Ecological Assessment
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WRW Construction Ltd Angle Peninsula New County Primary School, Hundleton, Pembroke ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Report issued 25th July 2016 Richard Pryce Kath Pryce Pryce Consultant Ecologists Trevethin, School Road, Pwll, LLANELLI, Carmarthenshire, SA15 4AL. Voicemail: 01554 775847 Mobile: 07900 241371 Email: [email protected] WRW Construction Ltd Report issued: 25th July 2016 Angle Peninsula C.P. School: Ecological Assessment REVISION RECORD DATE Instruction received 18/7/16 RDP Field Survey visit 19/7/16 RDP Report completed 22/7/16 RDP Report proof read 24/7/16 KAP Report issued to client 25/7/16 RDP Pryce Consultant Ecologists Trevethin, School Road, Pwll, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA15 4AL. Voicemail: 01554 775847 Mobile: 07900 241371 Email: [email protected] PAGE 2 WRW Construction Ltd Report issued: 25th July 2016 Angle Peninsula C.P. School: Ecological Assessment CONTENTS page 1. Introduction and Summary 5 2. Desk Study 6 3. Habitat and Vegetation Survey 11 4. Assessment of features within the site which support or have potential to support Protected and Significant Fauna 15 5. Ecological Assessment 21 6. Recommendations 32 7. References 37 Appendix 1 International, National and Local Statutory and Policy Framework 39 Appendix 2 Phase 1 Habitat Survey Target Notes 43 Combined species lists collated from the Target Notes 55 Appendix 3 Abstract of Past Floral and Faunal Records held on the Database maintained by the county recorders in Pembs & Carms 58 Appendix 4 Best Practice Protocol for Tree Felling where trees have the potential for supporting Roosting or Hibernating Bats 70 Appendix 5 Best Practice Protocol Providing for the Well-Being of Badgers 71 Appendix 6 Protected Species and Habitats: Recommended Times of Work 72 Appendix 7 Citations of Internationally Protected Sites 73 Pryce Consultant Ecologists Trevethin, School Road, Pwll, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA15 4AL. Voicemail: 01554 775847 Mobile: 07900 241371 Email: [email protected] PAGE 3 WRW Construction Ltd Report issued: 25th July 2016 Angle Peninsula C.P. School: Ecological Assessment Pryce Consultant Ecologists Trevethin, School Road, Pwll, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA15 4AL. Voicemail: 01554 775847 Mobile: 07900 241371 Email: [email protected] PAGE 4 WRW Construction Ltd Report issued: 25th July 2016 Angle Peninsula C.P. School: Ecological Assessment 1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 1.1 WRW Construction Ltd are undertaking the construction of the Angle Peninsula County Primary School at Hundleton, Pembroke. Pryce Consultant Ecologists was instructed by WRW on 18th July 2016 to undertake a Phase 1 Habitat Survey and Protected Species Habitat Assessment of the site with a reporting deadline of 29th July 2016. The field survey was carried out on 19th July 2016 and the resulting report includes a desk study, report of the survey findings, assessment of the ecological features which may be impacted by the scheme and recommendations for mitigating such impacts. 1.2 The site is located about 2km west of Pembroke on the south-eastern side of the B4320 road at the western edge of Hundleton village, at O.S. grid ref. SM95702. It slopes gently down to the west at an elevation of between 67m to 81m AOD and is situated on Devonian rocks. The site is not located within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. 1.3 The ecological features within the site are almost completely limited to heavily-grazed semi- improved neutral grassland pastures bounded and separated by mature, thick hedgerows with a few small hedgerow oaks. No plant species of particular significance were observed during the survey. 1.4 Faunal interest is principally limited to the potential for hedgerows to provide well-connected flight-lines which may be used by the important bat populations residing in the Angle Peninsula and possible travel routes for Otters moving between the Orielton lakes and ponds to the coast of the Pembroke River. There is also potential for Badgers to forage within the site and for reptiles and terrestrial-phase amphibians to occur in hedge-bottoms. There is also potential for birds to nest within the hedgerows. 1.5 The proposed school construction project will not result in direct adverse impacts to any protected sites or other sites or habitats of nature conservation interest in the area but will result in the loss of a large proportion of the existing grassland pasture located within the site which is of relatively low ecological interest. 1.6 It is recommended that all boundary hedgerows are retained and protected in their present condition (ie are not lopped or reduced in any way) as they are potentially important as bat flight-lines, in particular the western site-boundary hedge. If these hedges are to be removed or significantly reduced, then their importance as bat flight lines should be determined prior to their removal by undertaking a bat flight survey during spring, summer and autumn to ensure that, should they include important flight lines, appropriate mitigation is implemented to ensure that the bat populations are not adversely affected in any way. Retention of these hedgerows as described will be necessary to gain the appropriate BREEAM Le or Eco credits required to release funding for this project. 