1. Description of the Existing Site and Surrounding Area

1 DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING SITE AND SURROUNDING AREA

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 This chapter provides a general description of the characteristics of the existing HPC Development Site and surrounding area which have the potential to be affected by the proposed new nuclear power station. As illustrated in Figure 1.1, the HPC Development Site is divided into three components for the purposes of this Environmental Appraisal (EnvApp). This comprises:

 the Built Development Area East located to the west of the existing the Power Station Complex and which will be used for the built development and main construction works areas;  the Built Development Area West located to the west and south of Built Development Area East and which will be occupied by the built development and main construction works areas; and  the Southern Construction Phase Area located to the south of the Built Development Areas East and West and extends to the southern boundary. The Southern Construction Phase Area lies outside the proposed built development footprint and main construction works areas, however it will accommodate the on-site accommodation campus and other facilities during the construction period.

1.1.2 More detailed, topic-specific descriptions of the environment effected by the Hinkley Point C development itself are included in each topic chapter of this EnvApp volume. Similarly detailed descriptions of the off-site associated development sites are provided in Volume 3.

1.2 Description of the Development Site and Surrounding Area

a) Location of the HPC Development Site 1.2.1 Hinkley Point C is located on the west coast, 25km to the east of and 12km to the north-west of . The HPC Development Site falls within the parish of in the district of West Somerset. 1.2.2 As illustrated in Figure 1.2 the Development Site is approximately centred on the National Grid Reference 320300, 145850 and occupies a total area of approximately 175.9 hectares (ha). The proposed area for the permanent land-based development will be approximately 66.6 ha. 1.2.3 Immediately to the east of the Development Site, the land is occupied by two nuclear power stations, Hinkley Point A and Hinkley Point B, which form the existing Hinkley Point Power Station Complex. Hinkley Point A operated between 1965 and 2000 and is currently undergoing decommissioning by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Hinkley Point B, owned by EDF Energy, has operated since 1976 and is scheduled to continue generating until at least 2016.

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1.2.4 Land to the south of existing Hinkley Point Power Station Complex forms part of the Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) comprising mixed farmland which has similar characteristics to that found within the site, and an area of flat, open, improved grassland which is seasonally grazed. 1.2.5 The surrounding area is predominantly agricultural and with scattered settlements, representative of the Vale of Taunton and Quantock Fringes National Character Area (NCA) including:

 Stolford approximately 2km to the east of the Development Site;  Wick approximately 800m to the south east of the Development Site;  Shurton approximately 200m to the south of the Development Site;  Burton approximately 600m to the south-west of the Development Site;  Stogursey approximately 1.5km to the south of the Development Site; and  Knighton approximately 500m to the west of the Development Site.

1.2.6 The villages of and Williton are located approximately 5km and 12km to the south- east and west of the site respectively, these villages have been identified as sites to accommodate the proposed off-site associated development. Further off-site associated development will be located in the village of Cannington and in Bridgwater, approximately 8km and 12km to the south-east of the site and at Junctions 23 and 24 of the M5. 1.2.7 The site is bounded to the north by the Bridgwater Bay, part of the from which it is separated by a low cliff, between five and ten metres in height. At low tide, the shore adjacent to the site comprises a relatively narrow platform of rock, cobbles and pebbles, interspersed with and fringed by muddy sand. Intertidal areas to the west include more extensive areas of mobile sand, while to the east, adjacent to the built nuclear power stations, the intertidal rock platforms, mud and sand extend up to 500m from the upper shore at low water. The Severn Estuary is recognised for its international and national nature conservation importance, further details are provided below under the section on designated sites. Further details on these are provided within Chapters 18 and 19 of this Volume on Terrestrial and Marine Ecology respectively. b) Access 1.2.8 The main access road serving Hinkley Point is the C182, which runs from Hinkley Point through the village of Cannington and then joins the A39 to the south of the village. It is an unlit, single carriageway rural road, generally subject to the national speed limit. 1.2.9 From the M5, the A38 links the motorway north and south of Bridgwater at Junctions 23 and 24 respectively. At Bridgwater the A38 joins the A39. c) Designated Sites i) Nature Conservation 1.2.10 As illustrated in Figure 1.3 there are a number of designated sites in proximity to the Hinkley Point C Development Site. The Severn Estuary to the north of the Development Site is recognised for its international and national nature conservation importance and designated as:

 a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance;  the Severn Estuary Special Protected Area (SPA) under the EC Directive (79/409/EEC) on the Conservation of Wild Birds; and

