Statement of Environmental Particulars for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 Issued October 2010 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 1 Statement of Environmental Particulars Contents Section 1 – Introduction...................................................................................................3 Purpose of this SEA Statement of Environmental Particulars ......................................3 Section 2 – Background ..................................................................................................5 The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Shoreline Management Plan 2...................................5 Strategic Environmental Assessment...........................................................................8 Section 3 - Alternatives ...................................................................................................9 Section 4 – Integration of Environmental Considerations ..............................................10 The Scoping Report (July 2009) ................................................................................10 The Environmental Report (March 2010) ...................................................................11 Section 5 – Influence of the Environmental Report........................................................73 Section 6 – Consultation ...............................................................................................74 Section 7 – Environmental Monitoring Measures for the Implementation of this SMP2..78 Effects on the integrity of international sites...............................................................79 Effects on coastal cultural and archaeological sites ...................................................79 References....................................................................................................................81 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 2 Statement of Environmental Particulars Section 1 – Introduction This Statement of Environmental Particulars (SoEP) indicates how environmental considerations and the views of interested parties (consultees) were taken into account during the preparation of the second Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. It explains how the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Coastal Group and their partners (local authorities, Environment Agency, Natural England, English Heritage and other organisations) selected the preferred options within the plan. This statement goes on to describe the proposed mitigation and monitoring procedures that have been set in place in order to successfully manage and monitor the significant environmental effects of implementing the plan. Purpose of this SEA Statement of Environmental Particulars This Statement of Environmental Particulars is a requirement under the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (Regulation 16) and is the final stage of the SEA (Figure 1.1). It sets out how the findings of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) have been taken into account and how views expressed during the consultation period have been considered as The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 has been finalised. In addition, this SoEP updates/re-assesses policies and assessments where necessary and also takes into account additional work which contributed to revisions to an updated Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA). The specific points addressed within this SoEP include: • Changes in policies for some PDZs; • Reassessment of policy impacts for PDZs; and • Clarification of the assessments of impacts of policies upon features within the PDZs. This SoEP comprises of 6 sections of which this introduction forms Section 1. The remaining sections and appendices include: • Section 2 Background to The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2; • Section 3 Integration of Environmental Considerations; • Section 4 Influence of the Environmental Report; and • Section 5 Environmental Monitoring Measures for the Implementation of this SMP2. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 3 Statement of Environmental Particulars Figure 1.1 SEA Approach and Stages Undertaken for this SMP2 Inception Meeting Agreed Consultation Detailed Project Approach Stage 1: Scoping Stage Scoping Report Stage 2: Assessment Results of assessment Stage 3: Reporting on assessment Draft SEA and SMP2 for Poole and Christchurch Bays Stage 4: Consultation and responding to comments Consultation with Individual statutory consultees and public consultation consultation public and consultees statutory Individual with Consultation This Stage: Finalising the plan, Statement of Environmental Particulars (SoEP) and relevant mitigation measures and monitoring to determine the environmental effects of the implementation of The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 4 Statement of Environmental Particulars Section 2 – Background The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Shoreline Management Plan 2 An SMP is a large-scale assessment of the risks associated with coastal processes and aims to reduce the risks to the social, economic, natural and historical environment through effective and sustainable shoreline management. The SMP for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly addressed these issues in the context of its location and opposing characteristics of the north and south coasts. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 runs from the hard headlands of Hartland Point in North Devon to Rame Head on the south coast of Cornwall and includes the offshore Isles of Scilly, which lie 45km to the west of Land’s End. The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago of six inhabited islands and numerous other small rocky islets (~140 in total). Cornwall includes the Lizard Peninsula, the most southerly point in Britain and Land’s End, the most westerly. The inland boundary of the SMP2 runs from 0.5km -1km depending on soft or hard coastal areas and extends offshore to the 20m depth contour. The north and south coasts have differing characteristics. The north coast is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean, and is exposed to the prevailing south-westerly to north-westerly winds associated with low-pressure weather systems which move in from the Atlantic. The north coast has a wilder nature, with rugged sheer cliffs, steep valleys and a greater number of dunes. There are also many important tourist beaches on the north coast which has three important river estuaries: the Gannel, the Hayle Estuary, and River Camel, which provides a safe harbour at Padstow and Rock. The south coast, on the English Channel, contains a mixture of sheltered and exposed stretches of coast open to the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. There are two broad estuaries; these are the Carrick Roads and The Helford, which are sheltered from the south-westerly winds and seas. The Isles of Scilly are made up of a complex serious of diverse islands with pristine beaches, tourist facilities and many historic assets. The geology of the north and south coasts is made up of granite intrusions into surrounding sedimentary rocks making the area historically important for natural resources such as granite, slate, tin, copper and kaolinite. There are also areas of sandstone and shale and the Lizard peninsula is formed from a section of uplifted oceanic crust. The geology combined with the different characteristics of the north and south coast and warmer climate regulated by the Gulf Stream, makes the fauna and flora of the study area unique and many areas are considered to be of international and national importance for its ecology, geology and landscape. The mild temperate climate means the south and west of the county and Isles of Scilly have rich plant cover. Due to its more exposed nature, the north coast features maritime grassland, heathland, and stunted woodland. The above combination of natural environmental assets associated with this particular SMP creates a coastline of great value, with a tourism economy of national importance. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 5 Statement of Environmental Particulars The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP is based on a division of the coast into 18 Policy Development Zones (PDZ), as follows (see Figure 2.1): PDZ 1 – Rame Head to Pencarrow Head; PDZ 2 – Pencarrow Head to Gribbin Head (Fowey); PDZ 3 – Gribbin Head to Black Head (Carlyon Bay); PDZ 4 – Black Head to Zone Point; PDZ 5 – Zone Point to Nare Point (Fal and Helford); PDZ 6 – Lizard (Nare Point to Baulk Head); PDZ 7 – Mounts Bay East (Baulk Head to Marazion); PDZ 8 – Mounts Bay West (The Greeb to Spaniard Point); PDZ 9 – Penwith Peninsula; PDZ 10 – St Ives Bay; PDZ 11 – North Cliffs; PDZ 12 – Newquay (Pentire Point West to Trevelgue Head); PDZ 13 – Trevelgue Head to Stepper Point; PDZ 14 – Camel Estuary (Stepper Point to Pentire Point); PDZ 15 – Pentire Point to Wanson Mouth; PDZ 16 – Widemouth & Bude (Wanson Mouth to Lower Sharpnose Point); PDZ 17 – Lower Sharpnose Point to Hartland Point; and PDZ 18 – Isles of Scilly. Supporting policy for each PDZ is provided for three time periods (epochs). Epoch 1 covers the period from the present day to 2025, epoch 2 from 2025 to 2055, and epoch 3 from 2055 to 2105. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 6 Statement of Environmental Particulars Figure 2.1 Boundaries of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 and PDZs Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMP2 SEA 7 Statement of Environmental Particulars Strategic Environmental Assessment In order to ensure environmental considerations were integrated throughout the development of the SMP, a non-statutory SEA was undertaken following the requirements