1.7 It is also recommended that the two internal dividing hedgerows are translocated to provide a hedgerow lining the proposed north-eastern boundary of the new school site. 1.8 It is further recommended that the landscape design for the new school campus includes a significant element of ecological features. 1.9 The details of all recommendations are at section 6. Pryce Consultant Ecologists Trevethin, School Road, Pwll, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA15 4AL. Voicemail: 01554 775847 Mobile: 07900 241371 Email: [email protected] PAGE 5 WRW Construction Ltd Report issued: 25th July 2016 Angle Peninsula C.P. School: Ecological Assessment 2. DESK STUDY 2.1. Reference was made to the Countryside Council for Wales Phase 1 Habitat Survey map produced in approximately 1990 and to CCW (now NRW) statutory protected site citations. The CCW Phase 1 map (see figure 1) shows the survey site (edged red) to comprise of agriculturally improved grassland and much of the surrounding area to be similarly occupied by this grassland type. Four small fields located to the east of the survey site are shown to be semi-improved neutral grassland. To the north and north-west, two large areas of unimproved or semi-improved neutral grassland are shown which were the subjects of CCW Phase II (National Vegetation Classification) Survey in 1991 and 1999, the majority of this land being attributed to NVC MG5a or MG6 grassland communities. Two areas of amenity grassland are also shown, that associated with the existing school and, the larger area, the recreation ground in Hundleton village. Large stands of broad-leaf woodland are located c.250m south of the survey site and a few small additional scattered areas occur to the west. A linear area of scrub extends from north-west of the existing school (north-west of the survey site), north- westwards along the valley of a feeder stream to the Goldborough Pill linking with one of the Figure 1: CCW Phase 1 Habitat Map (c.1992) Survey site edged red. Dark green: Broad-leaf woodland Dark green cross-hatch: scrub Orange: Unimproved neutral grassland Orange with “SI”: Semi-improved neutral grassland White with “I”: Agriculturally improved grassland Yellow: Amenity grassland Black: Recent buildings updating the base map Pryce Consultant Ecologists Trevethin, School Road, Pwll, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA15 4AL. Voicemail: 01554 775847 Mobile: 07900 241371 Email: [email protected] PAGE 6 WRW Construction Ltd Report issued: 25th July 2016 Angle Peninsula C.P. School: Ecological Assessment large areas of unimproved grassland. In addition, numerous buildings and gardens are shown lining the road adjacent to the survey site and in the village. Since the time the CCW map was produced, the survey site appears to have remained in a similar condition although it might better be classified as species-poor semi-improved grassland rather than agriculturally improved grassland. Referring to recent aerial photographs, habitat features occupying the land in the vicinity also remain much the same. 2.2 The survey site is not included within any statutory protected sites but the following sites are located within approximately 5km. Internationally protected sites Several Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and the Pembrokeshire Marine Protected Area, which are protected in an international context, extend to within 5km from the survey site and are listed below. No Special Protection Areas (SPA) or Ramsar Sites are located in the area. • The Pembrokeshire Marine Protected Area SAC includes the whole of Milford Haven and the Pembroke River and extends to within 1.5km north of the survey site. Included among the reasons for the selection of this site is Otter. Individual Otters may use the feeder streams to the Goldborough Pill, one of which extends close to the survey site. The Pembrokeshire Marine Protected Area is contiguous with the Cleddau Rivers SAC: one qualifying reason for this SAC’s selection is also Otter. • The Pembrokeshire Bat and Bosherston Lakes SAC includes, not only Bosherston Lakes, but also bat-roost sites at Orielton, some 700m to the south of the survey site, and Stackpole, about 4.5km to the south-southeast, as well as several others more distant. Included among the reasons for the selection of this site are Otter, Greater Horseshoe Bat and Lesser Horseshoe Bat. Individual Otters may possibly travel north across the watershed from Bosherston to the Pembroke River and horseshoe bats may fly in the vicinity of the survey site from time to time although there are no potential roost sites for these species within the site. • The Limestone Coast of Southwest Wales SAC includes the limestone sea cliffs of south Pembrokeshire and south Gower. The closest point to which this SAC extends to the survey site is about 6km.