Redacted Annex a Omnicom 25399.Pdf
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Invitation to Tender - Commercial in Confidence XXXX indicates where information has been redacted under exemptions / exceptions in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and / or Environmental Information Regulations 2004 Omnicom: 25399 ANNEX A - Specification INTEGRATED SITE ASSESSMENT OF THE RIVER MEASE SITE OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST (SSSIs) AND SPECIAL AREA OF CONSERVATION (SAC) TO CONFIRM CURRENT CONDITION 1. Introduction Natural England (NE) works for people, places and nature, to enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promote access, recreation and public well-being; and contribute to the way natural resources are managed so that they can be enjoyed now and in the future. Natural England works towards the delivery of four strategic outcomes, which together deliver on our purpose to conserve, enhance and manage the natural environment for the benefit of current and future generations. A healthy natural environment: England’s natural environment will be conserved and enhanced. Enjoyment of the natural environment: more people enjoying, understanding and acting to improve, the natural environment, more often. Sustainable use of the natural environment: the use and management of the natural environment is more sustainable. A secure environmental future: decisions which collectively secure the future of the natural environment. For further details about Natural England, its objectives, targets, and ways of working please visit www.naturalengland.org.uk 2. Background The River Mease has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Rising at 130 metres above sea level in the Coal Measures of north-west Leicestershire, the River Mease flows approximately 25 kilometres westwards across a largely rural and agricultural landscape to its confluence with the River Trent at Croxall. The river forms an eastern tributary of the Trent and flows throughout its course across alluvial soils overlying bands of Sherwood Sandstone and Mercia Mudstone. As a relatively un- modified lowland river, the River Mease contains a diverse range of physical in- channel features, including riffles, pools, slacks, vegetated channel margins and bank side tree cover, which provide the conditions necessary to sustain populations of both spined loach and bullhead. The head of the site includes the lower reaches of the Gilwiskaw Brook which flows along a steep gradient across bands of inter-bedded mudstones and sandstones. Due to the fast-flowing nature of the river, aquatic vegetation is sparse and marginal Omnicom 25399/ITT570 Invitation to Tender - Commercial in Confidence vegetation restricted to stands of floating sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans but these sections provide valuable habitat for bullhead Cottus gobio , a bottom dwelling native fish which favours clean coarse gravels for spawning and is often found where flows are consistently strong and sediment deposition minimal. Populations of bullhead also occur in the lower reaches of the Mease where river substrates are finer but woody debris lying within the river channel becomes more important in providing suitable breeding habitat. Below Snarestone the descent becomes more gradual and the river enters a broad lowland floodplain. The slow-moving river meanders tightly across floodplain deposits, occasionally exposing underlying sandstones and fluvial sands and gravels. These middle reaches of the River Mease provide excellent habitat for a nationally significant population of spined loach Cobitis taenia. (Figure 1). The River Mease SSSI was first notified, under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended), in 2000. In addition to being designated as a SSSI, the River Mease is also internationally designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive. The River Mease represents a lowland clay river supporting nationally significant populations of spined loach Cobitis taenia and bullhead Cottus gobio, two internationally notable species of native freshwater fish with a restricted distribution in England. Other qualifying features include Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation, White-clawed (or Atlantic stream) crayfish, Austropotamobius pallipes and Otter, Lutra lutra Copies of the SSSI and SAC citations can be found at the following web sites: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK00 30258 http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/sssi/searchresults.cfm?sssi_na me=river+mease&frmcounty The condition of all SSSIs in England, including the River Mease, is assessed by Natural England against site-specific Conservation Objectives; Conservation Objectives have been produced for the River Mease and these are given at Appendix 1. A full condition assessment was last undertaken in 2009/10. The River Mease SSSI is 26km long and divided into 4 SSSI units. These units are detailed in Table 1 and the location of the River Mease is illustrated in Figure 1. The 2009/10 condition assessment concluded that all four riverine units were in unfavourable condition, a copy of the previous condition assessment is included at Appendix 2 Omnicom 25399/ITT570 Invitation to Tender - Commercial in Confidence Table 1: Location of SSSI Units within the Mease SSSI SSSI Unit Upstream and downstream SSSI Unit boundaries 1 River Trent to Harlaston Bridge 2 Harlaston Bridge to Netherseal 3 Netherseal to Snareston 4 Snareston to Packington Figure 1: Map of the River Mease SSSI/SAC. Omnicom 25399/ITT570 Invitation to Tender for the Supply of Integrated Site Assessment – River Mease SSSI Commercial in Confidence 3. Objectives To undertake a full condition assessment of interest features of the SSSI/SAC in order to enable a condition assessment to be made against the conservation objectives for the site. A copy of the favourable condition table for the River Mease is provided at Appendix 1; this details the attributes to be assessed and their assessment criteria; this includes: i. Fish survey ii. White-Clawed Crayfish and Otter Survey iii. Otter Survey. iv. Water courses of plain to montane levels with Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation survey. v. Produce a technical report incorporating i, ii, iii iv and v Full details are provided at Appendix 1. Chemical and Biological data can be obtained from the Environment Agency 4. Methods Survey work consists of River Habitat Survey (RHS) and macrophyte community survey in selected 500 metre sections of river. RHS survey should include the additional vegetation recording module (covering Phase 1 habitat types), since this is needed for some aspects of the condition assessment. Additional ad hoc field observations of the state of the river are also required, as specified later. The method of macrophyte survey is specified in Appendix 4 of JNCC (2005), including a standard checklist of species. The surveyors must be competent to undertake this survey to a high level of accuracy. RHS survey must be undertaken by an accredited RHS surveyor. In addition to standard survey forms for macrophyte and RHS survey data, a separate form is provided (Appendix 4) for recording additional observations of river status necessary to evaluate certain attributes in Appendix 4 (river flows, turbidity, siltation and levels of filamentous and epiphytic algae). Macrophyte data should be captured electronically using the JNCC data capture template for uploading data onto the JNCC River Macrophyte Database. All Sampling procedures must be carried out as detailed in the JNCC Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for freshwater - http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/CSM_freshwaterfauna_Aug05.pdf . Further information on monitoring other notified species can be found at the following websites: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=ho me.showFile&rep=file&fil=SMURF_bullhead_monitoring.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=ho me.showFile&rep=file&fil=SMURF_crayfish_monitoring.pdf 4 Natural England Omnicom 25399/ITT Invitation to Tender for the Supply of Integrated Site Assessment – River Mease SSSI Commercial in Confidence http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=ho me.showFile&rep=file&fil=SMURF_otter_monitoring.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=ho me.showFile&rep=file&fil=SMURF_ranunculus_monitoring.pdf Sample sites should be assigned a unique number e.g. S25 and should be located on the map. All Data should be entered onto an Excel spreadsheet as individual sample site locations with their map location given as a 6-figure OS grid reference. Geographical locations of all sample sites should be recorded using GPS. The contractor must hold appropriate wildlife licensing licenses. 5. Material supply Copies of the previous surveys and reports will be made available to the contractors. Ordnance Survey Master Map and Aerial Photography data can be provided on request. 6. Access Arrangements Natural England will provide details of owner/occupiers as necessary in order for the Contractor to arrange access to the site. If you are refused permission to enter you should contact the Natural England Project Officer immediately, they will be able to arrange access. Please note that is information is confidential and is only given for purpose of this project. Our general terms and conditions of contract