New Forest National Park Authority Park Management Plan HRA Habitat Regulations Assessment January 2010 New Forest National Park Authority New Forest National Park Authority – Park Management Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment Revision Schedule Park Management Plan – HRA Report January 2010 Rev Date Details Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by 01 07/10/2009 HRA Report Dr Graeme Down Dr James Riley Dr James Riley Ecologist Principal Ecologist Principal Ecologist 02 18/12/09 Updated HRA Dr Graeme Down Dr James Riley Dr James Riley Report Ecologist Principal Ecologist Principal Ecologist 03 25/01/10 Final HRA Dr Graeme Down Dr James Riley Dr James Riley Report Ecologist Principal Ecologist Principal Ecologist Scott Wilson Scott House Alencon Link This document has been prepared in accordance with the scope of Scott Wilson's appointment with its client and is subject to the terms of that appointment. Scott Wilson Basingstoke accepts no liability for any use of this document other than for the purposes for which it Hampshire was prepared and provided. Any advice, opinions, or recommendations within this document should be read and relied upon only in the context of the document as a RG21 7PP whole. The contents of this document do not provide legal or tax advice or opinion. © Scott Wilson Ltd 2009 Tel 01256 310200 Fax 01256 310201 New Forest National Park Authority – Park Management Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Current Legislation ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope and Objectives ...................................................................................................... 1 1.3 This Report....................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 New Forest Park Management Plan................................................................................. 2 2 Methodology ..................................................................................... 4 2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 A Proportionate Assessment............................................................................................ 4 2.3 The Process of HRA......................................................................................................... 5 2.4 Scoping Exercise.............................................................................................................. 6 2.5 Stage 1: Likely Significant Effects (Screening)................................................................. 6 2.6 Technical Scope............................................................................................................... 7 2.7 The ‘in combination’ scope............................................................................................... 7 3 Pathways of Impact........................................................................ 10 3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Recreational Pressure.................................................................................................... 11 3.3 Air Quality....................................................................................................................... 17 4 Mottisfont Bats SAC....................................................................... 18 4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 18 4.2 Reasons for Designation ................................................................................................ 18 4.3 Historic Trends and Current Pressures .......................................................................... 18 4.4 Likely Significant Effects of the Park Management Plan ................................................ 19 5 New Forest SAC, SPA and Ramsar............................................... 21 5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 21 5.2 Reasons for Designation ................................................................................................ 22 5.3 Historical Trends and Current Pressures ....................................................................... 24 5.4 Likely Significant Effects of the Park Management Plan ................................................ 25 6 Solent European Sites ................................................................... 28 6.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 28 6.2 Reasons for Designation ................................................................................................ 28 6.3 Historic Trends and Current Pressures .......................................................................... 30 6.4 Likely Significant Effects of the Park Management Plan ................................................ 33 New Forest National Park Authority – Park Management Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment 7 Conclusions.................................................................................... 37 7.1 Conclusions.................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix 1: Summary of Park Management Plan Objectives............... 38 New Forest National Park Authority – Park Management Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment 1 Introduction 1.1 Current Legislation 1.1.1 The need for Habitat Regulations Assessment is set out within Article 6 of the EC Habitats Directive 1992, and interpreted into British law by Regulation 48 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 (as amended in 2007). Under these Regulations, land use plans must be subject to Appropriate Assessment if they are likely to have a significant [adverse] effect on a Natura 2000 site (Special Areas of Conservation, SACs and Special Protection Areas, SPAs). It is Government policy (as described in Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity & Geological Conservation) for sites designated under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites) to be treated as having equivalent status to Natura 2000 sites. As such, Appropriate Assessments should also cover these sites. 1.1.2 The Habitats Directive applies a precautionary approach to protected areas; plans and projects can only be permitted having ascertained that there will be no adverse effect on the integrity of the site(s) in question. In the case of the Habitats Directive, plans and projects may still be permitted if there are no alternatives to them and there are Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (IROPI) as to why they should go ahead. In such cases, compensation would be necessary to ensure the overall integrity of the site network. 1.1.3 In order to ascertain whether or not site integrity will be affected, an HRA should be undertaken of the plan or project in question. Habitats Directive 1992 Article 6 (3) states that: “Any plan or project not directly connected with or necessary to the management of the site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, either individually or in combination with other plans or projects, shall be subject to appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in view of the site's conservation objectives.” Conservation (Natural Habitats &c. Regulations) 1994 (as amended) Regulation 48 states that: “A competent authority, before deciding to … give any consent for a plan or project which is likely to have a significant effect on a European site … shall make an appropriate assessment of the implications for the site in view of that sites conservation objectives”. 1.2 Scope and Objectives 1.2.1 Scott Wilson has been appointed by the New Forest National Park Authority to assist in undertaking a Habitats Regulation Assessment of the potential effects of the National Park Management Plan (PMP) on the Natura 2000 network. An initial screening exercise was undertaken by the National Park Authority in 2008 and was subject to consultation. The report concluded that only one proposed policy could not be ‘screened out’ as being unlikely to lead to significant adverse effects. However, several circumstances have changed since that report was produced: January 2010 1 New Forest National Park Authority – Park Management Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment • The Park Plan has been revised following consultation and separated into its two separate elements – the Park Management Plan and the Core Strategy; • Natural England confirmed in their consultation response that in their view it was not possible to ‘screen out’ the Park Plan with regard to the potential for adverse effects on the New Forest SPA, New Forest SAC, Solent Maritime SAC and Solent & Southampton Water SPA. This was principally due to the potential for recreational pressure when users arising from within the New Forest were considered ‘in combination’ with visitors arising from outside the New Forest (particularly from within a 20km radius). Natural England also indicated that the potential for adverse effects on foraging/commuting barbastelle bats arising from