Strategic Environmental Assessment Post Adoption Statement
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Strategic Transport Projects Review Post Adoption Statement October 2009 Post Adoption Statement Transport Scotland Strategic Transport Projects Review - Strategic Environmental Assessment Post Adoption Statement Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Strategic Environmental Assessment of the STPR ............................................................... 3 1.3 The Post - Adoption Statement.............................................................................................. 4 1.4 Key Facts ............................................................................................................................... 5 Table 1.1 Key Facts............................................................................................................................ 5 2 Addressing Environmental Considerations in STPR ................................................................ 6 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 The Appraisal Process for STPR ........................................................................................... 6 2.3 SEA methodology .................................................................................................................. 7 2.4 How Environmental Considerations have been Integrated into STPR .................................. 8 Figure 2.1 Process relationship between SEA and STPR ................................................................. 8 2.5 How the results of the Environmental Report have been taken into account........................ 9 3 Taking Account of Consultation Responses ........................................................................... 11 3.1 Consultation Background..................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Consultation Requirements.................................................................................................. 11 3.3 Summary of Consultation Responses.................................................................................. 11 3.4 Addressing Consultation Responses ................................................................................... 12 Table 3.1 Taking Account of Themed Consultation Responses ...................................................... 13 Table 3.2 Taking Account of Specific Consultation Responses....................................................... 21 3.5 Conclusions.......................................................................................................................... 40 4 Consideration of Alternatives.................................................................................................... 41 4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 41 4.2 Appraising Alternatives ........................................................................................................ 41 Transport Scotland Strategic Transport Projects Review - Strategic Environmental Assessment Post Adoption Statement 4.3 Assessment of Alternatives.................................................................................................. 42 4.4 Strategic Alternatives ........................................................................................................... 42 4.5 Intervention Specific Alternatives......................................................................................... 43 4.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 46 5 Mitigation ..................................................................................................................................... 47 5.1 General Principles of Mitigation ........................................................................................... 47 5.2 Mitigation Commitments....................................................................................................... 48 6 Monitoring.................................................................................................................................... 53 6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 53 6.2 Purpose of Monitoring Environmental Effects...................................................................... 53 Table 6.1 Monitoring Indicators ........................................................................................................ 53 6.3 Issues in Monitoring the STPR ............................................................................................ 55 6.4 Process of Monitoring the STPR.......................................................................................... 56 Annex 1 - Comments received on STPR and responses ............................................................... 57 Annex 2 - Consultees......................................................................................................................... 88 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Transport Scotland is undertaking the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) to identify interventions that will make a significant contribution to the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Purpose and the National Transport Strategy for the period beyond our current investment programme. The Governments Economic Strategy states that the overarching Purpose of the Scottish Government and the public sector generally is "to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth". 1.2 Strategic Environmental Assessment of the STPR The STPR has been subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), as required under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, also known as the ‘SEA Act’. This SEA has included the following activities: • Consideration of the views of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Scottish Ministers (Historic Scotland) and Health Scotland regarding the scope and level of detail that was considered appropriate for the Environmental Report (ER); • The definition of a methodology allowing an ER to be developed addressing 20 transport corridors and 6 nodes or networks on a national scale, defined under STPR, across a common set of appraisal criteria and to a common standard: • Preparation of a draft ER on the likely significant effects on the environment, of the STPR, which included; - identification and consideration of the baseline data relating to the current state of the environment over most of the Trunk Road and rail networks; - Links between the STPR and other relevant strategies, policies, plans, programmes and environmental protection objectives; - Reviewing the STPR’s objectives to improve their consideration of, and focus on, environmental issues; - Existing environmental problems in the area likely to be affected by interventions; - The STPR’s likely significant effects on the environment (positive, neutral and negative); - Measures envisaged for the prevention, reduction and offsetting of any significant adverse effects; - An outline of the reasons for selecting the alternatives chosen; and 3 - Monitoring measures to ensure that any unforeseen environmental effects will be identified, so allowing for appropriate remedial action to be taken. • Consultation and discussion on the ER and STPR; • Consideration of the ER and consultation responses in making decisions regarding the STPR recommendations; and • Preparation of a programme to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the STPR. This also aims to identify unforeseen adverse significant environmental effects and enable appropriate remedial action to be taken. 1.3 The Post - Adoption Statement This Post Adoption Statement has been prepared for the STPR by Transport Scotland in line with the various requirements of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. Part 3, subsection 18 of the SEA Act requires a statement to be produced following the adoption of the plan. It states that this should include the following information: • How environmental considerations have been integrated into the plan or programme (Chapter 2); • How the environmental report has been taken into account (Chapter 2); • How the opinions expressed in response to the invitations mentioned in section 16 have been taken into account (Chapter 3); • How the results of relevant consultation under regulation 14 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (S.I.2004/1633) have been taken into account, (Annex 1); • The reasons for choosing the plan or programme in the light of the other reasonable alternatives considered (Chapter 4); and • The measures that are to be taken to monitor the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the plan or programme (Chapter 6). The purpose of this Post-Adoption SEA Statement is to meet the above requirements of the SEA legislation. To demonstrate these legislative requirements have been met, each of the above points is referred