A27 Arundel Bypass Interim Scheme Assessment Report
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A27 Arundel Bypass Interim Scheme Assessment Report Chapter 4 – Environmental Status 30 August 2019 Interim Scheme Assessment Report A27 Arundel Bypass – PCF Stage 2 Further Consultation CONTENTS 4 ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS ........................................................................................ 4-1 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 4-1 4.2 Air Quality ................................................................................................................. 4-1 4.3 Cultural Heritage ...................................................................................................... 4-3 4.4 Landscape and Visual .............................................................................................. 4-4 4.5 Biodiversity ............................................................................................................... 4-6 4.6 Geology and Soils .................................................................................................. 4-11 4.7 Material Assets and Waste .................................................................................... 4-12 4.8 Noise and Vibration ................................................................................................ 4-13 4.9 Population and health ............................................................................................ 4-13 4.10 Road Drainage and the Water Environment ....................................................... 4-17 4.11 Climate: Greenhouse Gases ................................................................................ 4-20 4.12 Climate: Vulnerability to Climate Change .......................................................... 4-21 4.13 Major Accidents and Disasters ........................................................................... 4-21 4.14 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 4-23 Abbreviation .................................................................................................................... 4-24 Glossary .......................................................................................................................... 4-24 LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1 – Air Quality Management Areas and distance from Arundel 4-2 Table 4-2 – Key environmental biodiversity receptors 4-8 Table 4-3 - Population Figures for towns and villages around Arundel 4-14 Table 4-4 - Significant baseline features likely to be a source of major events 4-22 August 2019 Interim Scheme Assessment Report A27 Arundel Bypass – PCF Stage 2 Further Consultation 4 Environmental Status 4.1 Introduction 4.1.1.1 The following section summarises the existing environmental baseline conditions by each topic in relation to the proposed Scheme options which are described in Chapter 8. 4.1.1.2 The Scheme is located within the administrative boundaries of West Sussex County Council, Arun District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority. 4.1.1.3 The Study Area is the spatial area within which environmental effects are assessed (i.e. extending a distance from the project footprint in which significant environmental effects are anticipated to occur). The Study Areas for each environmental topic are defined in the following sections. Further information on environmental specialist topic Study Areas is provided in the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass Environmental Assessment Report (EAR) (August 2019). 4.1.1.4 The following sections summarise the environmental baseline conditions for each of the environmental specialist topic study areas. More information on all the environmental specialist topics can be found in the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass EAR (August 2019). 4.2 Air Quality 4.2.1.1 The air quality Study Area is defined by topic specific criteria provided by the DMRB, and by the ‘Affected Road Network’ (Figure 5-2 in the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel EAR (August 2019)). 4.2.1.2 The air quality Study Area for each Scheme option has been defined in accordance with the guidance outlined in Section 5.2 of the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass EAR (August 2019). 4.2.1.3 The air quality Study Area is defined in further detail in Section 5.5 of the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass EAR (August 2019) and Figures 5-2A to 5-2F illustrate the Study Areas for each Scheme option. 4.2.1.4 The baseline air quality conditions are broadly typical of the predominately rural nature of the area with a low density of roads and scattered small population areas. The main source of emissions in the Study Area are vehicle emissions. Page 4-1 August 2019 Interim Scheme Assessment Report A27 Arundel Bypass – PCF Stage 2 Further Consultation 4.2.1.5 Pollutant concentrations in the vicinity of human receptors have tended to be well below the air quality thresholds in recent years. There have been no monitored exceedances of air quality thresholds for PM10 (data collected since 2009). 