Snowdonia Project Outline Construction Environmental
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Visual Impact Provision (VIP) Snowdonia Project Outline Construction Environmental Management Plan National Grid National Grid House Warwick Technology Park Gallows Hill Warwick CV6 3DA December 2019 Visual Impact Provision (VIP), Snowdonia Project Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 The Proposed Project ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3 The Purpose of the Outline Construction Environmental Management Plan .................... 6 1.4 Objectives ....................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Supporting Plans ............................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Structure of the Outline CEMP ........................................................................................ 7 2 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT .............................................................................. 8 2.1 Conformance with Corporate and Project EMS ............................................................... 8 2.2 Conformance with Planning Conditions ........................................................................... 8 2.3 Conformance with the Environmental Appraisal .............................................................. 9 2.4 Compliance with Legislation, Standards and Guidance ................................................. 10 2.5 Consents and Licences ................................................................................................. 10 2.6 Roles and Responsibilities ............................................................................................ 10 2.7 Environmental Procedures ............................................................................................ 12 3 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF SITE OPERATIONS ..................................... 16 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Working Hours............................................................................................................... 16 3.3 Material/ Resource and Waste Management ................................................................. 17 3.4 Lighting ......................................................................................................................... 17 3.5 Security ......................................................................................................................... 17 3.6 Welfare .......................................................................................................................... 18 3.7 Unexploded Ordnance ................................................................................................... 18 3.8 Pollution Prevention/ Storage and Plant ........................................................................ 18 3.9 Geology, Soils and Contaminated Land ........................................................................ 23 3.10 Protection of the Water Environment (Marine and Terrestrial) ....................................... 25 3.11 Land Use and Agriculture .............................................................................................. 33 3.12 Historic Environment ..................................................................................................... 34 3.13 Traffic and Transport ..................................................................................................... 34 3.14 Air Quality ...................................................................................................................... 35 3.15 Noise and Vibration ....................................................................................................... 35 3.16 Vibration ........................................................................................................................ 38 3.17 Public Rights of Way ..................................................................................................... 38 3.18 Terrestrial Biodiversity and Nature Conservation ........................................................... 38 3.19 Marine ........................................................................................................................... 41 APPENDICES Appendix 1: National Grid’s Environmental Sustainability Policy Appendix 2: National Grid’s Environmental Management System (EMS) Appendix 3: Outline Waste Management Plan (OWMP) Appendix 4: Outline Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) Appendix 5: Biosecurity Risk Assessment Appendix 6: Outline Peat Management Plan (PMP) Appendix 7: Dust Risk Assessment Appendix 8: Reptile Method Statement 1 Visual Impact Provision (VIP), Snowdonia Project 2 Visual Impact Provision (VIP), Snowdonia Project 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.1 The Visual Impact Provision (VIP) Project represents a major opportunity to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and environmental heritage within our most protected landscapes by relocating above ground electrical infrastructure such as overhead lines (OHL), underground. The VIP Project will make use of a £500m allocation by Ofgem to carry out work to help reduce the impact of existing transmission lines in English and Welsh Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks. In 2014, National Grid identified twelve transmission lines in eight AONBs and National Parks as having the most significant visual impact. The focus of the VIP Project is on the mitigation of landscape and visual impacts. 1.1.2 In September 2015 the Project’s Stakeholder Advisory Group considered a wide range of factors and recommended four VIP Projects be taken forward for potential engineering work. This Outline Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) relates to the VIP, Snowdonia Project (hereafter referred to as the Proposed Project) which aims to relocate a section of OHL 4ZC underground (hereafter referred to as the VIP subsection) within, and adjacent to, Snowdonia National Park. 1.1.3 The Contractor shall carry out all mitigation and enhancements included in this draft Outline CEMP and comply with all limits and thresholds where specified. 1.1.4 The final CEMP shall be prepared by the Contractor and shall need to be submitted for acceptance by National Grid in consultation with the relevant stakeholders prior to construction. The Contractors CEMP is to include a Pollution Incident Plan which shall state the procedures for pollution control and emergency response measures in the event of accidental spillage or leakage during construction. The Contractor shall undertake the Works in accordance with the CEMP and employ an Environmental Manager. 1.2 The Proposed Project 1.2.1 The VIP subsection runs from National Grid’s existing Garth Sealing End Compound (SEC) near Minffordd (to the east of Porthmadog) across the Dwyryd Estuary where it enters the western edge of the Snowdonia National Park to Pylon 4ZC27. It then continues past the small settlement of Cilfor. This VIP subsection is approximately 3km in length. The Proposed Project lies within the administrative boundaries of Snowdonia National Park Authority and Gwynedd Council. Figure 1 below provides a Project Overview Map. 3 Visual Impact Provision (VIP), Snowdonia Project 4 Visual Impact Provision (VIP), Snowdonia Project 1.2.2 The Proposed Project includes the following principal elements which are described in detail in the Environmental Appraisal and have been divided in to the different planning jurisdictions: • Equipment on the Western Side of the Dwyryd Estuary (within Gwynedd) o Reconfiguration of equipment at the existing Garth SEC (including removal of the gantry, there will therefore be no equipment greater than 10m high) o A tunnel head house (containing a tunnel shaft), with a permanent access road close to National Grid’s existing Garth SEC. The ground will need to be raised out of the flood zone level. A permanent power supply and site drainage will be required. o Underground buried cable to connect into the SEC from the tunnel head house o Removal of six lattice pylons and associated foundation to 1.5m below ground level o Temporary access routes (with potential highways improvements or passing places) and laydown areas to facilitate construction activities o A section of cable tunnel (total length across the Proposed Project 3.4km long, with an internal diameter of up to 4.4m, at varying depths below the ground) o Landscape and visual mitigation mounding and planting • Equipment on the Eastern Side of the Dwyryd Estuary (within Snowdonia National Park) o A new SEC near Cilfor (required to connect the new underground cable to the remaining existing OHL) o A tunnel head house (containing a tunnel shaft), with a permanent access road. The ground will be raised to create a working platform and will be regraded/ contoured. A permanent power supply and site drainage will be required. o A section of cable tunnel o Removal and reinstallation of one pylon (Pylon 4ZC027) adjacent to the new Cilfor SEC o Removal of two lattice pylons and associated foundation to 1.5m below ground level o Temporary access routes and laydown areas to facilitate construction activities o Landscape and visual mitigation mounding and planting • Works within the Dwyryd Estuary (within the Marine Environment) o A section of cable