Portishead Branch Line (MetroWest Phase 1) TR040011 Applicant: North Somerset District Council 8.12, Avon Gorge Vegetation Management Plan The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009, Regulation 5(2)(q) Planning Act 2008 Author: CH2M Revision: Version 2 Date: October 2020 The original submission version of this document can be found in Appendix 9.11 of the Environmental Statement. The document contained within the Environmental Statement will not be updated. However, this standalone version of this document may be updated and the latest version will be the final document for the purposes of the Order. Notice © Copyright 2019 CH2M HILL United Kingdom. The concepts and information contained in this document are the property of CH2M HILL United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jacobs. Use or copying of this document in whole or in part without the written permission of Jacobs constitutes an infringement of copyright. Limitation: This document has been prepared on behalf of, and for the exclusive use of Jacobs’ client, and is subject to, and issued in accordance with, the provisions of the contract between Jacobs and the client. Jacobs accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for, or in respect of, any use of, or reliance upon, this document by any third party. Where any data supplied by the client or from other sources have been used, it has been assumed that the information is correct. No responsibility can be accepted by Jacobs for inaccuracies in the data supplied by any other party. The conclusions and recommendations in this report are based on the assumption that all relevant information has been supplied by those bodies from whom it was requested. Where field investigations have been carried out, these have been restricted to a level of detail required to achieve the stated objectives of the work. 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Document history Project Portishead Branch Line (MetroWest Phase 1) Development Consent Order Scheme Planning Inspectorate Scheme TR040011 Reference Part and Application Document 8, 8.12 Reference Document title Avon Gorge Vegetation Management Plan Regulation Number Regulation 5(2)(q) Applicant North Somerset District Council Lead Author CW at CH2M Version Date Status of Version 01 15/11/19 Application Issue 02 07/10/20 Update following ongoing consultation with Natural England and the Forestry Commission Table of Contents Section Page Summary .................................................................................................................. v 1 Introduction................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Objectives of this report ..................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Background to the DCO Scheme ....................................................... 1-1 1.3 Avon Gorge SAC/SSSI Site description ............................................. 1-9 1.4 Legislative Context........................................................................... 1-11 2 Considerations for the Plan ....................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Key Issues ......................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Key habitat features to be considered in the Plan .............................. 2-6 3 Impacts of the DCO Scheme ...................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Key impacts ....................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Construction works and vegetation clearance ................................... 3-1 3.3 Calculation of area of SAC habitat to be affected .............................. 3-3 3.4 Impacts on rare plants ....................................................................... 3-5 4 Management Proposals ............................................................................. 4-1 4.1 Vegetation Management Plan ............................................................ 4-1 4.2 Timescale of plan ............................................................................... 4-3 4.3 Responsibilities for implementing the plan ......................................... 4-3 4.4 Reporting ........................................................................................... 4-4 5 Site Clearance and Planting ...................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 5-1 5.2 Site briefings ...................................................................................... 5-1 5.3 Demarcation of sensitive species ...................................................... 5-1 5.4 Arisings .............................................................................................. 5-2 5.5 Biosecurity measures......................................................................... 5-3 5.6 Vegetation clearance ......................................................................... 5-4 5.7 Replacement rare whitebeam planting............................................... 5-5 5.8 Management for other rare plants .................................................... 5-12 5.9 Management for Quarry Bridge No. 2 site compound ...................... 5-13 6 Management proposals during operation ................................................ 6-1 6.1 Routine vegetation control ................................................................. 6-1 6.2 Guidance for managing rare whitebeams .......................................... 6-1 6.3 General guidance for management of rare plants .............................. 6-3 7 Monitoring ................................................................................................... 7-1 8 Discussion .................................................................................................. 8-1 9 References .................................................................................................. 9-1 i PORTISHEAD BRANCH LINE DCO SCHEME AVON GORGE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT, VOLUME 4 Annexes Annex A Avon Gorge Woodlands SAC designation Annex B Avon Gorge SSSI designation Annex C Quarry Bridge No. 2 draft construction methodology Annex D Assessment of construction works to Network Rail rock faces Annex E Assessment of construction works to third party rock faces Annex F Figures Annex G Management catalogue within NR land Annex H Rare whitebeam mitigation: site details, planting and monitoring plan. Evidence of successful whitebeam planting projects Annex I - Whitebeam seeds and saplings report, Paignton Zoological Gardens Annex J - Health and safety tree works Annex K - Bristol rock-cress conservation strategy Annex L – Avon Gorge Management of Arisings Annex M – Woodland Management Plan, Forest Commission positive management area List of Tables Table 1: Summary of Works within the Avon Gorge Woodlands SAC Table 2: Areas of vegetation clearance within the Avon Gorge SAC/SSSI by habitat type Table 3: Removal/coppice of rare Whitebeam trees for DCO Scheme Table 4: Areas of vegetation clearance within semi-natural ancient woodland, secondary (recent) woodland and SAC grassland (m2) compared to areas where positive management is proposed Table 5: Number of rare whitebeam removed for the DCO Scheme, number of tree saplings available for planting and total number to be initially planted Table 6: Summary of the planting and monitoring programme for rare whitebeam saplings List of Figure(s) Figure 1 Location of bridges in the Avon Gorge ii AVON GORGE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN PORTISHEAD BRANCH LINE DCO SCHEME ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT, VOLUME 4 Acronyms, Abbreviations and Glossary AGVMP Avon Gorge Vegetation Management Plan Arisings Material obtained from cutting vegetation, such as logs and brash from trees and grass cuttings Brash Material obtained from trees from limb reduction or crown lifting BSBI Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland DCO Development Consent Order EcCoW Ecological clerk of works ES Environmental Statement FC Forestry Commission GRIP Governance for Railway Investment Projects Ha Hectare INNS Invasive non-native species NERC Act 2006 Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act NR Network Rail NSDC North Somerset District Council NSIP Nationally significant infrastructure project NVC National Vegetation Classification Positive management Vegetation management which focuses on vegetation clearance to benefit rare plants, particularly removal of invasive non-native species. SAC Special Area of Conservation Secondary (recent) woodland Woods which developed on previously open ground from the start of the 17th century are termed secondary or recent woodland SCI Sites of Community Importance SMS Site Management Statement SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest VMP Vegetation Management Plan WCA Wildlife and Countryside Act iii PORTISHEAD BRANCH LINE DCO SCHEME AVON GORGE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT, VOLUME 4 iv AVON GORGE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN PORTISHEAD BRANCH LINE DCO SCHEME ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT, VOLUME 4 Summary MetroWest is a programme of major rail improvements for the West of England region, which is being delivered by the West of England councils, led by North Somerset District Council (“NSDC”) and the West of England Combined Authority (“WECA”), who are working with Network Rail