Heathland Wind Farm Technical Appendix A8.1: Habitat Surveys
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HEATHLAND WIND FARM TECHNICAL APPENDIX A8.1: HABITAT SURVEYS JANAURY 2021 Prepared By: Harding Ecology on behalf of: Arcus Consultancy Services 7th Floor 144 West George Street Glasgow G2 2HG T +44 (0)141 221 9997 l E [email protected] w www.arcusconsulting.co.uk Registered in England & Wales No. 5644976 Habitat Survey Report Heathland Wind Farm TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................. 1 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 2 1.1 Background .................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Site Description .............................................................................................. 2 2 METHODS .................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Desk Study...................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Field Survey .................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Survey Limitations .......................................................................................... 5 3 RESULTS .................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Desk Study...................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Field Survey .................................................................................................. 10 4 SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS ................................................................................. 32 5 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX 1 - FIGURES ...................................................................................................... 36 APPENDIX 2 – HABITAT POLYGON DATA .......................................................................... 37 APPENDIX 3 – TARGET NOTES ........................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX 4 – PLANT SPECIES LISTS ................................................................................ 78 EDF Renewables Arcus Consultancy Services January 2021 Page i Habitat Survey Report Heathland Wind Farm ABBREVIATIONS ASL: Above sea level BSBI: Botanical Society of the British Isles LBAP: Local Biodiversity Action Plan NBN: National Biodiversity Network NVC: National Vegetation Classification RPR: Rare Plant Register SAC: Special Area of Conservation SBL: Scottish Biodiversity List SSSI: Site of Special Scientific Interest EDF Renewables Arcus Consultancy Services January 2021 Page 1 Habitat Survey Report Heathland Wind Farm 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Arcus Consultancy Services Ltd (Arcus) was commissioned by EDF Renewables to complete a habitat survey of the proposed Heathland Wind Farm (hereafter referred to as ‘the Development’). The Site (as defined by the red-line boundary in Figure 8.1.1) is located approximately 1.5 km northeast of Forth in South Lanarkshire (with the north end of the Site crossing into West Lothian); the central grid reference of the Site is NS9651656987. Alongside the Site, an additional area of land was also surveyed, referred to as the ‘Additional Survey Area (ASA)’ throughout this report. The ASA is also shown on Figure 8.1.1.The ASA was subsequently removed from consideration for Development infrastructure during the design process for the Development. The habitat survey was carried out by Matt Harding (MCIEEM) of Harding Ecology, a professional ecological surveyor with relevant skills and experience. It was completed in August and September 2019, with an additional follow-up visit made in May 2020. The habitat survey consisted of a combined Phase 1 habitat survey (JNCC, 2010) and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey (Rodwell, 1996), with an assessment of habitat groundwater dependency and suitability assessment for protected mammal species also undertaken. This report details the survey methods followed and the survey results. 1.2 Site Description The Site rises from 280 m above sea level (asl) in the southwest, just north of the village of Wilsontown, to 362 m asl in the northeast on the hill of Hendry’s Corse. A second hill, Worm Law (343m asl), is present in the south of the Site. The A704 runs along its western boundary, and Tormywheel Wind Farm is present to the northwest. The Heathland area is primarily drained by Mouse Water, which flows southwest from Hendry’s Corse to Wilsontown. In the east of the area, Wormlaw Burn drains southeast to join Mosshat Burn. The Site is largely comprised of coniferous plantation forestry, or clearfelled areas, which is connected to forestry to the north and west. A network of plantation rides, burn valleys and track verges provides habitat variety, with wet modified bog, damp neutral grassland, marsh/marshy grassland and acid/neutral flush the most frequently encountered habitat types. The ASA covers the open ground to the east of the Site, running from Pateshill Wind Farm in the north to the plantation above Wester Mosshat in the south. The area consists of a broad ridge of ground, running approximately northeast to southwest, and reaching 314 m asl. It is drained to the south by Mosshat Burn, and to the north by Harwood Water. Where the ground descends to the southeast, several minor burns drain the slope towards the ASA. The ASA consists of a mixture of open ground habitats, with wet modified bog, blanket bog, rush-pasture, acid/neutral flush, acid grassland and neutral grassland the most widespread. Four isolated plantation blocks are also present within the area. A 200 m buffer of the Site and the ASA was also surveyed. This consisted of similar habitats to those found on the site, namely coniferous plantation, wet modified bog and blanket bog, marsh/marshy grassland, acid/neutral flush, acid grassland and neutral grassland. The Site buffer included sections of Tormywheel and Pateshill Wind Farms, upland grazing pasture associated with Mountainblaw Farm and Upper Haywood, and an area of historic mining bings just north of Wilsontown. Arcus Consultancy Services EDF Renewables Page 2 January 2021 Habitat Survey Report Heathland Wind Farm 2 METHODS 2.1 Desk Study 2.1.1 Designated sites An online search was made for designated sites within 5km1 of the Site boundary, using the NatureScot Sitelink tool (https://sitelink.nature.scot/map) and the MAGIC Map tool (https://magic.defra.gov.uk/). This report focuses on sites designated for habitat or flora interests, rather than for bird or mammal interests. The potential geographical and/or ecological connectivity of any designated sites with the Site was assessed. 2.1.2 Vascular plant species of conservation concern An online search was made for vascular plant species of conservation concern within 51km of the Site boundary, using the following resources: Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) database (https://database.bsbi.org/), accessed 12th February 2020. Species were searched for within the NS95 and NT05 hectads, within which the Site is located; and National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Gateway (https://nbnatlas.org/), accessed 12th February 2020. Species were searched for within 5km of the Site boundary. Plant species of conservation concern were defined as: Species on the Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain, as updated (Leach, 2019; available at https://bsbi.org/taxon-lists); Species of principal importance for conservation on the Scottish Biodiversity List (https://www.nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/scottish-biodiversity- strategy/scottish-biodiversity-list); Species assessed as Nationally Rare or Nationally Scarce, based on their distribution across the UK (available at https://bsbi.org/taxon-lists); and Species assessed as Locally Rare or Locally Scarce, based on the Rare Plant Registers (RPR) for Watsonian vice-counties. The Site is covered by the Midlothian RPR (Sumner, 2014), and the Lanarkshire RPR (currently unpublished data only). When assessing local rarity, pre-1970 records were discounted, in line with the RPR approach typically followed. 2.2 Field Survey 2.2.1 Phase 1/NVC survey Habitat surveys were carried out during suitable weather conditions, and during a suitable survey period of late summer for grasslands and heathlands (JNCC, 2010). The Site plus a 200m buffer were covered by the survey in order to map any sensitive habitats that could be located within 250 m of the Development infrastructure, as recommended by SEPA guidance2. Habitats present were classified to community and, where feasible, sub-community using the NVC classification system developed by Rodwell et al. (1991a, et seq.). Where a habitat was not classifiable under the NVC system, it was either classified using the Joint Nature 1 Distance based on the likely Zone of Influence of the species and habitats present or likely to be present. 2 SEPA (2017) Guidance Note 31: Guidance on Assessing the Impacts of Development Proposals on Groundwater Abstractions and Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems. EDF Renewables Arcus Consultancy Services January 2021 Page 3 Habitat Survey Report Heathland Wind Farm Conservation Committee (JNCC) Phase 1 Habitat classification (JNCC, 2010), or assigned a new