Chelmsford City Council Chelmsford Pre-Submission Local Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment (Update) Information to support an assessment under Regulation 105 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 June 2018 Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 2 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Report for Copyright and non-disclosure notice Claire Stuckey The contents and layout of this report are subject to copyright Principal Planning Officer (Policy) owned by Amec Foster Wheeler (© Amec Foster Wheeler Chelmsford City Council Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 2017) save to the Director of Sustainable Communities extent that copyright has been legally assigned by us to Civic Centre another party or is used by Amec Foster Wheeler under Duke Street licence. 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Pete Davis Management systems This document has been produced by Amec Foster Wheeler Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited in full compliance with Canon Court the management systems, which have been certified to ISO Abbey Lawn 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 by LRQA. Abbey Foregate Shrewsbury SY2 5DE United Kingdom Tel +44 (0) 1743 342 000 Document revisions Doc Ref. S37180rr012i3 No. Details Date h:\projects\37180 chelmsford\docs\hra\submission draft 1 Draft HRA Report 19.12.17 hra\s38170rr012i3.docx 2 HRA of Submission Draft 08.01.18 3 Final HRA 22.06.18 June 2018 Doc Ref. S37180rr012i3 3 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Contents 1. Introduction 6 1.1 Overview 6 1.2 Habitats Regulations Assessment 6 1.3 Purpose of this Report 7 1.4 The Chelmsford Local Plan – An Overview 8 Requirement to Prepare a Local Plan 8 Scope of the Chelmsford Local Plan 8 Preparation of the Local Plan 9 The Pre-Submission Local Plan 10 2. Approach to the HRA of the Local Plan 17 2.1 Overview 17 2.2 Guidance 18 2.3 Summary of Approach 18 Screening and Appropriate Assessment 18 ‘In Combination’ Assessment 19 Mitigation and Avoidance 19 Uncertainty and ‘Down the Line’ Assessment 20 3. Scope of Assessment and Baseline Summary 22 3.1 Study Area 22 3.2 European Site Features and Condition 23 Conservation Objectives 32 3.3 Outcomes of Local Plan and Impact Pathways 32 Recreational Pressure 33 Urbanisation 37 Atmospheric Pollution 37 Water Resources and Flow Regulation 39 Water Quality 40 Flooding and Water Level Management 41 Effects on Functional Habitats Outside of European Sites 42 4. Initial Screening Assessment 43 4.1 Initial Screening of European Sites 43 Essex Estuaries SAC (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 43 Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 44 Blackwater Estuary SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 45 Benfleet and Southend Marshes SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 46 Foulness SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 46 Thames Estuary and Marshes SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 47 Abberton Reservoir SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 48 Dengie SPA (Including Coincident Ramsar Features) 49 Outer Thames Estuary SPA 50 4.2 Initial Screening of Local Plan Components: Policies and Allocations 50 Overview 50 Review of Draft Local Plan Policies 51 4.3 Review and Screening of Site Allocations 53 4.4 Summary of Initial Screening 53 4.5 Pre-Submission Local Plan – Screening Review 54 June 2018 Doc Ref. S37180rr012i3 4 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 5. Appropriate Assessment: Recreational Pressure 56 5.1 Issues and Potential Threats Associated with the Local Plan 56 Strategic Growth Site 7 (North of South Woodham Ferrers) 56 Regional ‘In Combination’ Effects 57 5.2 Crouch Estuary Sites (Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA / Ramsar; Essex Estuaries SAC; Outer Thames Estuary SPA) 57 Baseline Summary 57 Assessment of Effects (SGS7) 59 Assessment of Effects (In Combination) 62 Incorporated Measures 64 Conclusion 66 5.3 Blackwater Estuary Sites (Essex Estuaries