WYRE BOROUGH COUNCIL LOCAL PLAN Habitats Regulations Assessment Report AUGUST 2018 CONTACTS LIZ TURLEY/ JO WEAVER (dd) +44 07809594176/185 Arcadis. (e) [email protected] / [email protected] Arcadis Consulting (UK) Limited is a private limited company registered in England & Wales (registered number 02212959). Registered Office at Arcadis House, 34 York Way, London, N1 9AB, UK. Part of the Arcadis Group of Companies along with other entities in the UK. Copyright © 2015 Arcadis. All rights reserved. arcadis.com VERSION CONTROL Version Date Author Changes 01 08/08/2016 JW First issue 02 30/08/2016 JW Comments addressed 03 01/09/2016 JW Comments finalised 04 21/04/2017 LT/JW Updated with final iteration of allocation sites 05 02/05/2017 LT/JW Update following client comments 06 21/07/2017 LT/JW Updated following NE consultation Updated following further NE consultation and Local Plan 07 05/09/2017 LT/JW updates Update following CJEU ruling and guidance from NE with 08 16/07/18 LT/JW regard to the ruling 09 28/08/2018 LT/JW Main modification update This report dated 28 August 2018 has been prepared for Wyre Borough Council (the “Client”) in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment dated 08 June 2017(the “Appointment”) between the Client and (“Arcadis”) for the purposes specified in the Appointment. For avoidance of doubt, no other person(s) may use or rely upon this report or its contents, and Arcadis accepts no responsibility for any such use or reliance thereon by any other third party. CONTENTS VERSION CONTROL .......................................................................................................... 2 1 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE ............................................................................ 5 1.2 Background to the Habitats Regulations Assessment ..................................................................... 5 1.3 Legislation and Guidance .................................................................................................................... 6 2 THE LOCAL PLAN .................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Background and Purpose .................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Overall planning strategy ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Settlement hierarchy ............................................................................................................................ 7 2.4 Policies within Wyre Local Plan .......................................................................................................... 8 2.5 Consultation .......................................................................................................................................... 9 3 THE HABITATS REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT PROCESS ................................ 10 3.1 Stages in HRA ..................................................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Approach to the HRA Report ............................................................................................................. 10 3.3 In combination Effects ....................................................................................................................... 11 3.4 Consideration of Effects .................................................................................................................... 13 3.5 Potential Impact Pathways ................................................................................................................ 15 4 THE EUROPEAN SITES ......................................................................................... 16 4.1 Approach to Identifying Sites ............................................................................................................ 16 4.2 European Sites within and surrounding Wyre................................................................................. 16 4.3 Conservation objectives of the European Sites .............................................................................. 16 5 SCREENING ............................................................................................................ 18 5.1 Context ................................................................................................................................................. 18 5.2 Screening Approach ........................................................................................................................... 18 5.3 Initial Screening of the Local Plan .................................................................................................... 18 6 DETAILED SCREENING OF THE LOCAL PLAN ................................................... 26 6.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 26 6.2 Potential Impact pathways ................................................................................................................. 26 6.3 Potential impacts considered in the detailed screening of the Local Plan policies and sites ... 33 6.4 Detailed Screening of the Local Plan Policies ................................................................................. 33 6.5 Detailed Screening of the Local Plan Sites ...................................................................................... 36 6.6 In combination Effects Screening of the Local Plan ....................................................................... 53 Wyre Local Plan .............................................................................................................................................. 53 6.7 Other Plans and Projects ................................................................................................................... 55 7 SCREENING SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 58 7.1 Initial Screening .................................................................................................................................. 58 7.2 Detailed Screening Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 58 7.3 In combination Screening Conclusion ............................................................................................. 60 7.4 Policies and sites considered in the Appropriate Assessment ..................................................... 61 8 APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS UPON EUROPEAN SITES ........................................................................................................... 62 8.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 62 8.2 Fleetwood - Thornton AAP ................................................................................................................ 62 8.3 Fleetwood Docks and Marina ............................................................................................................ 64 8.4 Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone ............................................................................................ 68 8.5 Land at Arthurs Lane .......................................................................................................................... 71 8.6 Great Eccleston Extension ................................................................................................................ 72 8.7 In combination effects ........................................................................................................................ 73 8.8 Avoidance and Mitigation .................................................................................................................. 76 8.9 Appropriate Assessment Conclusion .............................................................................................. 76 9 OVERALL CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 78 ..................................................................................................................... 80 Conservation Objectives and Qualifying Features ..................................................................................... 80 ..................................................................................................................... 93 Figures/ Maps/ Aerial photography .............................................................................................................. 93 ..................................................................................................................... 94 HRA of Fleetwood - Thornton AAP ............................................................................................................... 94 ..................................................................................................................... 95 Further Information Statement-Ecology. Fleetwood Fish Park ................................................................. 95 ..................................................................................................................... 96 Information from NE - Buffer distances in relation to European sites .....................................................