURSLEY, ASH, PIRBRIGHT AND CHOBHAM SAC (AND THAMES BASIN HEATHS) ........................ 32 vi TABLE 5.8: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF RICHMOND PARK SAC ...................... 32 TABLE 5.9: CRITICAL LOADS AND BASELINE NITROGEN DEPOSITION AGAINST INTEREST FEATURES OF WIMBLEDON COMMON SAC ............. 33 TABLE 5.10: RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF AIR QUALITY CHANGES ........................................................................ 35 TABLE 5.11: RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF AIR QUALITY CHANGES ........................................................................ 37 TABLE 5.12: SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON INTEGRITY AS A RESULT OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE SCHEMES ......................................................................................... 39 TABLE 6.1 RELEVANT EUROPEAN SITES AND POTENTIAL WATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY IMPACT PATHWAY ................................................ 42 TABLE 6.2: SOUTH WEST LONDON WATERBODIES SPA COMPONENTS ................. 43 TABLE 6.3: POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF WATER QUANTITY/QUALITY CHANGES AS A RESULT OF LHR-ENR .................................................................. 44 TABLE 6.4: MITIGATION OF EFFECTS OF WATER QUANTITY/QUALITY CHANGES ........................................................................................