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 the Severn Estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC), under the EC Directive (92/43/EEC) on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Flora and Fauna.

1.2.11 The Severn Estuary SPA and Ramsar Site covers all intertidal and inshore marine habitat adjacent to the northern boundary of the Built Development Areas and also extends inland and includes Wick and to the east. 1.2.12 Bridgwater Bay SSSI, which includes Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve (NNR), lies to the east of the site, south of the existing Hinkley Point Power Station Complex and comprises a succession of habitats ranging from , saltmarsh, shingle beach, and grazing marsh. It supports internationally and nationally important numbers of wintering and passage wildfowl and is an integral part of the Severn Estuary system, as well as forming a link to the . 1.2.13 A relatively extensive area of land on the southern side and small areas of ground to the east and west of the existing Hinkley Point Power Station Complex have been subject to land management and are non-statutorily designated for their conservation value as a County Wildlife Site (Hinkley CWS). Approximately 60% of the designation is within the Built Development Area. ii) Geomorphology 1.2.14 Adjacent to the western boundary of the Built Development Area West frontage, lies the ‘Blue Anchor to ’ Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is designated for the unique cliff stratigraphy which comprises interbedded limestones, shale and mudstones of the Lower Blue Lias units. The exposed stratigraphic units are considered to be amongst the best examples of the Blue Lias outcrop in Europe. Furthermore, the SSSI also has a geomorphological designation for the exposed limestone rock pavement on the foreshore. iii) Landscape 1.2.15 There are no local landscape designations within the site, however, a Historic Landscape, Green Wedge, Historic Parks and Gardens and a Conservation Area are present within the wider study area. Within 5km of Hinkley Point there are three Scheduled Monuments (Wick Barrow Pixies Mound, Stogursey Castle and Village Cross) and three historic Parks and Gardens (Fairfield, St. Audries House and Crowcombe Courts). The presence of these features indicates historic activity in the area immediately surrounding the Development Site, and also immediately off- shore. As such the area is likely to be considered of high archaeological importance. 1.2.16 Located within 5km of the Development Site, to the west and south west, is the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which covers an area of 99km2, from the vale of Taunton Deane to the Coast. The AONB consists of large amounts of heathland, oak woodlands, ancient parklands and agricultural land. The existing Hinkley Point Power Station is clearly visible from parts of this nationally designated landscape. National Park and AONB are also located within 20km of the Development Site. d) Topography 1.2.17 The topography of the Development Site is typical of that in the wider locality comprising mostly open, gently rolling, mixed lowland farmland with a series of east-west trending ridges. Across the Built Development Areas East and West, ground elevations range from approximately 10m to 35m AOD. The topography within Built Development Area East is variable where the southern boundary of the area is occupied by higher ground peaking at 26.2m AOD. The relief then falls northwards and levels out with a large proportion of the area lying at elevations ranging

