A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements
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A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements TR010044 Volume 6 6.3 Environmental Statement Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites Planning Act 2008 Regulation 5(2)(a) Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 26 February 2021 PCF XXX PRODUCT NAME | VERSION 1.0 | 25 SEPTEMBER 2013 | 5124654 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites Infrastructure Planning Planning Act 2008 The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Development Consent Order 202[ ] Appendix 8.2 Designated Sites Regulation Number Regulation 5(2)(a) Planning Inspectorate Scheme TR010044 Reference Application Document Reference TR010044/APP/6.3 Author A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Project Team, Highways England Version Date Status of Version Rev 1 26 February 2021 DCO Application Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites Table of contents Chapter Pages 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background and scope of works 1 2 Legislation and policy 2 3 Methods 6 3.1 Desk study 6 4 Results 7 4.1 Overview of results 7 5 Summary and conclusions 12 6 References 13 Annex A: Figure 1 – Sites designated for biodiversity Annex B: Citations for International and European Sites Annex C: Citations for SSSIs within 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) of the Scheme Table of Tables Table 4.1: Summary of statutorily designated sites (international and European) in relation to the Order Limits ............................................................................................................... 7 Table 4.2: Summary of statutorily designated sites (national) within 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) of the Order Limits ............................................................................................................... 9 Table 4.3: Summary of non-statutory sites and ancient woodland within 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) of the Order Limits ................................................................................................... 10 Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites 1 Introduction As part of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements (the Scheme), a designated sites desk study was undertaken to inform the biodiversity assessment reported in Chapter 8, Biodiversity of the Environmental Statement [TR010044/APP/6.1]. 1.1 Background and scope of works The Jacobs ‘Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey Report’ can be found in Appendix 8.20 of the Environmental Statement [TR010044/APP/6.3]. This includes a search for sites designated for their biodiversity value within the Order Limits. The information described within this appendix provides a complete baseline of designated sites, which has been used to inform the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Scheme. This appendix identifies statutory or non-statutory designated sites that could be impacted directly or indirectly, and therefore provide potential constraints or influence the design and implementation of the Scheme. Chapter 2, The Scheme of the Environmental Statement [TR010044/APP/6.1] provides the background and a description of the Scheme. Figure 1 in Annex A of this appendix provides the location of sites designated for biodiversity in relation to the Scheme. Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 1 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites 2 Legislation and policy There are several legislative and policy instruments and guidance within England that relate to sites designated for their biodiversity value with the aim of preventing or reducing the negative environmental impacts on these sites. Essentially, this legislation, policy and guidance provide the framework for the identification, appraisal and evaluation of sites of biodiversity value. These various types of site are described below. Ramsar sites Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention. Sites proposed for selection are advised by the UK statutory nature conservation agencies, or the relevant administration in the case of Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, co-ordinated through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). In selecting sites, the relevant authorities are guided by the Criteria set out in the Ramsar Convention. The UK also has a national Ramsar Committee composed of experts who provide further advice. In the UK, the first Ramsar sites were designated in 1976. Since then, many more have been designated. Compared to many countries, the UK has a relatively large number of Ramsar sites, but they tend to be smaller in size. The initial emphasis was on selecting sites of importance to water birds within the UK, and consequently many Ramsar sites are also Special Protection Areas (SPAs) classified under The Birds Directive (Ref 1-1). Both within the UK and overseas, non-bird features are increasingly taken into account, both in the selection of new sites and when reviewing existing sites. Natura 2000 sites Natura 2000 is a network of sites protected for their nature conservation value in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and SPAs designated respectively under The Habitats Directive (Ref 1-2) and The Birds Directive (Ref 1-1). Special Areas of Conservation A SAC is a type of site defined in The Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) (Ref 1-2), also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora. SACs are designated to protect the 220 habitats and approximately 1,000 species listed in Annexes I and II of The Habitats Directive (Ref 1-2), which are considered to be of European interest following criteria given in The Habitats Directive (Ref 1-2). They must be chosen from the Sites of Community Importance by the State Members and designated as a SAC by an act assuring the conservation measures of the natural habitat. Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 2 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites Special Protection Areas A SPA is the land classified under Directive 79/409 on the Conservation of Wild Birds (Ref 1-1). SPAs are strictly protected sites classified in accordance with Article 4 of The Birds Directive (Ref 1-1), which came into force in April 1979. They are classified for rare and vulnerable birds (as listed on Annex I of The Birds Directive (Ref 1-1)), and for regularly occurring migratory species. They must be chosen from the Sites of Community Importance by the State Members and designated as a SPA by an act assuring the conservation measures of the natural habitat. Sites of Special Scientific Interest In the United Kingdom, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a conservation designation denoting a protected area as one of the basic building blocks of site-based nature conservation legislation. Most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including National Nature Reserves (NNRs), Ramsar sites, SPAs, and SACs. Sites notified for their biological interest are known as Biological SSSIs and those notified for geological or physiographic interest are Geological SSSIs. Sites may be divided into management units. SSSIs were originally set up by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (Ref 1-3), but the current legal framework for SSSIs is provided in England and Wales by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Ref 1- 4), amended in 1985 and further substantially amended in 2000 by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (1-5). Local Nature Reserves Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (Ref 1-3) by principal local authorities. Parish and Town Councils can also declare LNRs but they must have the powers to do so delegated to them by a principal local authority. LNRs are for people and wildlife. They are places with wildlife or geological features that are of special interest locally. National Nature Reserves NNRs are nationally important areas of wildlife habitat and geological formations in Britain. NNRs are designated and protected under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (Ref 1-3) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (Ref 1-4). They receive additional protection under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (Ref 1-5). They are managed for the benefit of nature conservation. Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 3 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.2: Designated Sites County Wildlife Sites A County Wildlife Site (CWS) is a non-statutory site that has been recognized as important for wildlife when assessed against a set of criteria. The selection guidelines consider aspects of the site such as size, diversity, rarity, fragility, recorded history and how typical a site is. Recognition as a CWS does not confer protection on the site, or right of access, however for any significant