Norfolk Boreas Offshore Wind Farm Norfolk Vanguard Habitats Regulation Applicant: Norfolk Boreas Limited Document Reference: ExA.AS-7.D13.V1 Deadline 13 Date: July 2020 Revision: Version 1 Photo: Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm NORFOLK VANGUARD HABITATS REGULATION Regulation 63 of the Conservation of HabitatsASSESSMENT and Species Regulations 2017, and Regulation 28 of the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 June 2020 1 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ____________________________________________________________ 5 1.1 Background ________________________________________________________ 5 1.2 Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) ________________________________ 5 1.3 RIES and Statutory Consultation ______________________________________ 6 2 Development description _________________________________________________ 8 3 Likely Significant Effects Test _____________________________________________ 11 4 Appropriate Assessment Methodology _____________________________________ 17 4.1 Conservation objectives _____________________________________________ 17 4.2 Marine Ornithology __________________________________________________ 17 4.2.1 Bird Density __________________________________________________________ 18 4.2.2 Collision Risk Modelling (CRM) ___________________________________________ 18 4.2.3 Apportioning _________________________________________________________ 21 4.2.4 Population Models _____________________________________________________ 25 4.2.5 Consideration of Fishing in-combination ____________________________________ 26 4.2.6 Consideration of Hornsea Three and Thanet Extension in-combination ____________ 27 5 Appropriate Assessment _________________________________________________ 29 5.1 Appropriate Assessment: Alde-Ore Estuary SPA _________________________ 29 5.1.1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: Alone _________________________________________ 30 5.1.2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: In-combination __________________________________ 31 5.2 Appropriate Assessment: Breydon Water SPA and Ramsar Site ____________ 32 5.2.1 All Features: Alone ____________________________________________________ 32 5.2.2 All Features: In-combination _____________________________________________ 33 5.3 Appropriate Assessment: Broadland SPA and Ramsar Site ________________ 34 5.3.1 Impacts on overwintering birds: Alone _____________________________________ 34 5.3.2 Impacts on overwintering birds: In-combination ______________________________ 35 5.3.3 Collision risk to migrating birds: Alone _____________________________________ 35 5.3.4 Collision risk to migrating birds: In-combination ______________________________ 36 5.4 Appropriate Assessment: Flamborough and Filey Coast SPA ______________ 37 5.4.1 Kittiwake Collision Mortality: Alone ________________________________________ 37 5.4.2 Kittiwake Collision Mortality: In-combination _________________________________ 38 5.4.3 Gannet Displacement and Collision: Alone __________________________________ 40 5.4.4 Gannet Displacement and Collision: In-combination __________________________ 41 5.4.5 Razorbill Displacement: Alone ___________________________________________ 43 5.4.6 Razorbill Displacement: In-combination ____________________________________ 43 5.4.7 Guillemot Displacement: Alone ___________________________________________ 44 5.4.8 Guillemot Displacement: In-combination ____________________________________ 45 5.4.9 Puffin Displacement: Alone ______________________________________________ 45 5.4.10 Puffin Displacement: In-combination _______________________________________ 46 5.5 Appropriate Assessment: Greater Wash SPA ____________________________ 47 5.5.1 Red-throated diver Disturbance and Displacement: Alone ______________________ 47 5.5.2 Red-throated diver Disturbance and Displacement: In combination _______________ 49 5.5.3 Common scoter Disturbance and Displacement: Alone and in-combination ________ 50 5.5.4 Little Gull Collision Mortality: Alone ________________________________________ 50 5.5.5 Little Gull Collision Mortality: In-combination ________________________________ 50 5.6 Appropriate Assessment: North Norfolk Coast SPA and Ramsar Site ________ 51 5.6.1 Features screened into assessment. ______________________________________ 51 5.6.2 All Migrating Features: Alone ____________________________________________ 52 5.6.3 All Migrating Features: In-combination _____________________________________ 52 5.7 Appropriate Assessment: Outer Thames SPA ____________________________ 53 5.7.1 Red-throated diver Disturbance and Displacement: Alone ______________________ 53 5.7.2 Red-throated diver Disturbance and Displacement: In combination _______________ 54 5.8 