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between 14m AOD and 16m AOD. This area has also been influenced by a number of man-made features including spoil deposits forming a double-humped mound. 1.2.18 Within the Built Development Area West and Southern Construction Phase Area there are a series of east-west trending ridges and depressions. The lowest terrain within the study area is formed by an east-west trending linear depression which runs along the boundary between these two areas. The base of the depression is occupied by a drainage ditch known as Holford Stream which lies at an elevation ranging from 4.1m AOD to 5.1m AOD. North of this depression, within the Built Development Area West, the ground rises sharply towards a ridge which crests at approximately 35m AOD; an agricultural track known as ‘Green Lane’ runs along this ridge. North of the ridge, the topography comprises a series of west-east trending undulations and the ground generally falls towards the north before it is intercepted by the path of an agricultural drainage ditch which runs from west to east before changing course to head north towards the coastline, along the boundary of the Built Development Area West and Built Development Area East. To the north of the west-east trending length of the drainage ditch the land rises at a moderate gradient from around 19m AOD to 22m AOD and then gently falls to the coastline. Elevations near the cliff edge adjacent to the Built Development Area West are typically around 15m AOD. In the northern eastern area of the Built Development Area West the ground surface dips and a lower elevation along the cliff line is maintained through the Built Development Area East area (ranging from approximately 10m AOD to 13m AOD). 1.2.19 Within the Southern Construction Phase Area the gently undulating relief continues from Holford Stream with the land gently rising to around 5.8m AOD and then increasing in gradient to a maximum of between approximately 21m AOD and 25m AOD. The land then gently falls towards the southern boundary where elevations typically range between 15m AOD and 16m AOD adjacent to Bum Brook along the southern boundary. A small hillock is located towards the south-west corner of the Southern Construction Phase Area where the land crests at an elevation of approximately 29m AOD. e) Existing Land Use 1.2.20 The majority of the land within the Development Site is in agricultural use and consists of 16 arable and 16 pasture fields, delineated by a mixture of fence lines and mature hedgerows. Five small broad-leaved woodlands are located within the coastal fields, with other woodland being limited to Branland Copse (on the western side of the existing Hinkley Point Power Station Complex) and a block of semi-natural plantation towards the southern boundary of the site. 1.2.21 The Built Development Area East comprised predominantly agricultural land, until 1975 when a small sewage works was constructed towards the western boundary. A central part of this area was also subject to the deposition of spoil arising from the construction of the Hinkley Point A power station. The deposited spoil forms the large, double humped mound still present on site. During construction of the Hinkley Point B power station, a campus and fabrication area with associated electrical substations were developed on the southern section of the Built Development Area East, these have since been removed. More recently, the north western part of this area was used as a temporary stockpile for material arising from the construction of the new Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) store on the Hinkley Point A site, this stockpile has also been removed off-site. 1.2.22 The Built Development Area East currently comprises the double humped mounds, the Hinkley Point Power Station Visitor Centre and an overflow car park. It should however be noted that the Built Development Area East will be subject to a series of separate planning applications to be submitted to West Somerset Council in the 2010 which include provision for the remediation of

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contaminated material within the double humped spoil mound and surrounding area as part of Enabling Works. f) Watercourses and Waterbodies 1.2.23 There are no substantial waterbodies within the Development Site boundary, although two streams, Bum Brook and Holford Stream run west-east across the site and connect to the watercourses in Wick Moor, part of the Bridgwater Bay SSSI, and a minor unnamed stream discharges to the intertidal zone. A more substantial drain (or ‘rhyne’) forms the boundary between the site and Wick Moor (North Moor). 1.2.24 Smaller standing water is also limited in extent, with a heavily scrub-encroached pool towards the north-western edge of the site boundary, and further small pools to the south of the plant sewage works and near Pixies Mound. g) Public Rights of Way 1.2.25 The Development Site is well served by a network of public footpaths and bridleways, including:

 a portion of the West Somerset Coast Path which links the Trail at in Bridgwater Bay with the National Trail at Minehead;  the Green Lane which is an east-west track that runs along the ridge to the south of the Built Development Area. This has some nature conservation, heritage and landscape value, but it is proposed that this will be mostly left undisturbed; and  a number of smaller, interconnecting footpaths running north-south and east-west.

