Marine Aggregate Extraction: Approaching Good Practice in Environmental Impact Assessment 1 PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION This publication and references within it to any methodology, process, service, manufacturer, or company do not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister or the Minerals Industry Research Organisation. Gravel image reproduced courtesy of BMAPA Hamon grab © MESL-Photo Library Boomer system © Posford Haskoning Wrasse image reproduced courtesy of Keith Hiscock (MarLIN) Aerial Plume courtesy of HR Wallingford Coastline © Posford Haskoning Fishing vessels © Posford Haskoning Dredger image courtesy of BMAPA Beam trawl © MESL-Photo Library ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Posford Haskoning project team would like to thank the following members of the Expert Panel, established for this project, for all their invaluable advice and comments: Dr Alan Brampton (HR Wallingford Ltd) Dr Tony Firth (Wessex Archaeology) Professor Richard Newell Ali McDonald (Anatec UK Ltd) (Marine Ecological Surveys Ltd) Dr Tony Seymour (Fisheries Consultant) Dr Ian Selby (Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd) In addition to this expert panel, key sections of the report were contributed by the following, to whom thanks are again extended: • Dr Peter Henderson (Pisces Conservation Ltd) • Dr Paul Somerfield (Plymouth Marine Laboratory) • Dr Jeremy Spearman (HR Wallingford Ltd) The project has also benefited considerably from an initial review by the following organisations. The time and assistance of these reviewers was greatly appreciated: Tracy Edwards David Carlin, Dr Sian Boyd, Dr Stuart Rogers, (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) Dr Chris Vivian, Dr Hubert Rees (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) Victoria Copley (English Nature) Carolyn Warburton (Welsh Assembly Government) Nicola Rimmington Mark Russell (Countryside Council for Wales) (British Marine Aggregate Producers Association) George Lees (Scottish Natural Heritage) Key input was also provided by a range of experts within the field of marine aggregate extraction and environmental assessment through their attendance and input at a series of Technical Workshops held in September 2003. Thanks are given to the representatives of the following organisations that attended: Anatec HR Wallingford Ltd British Geological Society Marico Marine Ltd British Marine Aggregates Producers Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom Association CEFAS Maritime and Coastguard Agency Defra Sea Fisheries Inspectorate National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations Dredging Research Ltd Pisces Conservation Ltd EMU Ltd Royal Yachting Association Hanson Aggregates Marine Ltd Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee IECS, University of Hull University College London PREFACE BACKGROUND Over the past three to four decades the marine aggregates dredging industry has grown to become a vital and integral part of the materials supply chain for the construction industry (Posford Haskoning, 2003). This contribution is significantly higher in south-eastern England (over 30%) due to the exhaustion of land-based supplies and because the advantages of relatively low marine transport costs apply. In densely populated south-eastern England, the benefits of landing large aggregate tonnages close to the point of demand from distant sources and without the need for road transport are clear. Of equal significance nationally are the benefits to be gained through the reduction in the pressure to quarry land of residential, agricultural or conservational significance, avoiding disturbance, noise, dust and loss of amenity value (Bellamy, 1998). Another key aspect of the UK marine aggregate industry is that, while it is recognized that marine aggregate resources are finite, as are resources that are worked on land, there is no likelihood of a shortage of marine aggregate reserves for the foreseeable future, provided that licences are forthcoming at a rate consummate with maintaining the required extraction to meet the demands of the market (Hollinsworth, 1997). Associated with the extraction of marine aggregates is a range of environmental effects. The body of knowledge that exists with respect to these potential impacts is ever increasing and a small number of best practice documents have been produced by various organisations to provide information on assessing the impacts of aggregate extraction on selected environmental parameters. However, it is recognised that there is a need to co-ordinate existing guidance. The goal of this document, therefore, is to provide and disseminate good practice on assessing the potential impacts of aggregate (sand and gravel) extraction on the marine environment. The document does not deal with the issues of maerl extraction. This document also aims to introduce increased consistency to the impact assessment process and to assist decision-makers in determining applications and agreeing appropriate mitigation, management and monitoring measures. All of this should contribute to ensuring that the impacts associated with marine aggregate extraction are limited as far as possible and that environmental management practices continue to improve. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The specific project objectives of this document are: • To improve the consistency of impact assessment with regard to marine aggregate extraction, through the consideration of good practice in data collection and collation, the definition of robust assessment criteria and techniques, and impact mitigation; • To support the improvement of environmental management practices; • To ensure that decisions and actions taken at the strategic level are cognisant and reflective of working procedures and issues at the project level; • To widely disseminate best practice to stakeholders and encourage participation; and • To enable sound decisions to be made that minimise the impact of aggregate extraction on the marine environment and ensure the future sustainability of the physical and biological resource. i PROJECT FUNDING The contract for this project was awarded to Posford Haskoning Ltd (PH) by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). It was funded through the Sustainable Land Won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme1, an aggregate minerals research programme established under the terms of reference of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF). This contract was managed by the Mineral Industry Research Organisation (MIRO) on behalf of the ODPM. The Sustainable Land-won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme has been established by ODPM as a mechanism to provide funding for aggregate minerals research that is consistent with the objectives of the ALSF and is broadly in line with the aims of the construction aggregates component of the ODPM’s Planning Research Programme. The specific aims of the Programme are defined as follows: • To improve the information base on aggregates and environmental constraints, onshore and offshore, so that more sustainable options can be identified in the future; • To support the improvement of environmental management practices so that impacts can be reduced; and • To assist in providing information and examples of good practices to stakeholders in the process including the encouragement of better liaison between mineral operators and neighbouring communities. The Programme operates through five research themes, which are defined below: Theme 1 Impacts of aggregates dredging on the marine environment Theme 2 Basis of regional and local environmental assessments of aggregates policies Theme 3 Dissemination of good practices for community involvement and liaison in respect of aggregate operations Theme 4 Preparation and dissemination of training information for stakeholders in the aggregates planning process Theme 5 Development and initial implementation of advice on good practices in environmental management This particular project falls under Themes 1 and 5. POSFORD HASKONING PROJECT TEAM This project required the review of all aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process related to marine aggregate extraction, namely: • Data collection, analysis and presentation; • Impact identification; • Methods of impact assessment and derivation of significance criteria; • Mitigation; and • Monitoring. In order to ensure that the wide skills present within PH were utilised, an internal project team was established, comprising specialists in the key parameters relevant to this project. The structure of the internal project team is shown below: 1 http://www.odpmaggregatefund.co.uk ii Role/Parameter Staff Project Director Sian John Project Manager Jonny Lewis/Chris Adnitt Project Review and Quality Management Dr Richard Cottle Geomorphology and Coastal Processes Dr David Brew Alun Williams Marine Ecology Chris Adnitt Richard Stocks Fish and Shellfish Resources Jonny Lewis Richard Stocks Commercial Fisheries Jonny Lewis Richard Stocks Archaeology and the Historic Environment Pete Thornton Navigation, Recreation and Other Uses Rob Staniland GIS and Information Management Tim Jeffries-Harris Ian Holmes EXPERT PANEL In addition to the internal PH project team, an ‘Expert Panel’ was established, comprised of a number of specialists with detailed knowledge of the key issues related to aggregate dredging and the marine environment. The members of the Expert Panel are shown below: Parameter Member Organisation Geomorphology and Coastal Dr Alan Brampton HR Wallingford Processes Marine Ecology Professor Richard Newell Marine Ecological Surveys