Habitat Regulations Assessment of Taunton Deane Borough Council's
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HABITAT REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT OF TAUNTON DEANE BOROUGH COUNCIL'S Site Allocations and Development Management Plan – Pre-submission August 2014 This report was prepared by Somerset County Council on behalf of Taunton Deane Borough Council, as the 'competent authority' under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010. Copyright The maps in this report reproduced from Ordnance Survey material are with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. (Somerset County Council)(Licence Number 100038382)(2014) © - 2 Executive Summary This report contributes to Taunton Deane Borough Council’s legal obligation under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 [the ‘Habitat Regulations’] to carry out a Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) of its plans for effects on Natura 2000 sites. In this case it is the draft Site Allocations and Development Management Plan (SADMP) that is assessed. Natura 2000 sites consist of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated for habitats and animal species, and Special Protection Areas (SPA) designated for bird species. Ramsar sites designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 1971 are also included following Government policy. Before a plan can be adopted the ‘competent authority’ (Taunton Deane Borough Council) needs to prove that the plan would have no significant effects on Natura 2000 sites’ integrity to the satisfaction of Natural England. An uncertain result is not acceptable and is treated as adverse until proven otherwise. Stage 1 of the HRA screens policies and site allocations in the SADMP to determine whether there is any potential for a likely significant effect on Natura 2000 sites, either directly or indirectly, and in combination with other plans and projects. Following the screening analysis of each policy and site allocation the HRA then sets out counter-acting measures, either contained within the adopted Core Strategy or other SADMP policy or for minor amendments to wording of policy within the SADMP, to eliminate any uncertainty and ensure compliance with the Habitat Regulations. Where no conclusion can be reached a Stage 2 Appropriate Assessment is undertaken. The HRA concluded at Stage 1 that the SADMP was unlikely to have a significant effect on Natura 2000 and Ramsar sites within its influence. Nonetheless where losses to lesser horseshoe bat habitat, supporting the integrity of the Hestercombe House SAC, from site allocations at Staplegrove and Pyrland Farm the amount of replacement habitat was estimated as a check to ensure that these sites could be delivered. As with previous site allocations north of Taunton and Monkton Heathfield in the Core Strategy the value of the potential habitat loss was calculated using Somerset County Council’s Habitat Evaluation. These calculations showed that there is adequate land available for woodland habitat creation to mitigate the effects of loss of existing habitat for lesser horseshoe bats. Further requirements to ensure no significant effect include woodland buffer planting and specification of directional street lighting As a matter of law further HRAs would be required on these site allocations when they come forward as planning applications, at which stage more detailed master plans would be available and further surveys of lesser horseshoe bat activity would enable refining the of the amount of habitat creation needed to offset the value of that lost. It is the conclusion of Taunton Deane Borough Council that the draft Site Allocations and Development Management Plan is unlikely to have a significant effect on Natura 2000 or internationally designated sites for nature conservation. - 3 Contents 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Process ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Precautionary Approach ....................................................................................................................... 6 Definitions ........................................................................................................................................... 7 3. Characteristics and Description of the Natura 2000 Sites ..................................................................... 8 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 8 Identification of Natura 2000 sites ........................................................................................................ 8 Ecological Zones of Influence .............................................................................................................. 8 Conservation Objectives .................................................................................................................... 10 Description and Characterisation of Natura 2000 Sites ....................................................................... 10 5. Other Relevant Plans or Projects ....................................................................................................... 27 6. Stage 1: Analysis of the Draft Site Allocations and Development Management Plan ........................... 29 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 29 Management for Nature Conservation Purposes ................................................................................ 29 Plan Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 29 Spatial Policy Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 48 Counteracting Measures .................................................................................................................... 56 Recommendation .............................................................................................................................. 60 7. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 61 Appendix 1: Assessment of .................................................................................................................... 62 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 62 Summary of the Habitat Evaluation Procedure ................................................................................... 62 Replacement of Habitat Value Lost to Lesser Horseshoe Bats ........................................................... 67 Site Assessment of Replacement Habitat Required ............................................................................ 68 Appendix 2: HEP Calculation for Staplegrove ......................................................................................... 72 Appendix 3: Screening of Somerset Levels and Moors SPA / Ramsar (Royal Haskoning) ...................... 74 - 4 1. Introduction 1 This report details the findings of the Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) process of the Taunton Deane Borough Council draft Site Allocations and Development Management Plan (SADMP). As the ‘competent authority’ under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, Taunton Deane Borough Council is required to assess the SADMP through the HRA process as policies and site allocations in the plans can potentially affect Natura 2000 sites. 2 The purpose of the Site Allocations and Development Management Plan (SADMP) is: • To set out a range of smaller allocations across the Borough consistent with the Core Strategy and in particular, the settlement hierarchy established by Policy SP1 of the Plan; and • To define development management policies, where necessary, to ensure that sustainable development is delivered in accordance with the principles of the Taunton Deane Core Strategy and National Planning Policy Framework (The Framework). 3 Natura 2000 sites include European Sites - Special Protection Areas (SPA) classified under the EC Birds Directive 1979 and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated under the EC Habitats Directive 1992, and, as a matter of Government policy, all Ramsar sites as if they are fully designated European Sites for the purpose of considering development proposals that may affect them. 4 The definition of ‘Habitat Regulations Assessment’ is simply an assessment, which must be appropriate to its purpose under the Habitats Directive and Regulations. According to The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, regulation 61 (1) before authorising a plan, which is likely to have a significant effect on a European site, and is not connected to the management of the site, the Council shall assess the implications for the site in view of its conservation objectives. 5 The purpose of