Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan Part 1 – Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Footprint Contract Reference: 297 Date: 18th September 2016 Recommended Citation: Liley, D. & Hoskin, R. (2016). Habitat Regulations Assessment of the Breckland Local Plan Part 1 - Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries. Footprint Ecology, unpublished report for Breckland Council. Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – P r e f e r r e d Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Summary Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is required in accordance with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, as amended, in order to ensure that plans and projects do not adversely affect any European wildlife sites. All planning documents forming part of a local plan are the subject of HRA, which is the responsibility of the plan making body to produce. This report provides the HRA of the Breckland Local Plan, being undertaken by the Breckland Council. This report is an assessment of the ‘Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries’ which follows on from the recent publication of the’ Preferred Directions’ document. Consultation responses from both documents will be used to develop a draft Local Plan Part 1 for Breckland. This HRA was produced based on a draft of the Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries, which was shared with Footprint Ecology in August 2016. This HRA should be read in conjunction with earlier HRA work that has been prepared to support the preparation of the Local Plan. That previous work includes a background and review of evidence report setting out initial background and evidence gathering work, which was undertaken in the early stages of the development of the new Local Plan, HRA of the plan at Issues and Options stage and a HRA of the Preferred Directions document. The background and review of evidence report provides the background and underpinning evidence for this assessment, identifying information available for use within this HRA, including the protection of European sites to date, as a result of the implementation of the current plan (the Breckland Core Strategy). That report highlights potential concerns and opportunities relating to protection of European sites to inform the new Local Plan now being prepared to replace the Core Strategy. HRAs remain as working documents, being continually updated to inform the various stages of plan making, until the finalisation of the plan for adoption by the Council. This HRA assesses the preferred options for delivering growth through options for development. It includes a check of emerging policy in relation to site options and settlement boundaries in the plan for any likely significant effects on any European site. This screening provides Breckland Council with a number of recommendations for text changes and additions to strengthen protection of European sites within the plan and incorporate measures to avoid risks. The screening has identified several of key issues for further (more detailed) assessment, and appropriate assessment has been undertaken for impacts relating to development presence, urban effects (including recreation), traffic and roads, water and air quality. Each topic heading forms a separate section in this report. Current information and analysis has allowed positive progression towards ensuring that the Local Plan will not adversely affect European sites, but it remains too early to draw a legislation compliant conclusion, and the assessment will continue to seek solutions to achieve this as the information gaps are filled and the plan develops towards its submission stage. Key information gaps include the Water Cycle Study and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and overall changes in traffic flows and therefore air quality impacts to European sites. These pieces of evidence will need to be considered in the assessment of the next iteration of the Local Plan. 1 Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – P r e f e r r e d Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Within the assessment we have reviewed buffers relating to stone curlews, using up-to date data from the RSPB. We have included recommendations for changes to the buffers, based on more recent data and later versions of the Plan will need to refer to these or show them on maps within the Plan. 2 Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – P r e f e r r e d Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 6 Habitats Regulations Assessment process ............................................................... 7 A positive approach to assessing the plan and informing its progression ................. 8 New policy direction since the Preferred Directions publication .............................. 9 European sites ...................................................................................................... 10 2. Previous evidence to inform the HRA ................................................. 12 Previous evidence used ........................................................................................ 12 Visitor surveys ............................................................................................................... 12 Stone Curlew ................................................................................................................. 12 Nightjar and Woodlark ................................................................................................... 12 Measures in place to mitigate for current planning policy risks ............................. 14 Current Status of mitigation measures and recommendations for progression ..... 15 3. New evidence to inform the HRA ....................................................... 17 Updated Stone Curlew data .................................................................................. 17 Updated GIS analysis of sites proposed for development ...................................... 17 Norfolk wide evidence gathering on recreation impacts ........................................ 17 4. Screening the plan for likely significant effects ................................... 18 5. Appropriate Assessment – Overview and Scope ................................. 21 Setting the context for the appropriate assessment .............................................. 21 6. Appropriate Assessment – Presence of Buildings/Development ........ 24 Findings from previous HRA at Preferred Directions.............................................. 24 Assessment for Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries ...................... 24 New analysis in light of up to date stone curlew data ...................................................... 24 Revised Buffers .............................................................................................................. 25 3 Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – P r e f e r r e d Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Check of revised buffers against locations within the Preferred Sites Options and Settlement Boundaries ......................................................................................... 29 Mitigation/Implications for Draft Plan .................................................................. 29 7. Appropriate Assessment - Urban effects (including recreational disturbance)................................................................................................. 31 Findings from previous HRA at Preferred Directions.............................................. 31 Assessment for Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries ...................... 32 Mitigation/Implications for Draft Plan .................................................................. 32 Findings from previous HRA at Preferred Directions.............................................. 34 Assessment for Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries ...................... 34 Mitigation/Implications for Draft Plan .................................................................. 34 9. Appropriate Assessment - Water ....................................................... 35 Findings from previous HRA at Preferred Directions.............................................. 35 Assessment for Preferred Site Options and Settlement Boundaries ...................... 35 Mitigation/Implications for Draft Plan .................................................................. 35 10. Summary and Next Steps ................................................................... 36 11. References ......................................................................................... 37 12. Appendix 1 - The Habitats Regulations Assessment Process ............... 41 13. Appendix 2 – European Site Conservation Objectives ......................... 45 14. Appendix 3 - Conservation Interest of European Sites ........................ 47 15. Appendix 4 - Screening for Likely Significant Effects ........................... 53 4 Habitats Regulations Assessment of Breckland Local Plan – P r e f e r r e d Site Options and Settlement Boundaries Acknowledgements This report was commissioned by Breckland Council. Copies of the document to be assessed were provided by James Mann (Capita)