h) Historic Environment 1.2.26 There are no Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas, Registered Parks and Gardens or Registered Battlefields within the Development Site, however there is one Scheduled Monument, Wick Barrow (also known as Pixies Mound), located 50m outside the site boundary to the east of Wick Moor Drove. Wick Barrow dates from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods and was partially excavated in 1907. 1.2.27 There are also a number of hedgerows on the Development Site that meet the archaeological and historical criteria of Important Hedgerows as defined in the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. i) Marine Environment 1.2.28 There will be a number of structures associated with the Hinkley Point C power station that will be built in, or interact with the marine environment, specifically the Severn Estuary. Key features of the Severn Estuary marine environment are summarised below. i) Hydrodynamic Environment 1.2.29 The Severn Estuary is a typical outer estuarine site that experiences a moderate variation in salinity regime throughout the tidal cycle. However, due to its extremely high tidal range, it is in most other senses atypical. Turbidity levels (the amount of fine silt suspended in the water) are extremely high. A significant feature is associated with the neap/spring tidal cycle, where some of these fine silts are deposited widely across the rock platform and in subtidal areas during the more extreme neap tides and remobilised at higher tidal ranges; this is a distinctive feature of Bridgwater Bay and the extreme turbidity and tidal regimes both have a significant influence on ecology and water quality. Another significant influence on water quality is the nearby Parrett Estuary, a large sub-estuary of the Severn, especially during extremes of river run-off when the freshwater plume can extend for some distance off-shore.

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1.2.30 The sediment and water quality of Bridgwater Bay is also affected by various historic and current activities including a number of major industrial premises such as smelters, incinerators, fertiliser and other chemical manufacturing plants situated upstream of and opposite to Bridgwater Bay. In addition, a number of nuclear power stations are situated around the Bristol Channel, including Hinkley Point A and Hinkley Point B and both Berkeley and Oldbury power stations. ii) Nature Conservation 1.2.31 As noted above the Severn Estuary is a designated SAC, SPA and Ramsar Site. The Severn Estuary is a SAC (under the EC Habitats Directive) due to the presence Annex I habitats: Atlantic salt meadows; estuaries, mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide, and the Annex II species: twaite shad (A. fallax); sea lamprey (P. marinus) and river lamprey (L. fluviatilis). The Annex I habitats: 'sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the time', and 'reefs', are also present as qualifying features, but are not the primary reasons for the designation. 1.2.32 The estuary qualifies as an SPA and Ramsar Site because it is classified as a wetland of international importance regularly supporting at least 20,000 waterfowl. In addition, it supports internationally important Annex I populations of overwintering Bewick’s swan (C. columbianus bewickii), curlew (N. arquata), dunlin (C. alpina alpina), pintail (A. acuta), redshank (T. tetanus) and shelduck (T. tadorna), and on passage, ringed plover (C. hiaticula). 1.2.33 There are local Severn Estuary SAC and SPA features of interest on shores both fronting and adjacent to the proposed development area. The middle shore has a partial covering of brown algae but is otherwise relatively devoid of species. The lower shore immediately to the west of the existing cross-shore cooling water outfall is heavily colonised by the tube dwelling worm, Sabellaria, having a distribution aligned with the ebb tidal stream and broadly coincident with the Hinkley Point A and Hinkley Point B station ebb tidal cooling water plume itself. Further areas colonised by Sabellaria exist both to the east of the existing outfall area and to the west of the proposed development area. Sabellaria can form extensive biogenic reefs by cementing together tubes constructed from sand. Biogenic reefs have a number of ecosystem functions: they may stabilise the sedimentary environment; provide hard substratum for other sessile organisms to attach; can provide diverse habitat types, (e.g. crevices); and can alter the local hydrodynamic regime, leading to accumulations of food particles for other organisms. These reef structures are classed as Annex I biogenic habitats under the 'Reefs' feature of the EC Habitats Directive and are listed within the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. 1.2.34 Another interest feature of this shore, known locally and studied for several years but unrecorded elsewhere, is the presence of areas of Corallina sward associated with the outer faces of the dipping mud/sandstone beds that lie across the shore. Some of these features are present along the wave-cut rocky platform fronting the Development Site.

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ENVIRONMENTAL APPRAISAL – VOLUME 2