SAC; Blackwater Estuary SPA / Ramsar) 66 Baseline Summary 66 Assessment of Effects (In combination) 68 Incorporated Measures 70 Conclusion 71 5.4 Other Essex Estuary sites 71 6. Appropriate Assessment: Air Quality 72 6.1 Issues and Potential Threats Associated with the Local Plan 72 6.2 Epping Forest SAC 72 Baseline Summary 72 Assessment of Effects 73 Incorporated Mitigation 75 Conclusion 75 6.3 Crouch Estuary Sites (Essex Estuaries SAC; Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA / Ramsar) 75 Baseline Summary 75 Assessment of Effects 76 Incorporated Mitigation 78 Conclusion 79 6.4 Blackwater Estuary Sites (Essex Estuaries SAC; Blackwater Estuary SPA / Ramsar) 79 Baseline Summary 79 Assessment of Effects 80 Incorporated Mitigation 81 Conclusion 81 7. Appropriate Assessment: Water Quality 82 7.1 Issues and Potential Threats Associated with the Local Plan 82 7.2 Crouch and Blackwater Estuary Sites (Essex Estuaries SAC; Blackwater Estuary (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 4) SPA / Ramsar; Crouch and Roach Estuaries (Mid-Essex Coast Phase 3) SPA / Ramsar; Outer Thames Estuary SPA) 83 Assessment of Effects 83 Incorporated Measures 84 Conclusion 84 8. Appropriate Assessment: Functional Land (Golden plover) 86 8.1 Issues and Potential Threats Associated with the Local Plan 86 Blackwater Estuary SPA 86 9. Review of the Pre-Submission Local Plan and Conclusions 89 9.1 Pre-Submission Local Plan Review 89 9.2 HRA Summary and Conclusions 89 Summary 1 Table 1.1 Local Plan preparation milestones 9 June 2018 Doc Ref. S37180rr012i3 5 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Table 1.2 Preferred Spatial Strategy: Development locations and allocations 11 Table 3.1 European sites within study area 22 Table 3.2 European sites and interest features within 15km of the Chelmsford City Council Administrative Area or otherwise included in assessment scope 25 Table 3.3 Travel distances for ~70 – 75% of visitors recorded by previous studies 34 Table 3.4 Main air pollutants, pathways and effects 38 Table 3.5 Summary of APIS interrogation 39 Table 4.1 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 43 Table 4.2 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 44 Table 4.3 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 45 Table 4.4 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 46 Table 4.5 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 46 Table 4.6 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 47 Table 4.7 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 48 Table 4.8 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 49 Table 4.9 Summary of site screening based on impact pathways 50 Table 4.10 Policy ‘types’ that can usually be screened out 51 Table 4.11 Colour coding for screening of Local Plan policies 52 Table 5.1 Annual peak numbers for 2009/10 to 2013/14 within WeBS Core Count sector 25432 (Upper Crouch Estuary) 57 Table 5.2 Anticipated population change near the Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA / Ramsar associated with Local Plan allocation proposals 59 Table 5.3 Predicted housing growth near the Crouch estuary sites based on local plan allocations 63 Table 5.4 Broad distribution and characteristics of Blackwater Estuary SPA interest features 67 Table 5.5 Anticipated population change near the Blackwater Estuary SPA / Ramsar associated with Local Plan allocation proposals 69 Table 5.6 Predicted housing growth near the Blackwater estuary sites based on local plan allocations 69 Table 6.1 Summary of N-deposition and critical loads for Epping Forest SAC, based on APIS 73 Table 6.2 Predicted changes in AADT at roads within 200m of Epping Forest SAC 74 Table 6.3 Summary of N-deposition and critical loads for the Essex Estuaries SAC and Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA / Ramsar, based on APIS 76 Table 6.4 Predicted changes in AADT at main roads within 200m of Essex Estuaries SAC and Crouch and Roach Estuaries SPA / Ramsar at South Woodham Ferrers 77 Table 6.5 Summary of N-deposition and critical loads for the Essex Estuaries SAC and Blackwater