4.2.1.6 However, there are NO2 exceedances in three locations, outlined below within the air quality Study Area, locations are illustrated in Figure 5-3 of the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass EAR (August 2019) : § Slight NO2 exceedance within the Chichester (Stockbridge Roundabout) Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). § NO2 exceedance at the roadside on the A27 between the Ford Road roundabout and just after the turning to Arundel and District Hospital. § NO2 exceedance on A283 Manleys Hill (within the Storrington AQMA) 4.2.1.7 There are no air quality management areas (AQMA) within Arun District. The nearest AQMAs and approximate distance from the Scheme (measured from the Ford Road roundabout) are listed in Table 4-1, and those that lie within the air quality study area are shown within Figure 5-4 of the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass EAR (August 2019). Three of these are outside the air quality study area. Table 4-1 – Air Quality Management Areas and distance from Arundel AQMA Distance from Arundel (Ford Road Roundabout) (km) Horsham AQMA No1 (Storrington) 10.3 Worthing AQMA 11.9 Chichester (St Pancras) 15.0 (outside study area) Chichester (Orchard Street) 15.5 (outside study area) Chichester (Stockbridge Roundabout) 15.8 Shoreham AQMA 19.9 Southwick AQMA 22.4 (outside study area) 4.2.1.8 There are four SSSIs, but no SPA, SAC, or RAMSAR sites1, in the air quality study area which contain habitats sensitive to airborne NOx and nitrogen deposition. These sites lie to the north of the A27 corridor and comprise: 1 The only sites designated for nature conservation that require assessment under Annex F of DMRB HA207/07 are SACs, SPAs, RAMSAR sites, and SSSIs. Page 4-2 August 2019 Interim Scheme Assessment Report A27 Arundel Bypass – PCF Stage 2 Further Consultation § Fairmile Bottom SSSI § Arundel Park SSSI § Sullington Warren SSSI § Amberley Mount to Sullington Hill SSSI. 4.2.1.9 Background concentrations of NOx are provided by Defra. Baseline 2016 annual average NOx concentrations over these SSSIs show that area average concentrations are well within the air quality objective for the protection of vegetation of 30μg/m3 (termed the critical level) over all sites (less than 15μg/m3). 4.2.1.10 Nitrogen deposition loads for the habitats within these sites have been obtained from indicative values for impact assessment on the Air Pollution Information System (APIS). These loads range from 5 kgN/ha/yr (kilograms of elemental nitrogen per hectare per year) to 25 kgN/ha/yr depending on the habitat. 4.2.1.11 Within the vicinity of the roadside, both NOx concentrations and nitrogen deposition levels are higher than the area average values (based on Defra modelling (2016)). Away from the roadside, concentrations fall rapidly to the area average concentrations. 4.3 Cultural Heritage 4.3.1.1 The Study Areas for cultural heritage has been developed in accordance with the guidance discussed in the cultural heritage section of DMRB. The Study Area for cultural heritage comprises an inner 200 m buffer area, and a wider, 1 km buffer. That is, an area extending from the footprint of the Scheme option, any new land-take, plus an area extending 1 kilometre either side of them. 4.3.1.2 The existing cultural heritage baseline conditions within the Study Area are described in relation to each of the Scheme options in Chapter 8. This is due to the number of heritage assets in the vicinity of each Scheme option, see Chapter 6, Figures 6-1 and 6-2 in the PCF Stage 2 A27 Arundel Bypass EAR (August 2019) and included in Appendix A of this report, for the location of heritage assets. 4.3.1.3 A total of 387 heritage assets were identified as being present within the Inner and Wider Study Areas of the Scheme. Of these, 325 are statutory designated: 6 Scheduled Monuments, 9 Grade I, 10 Grade II* and 300 Grade II Listed Buildings, 1 Registered Park and Garden, 5 Conservation Areas. Page 4-3 August 2019 Interim Scheme Assessment Report A27 Arundel Bypass – PCF Stage 2 Further Consultation 4.3.1.4 A total of 8 Archaeological Notification Areas, 3 Historic Landscapes and 51 non-designated assets lie within the Wider Study Areas. A list of Buildings or Structures of Character, or locally listed buildings has been compiled by Arun District Council, the majority of which are located in Arundel and Walberton, with smaller numbers in Tortington, Slindon, Lyminster and Binsted2. 4.3.1.5 Scheduled Monuments along with Grade 1 and II* Listed Buildings have the highest level of protection. There are six Scheduled Monuments