Appropriate Assessment: The Broads SAC ______________________________ 55 5.8.1 Changes to groundwater flow: Alone and in-combination _______________________ 55 5.8.2 Sedimentation: Alone and in-combination ___________________________________ 56 5.9 Appropriate Assessment: Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC ______ 57 5.9.1 Annex I Sandbanks: Alone ______________________________________________ 59 5.9.2 Annex I Reef: Alone ___________________________________________________ 60 5.9.3 Sandbanks and Reef: In-combination ______________________________________ 64 5.10 Appropriate Assessment: Humber Estuary SAC __________________________ 66 5.10.1 Grey Seal Disturbance: Alone ____________________________________________ 66 5.10.2 Grey Seal Disturbance: In-combination ____________________________________ 67 5.11 Appropriate Assessment: Norfolk Valley Fens SAC _______________________ 69 5.11.1 Changes to groundwater flow: Project alone and in-combination _________________ 69 5.11.2 Sedimentation: Project alone and in-combination _____________________________ 70 5.12 Appropriate Assessment: Paston Great Barns SAC _______________________ 72 3 5.12.1 Barbastelle Bat Disturbance: Alone _______________________________________ 72 5.12.2 Barbastelle Bat Disturbance: In-combination ________________________________ 73 5.13 Appropriate Assessment: River Wensum SAC ___________________________ 74 5.13.1 Sedimentation: Project alone and in-combination _____________________________ 74 5.14 Appropriate Assessment: The Southern North Sea SAC ___________________ 75 5.14.1 Harbour Porpoise: Alone Assessment _____________________________________ 76 5.14.2 Disturbance from underwater noise _______________________________________ 77 5.14.3 Vessel collision. _______________________________________________________ 78 5.14.4 Changes to prey resource _______________________________________________ 78 5.14.5 Changes to water quality ________________________________________________ 79 5.14.6 Harbour Porpoise: In-combination ________________________________________ 80 5.15 Appropriate Assessment: The Wash and North Norfolk Coast SAC __________ 85 5.15.1 Harbour Seal Disturbance: Alone _________________________________________ 85 5.15.2 Harbour Seal Disturbance: In-combination __________________________________ 86 6 Habitats Regulations Assessment Overall Conclusions _______________________ 88 7 Transboundary Assessment ______________________________________________ 89 4 1 Introduction 1.1 Background This is a record of the Habitats Regulations Assessment (“HRA”) that the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has undertaken under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (“the Habitats Regulations”) and the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (“the Offshore Habitats Regulations”) in respect of the Development Consent Order (“DCO”) and Deemed Marine Licences (“dMLs”) for Norfolk Vanguard and its associated infrastructure (the “Project”). For the purposes of these Regulations the Secretary of State is the competent authority (under the Habitats Regulations). The planning application (“the Application”) consent for the construction and operation of an offshore wind generating station of up to 1,800 MW installed capacity, situated off the coast of Norfolk. The Project would comprise of up to 158 wind turbine generators, and associated development including onshore and offshore underground and subsea electrical connections to an extension of the existing Necton National Grid substation and a modification to a short stretch of overhead line. The Project constitutes a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) as defined by s.14(1)(a) of the Planning Act 2008 as it is for an offshore generating station of over 100MW. The Project was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate (“PINS”) on 24 July 2018 and a four-member Panel of Inspectors (“the Panel”) was appointed as the Examining Authority (“ExA”) for the application. The Examination of the Project application began on 10 December 2018 and completed on 10 June 2019. The Panel submitted its report of the Examination, including its recommendation (“the ExA’s Report”), to the Secretary of State on 10 September 2019. On 6 December 2019, following the close of Examination, the Secretary of State invited interested parties to provide additional updates or information regarding certain issues including those relating to potential impacts on qualifying features of Natura 2000 sites 1. 1.2 Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (“the Habitats Directive”) and Council Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds (“the Birds Directive”) aim to ensure the long-term conservation of certain species and habitats by protecting