RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited Manston Airport Report to Inform the Appropriate Assessment July 2018 Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 2 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Report for Copyright and non-disclosure notice RiverOak Strategic Partners The contents and layout of this report are subject to copyright owned by Amec Foster Wheeler (© Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 2016) save to the extent that copyright has been legally assigned by us to Main contributors another party or is used by Amec Foster Wheeler under licence. To the extent that we own the copyright in this report, it may not be copied or used without our prior written agreement for any purpose other than the purpose indicated in this report. 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Document revisions No. Details Date 1 Draft 09/10/2017 2 Draft (version 2) 04/01/2018 3 Draft (version 3) 16/02/2018 4 Final March 2018 5 Final Issue 2 July 2018 July 2018 Doc Ref. 38199CR056i1 3 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Contents 1. Introduction 6 1.1 Background to and Purpose of this Report 6 1.2 Habitats Regulations Assessment 7 1.3 Consultation 8 2. Methodology 9 2.1 HRA Screening (Stage 1) 9 2.1.1 Process Outline 9 2.1.2 Identifying In-Combination Effects, and Other Plans or Projects for Inclusion (Step 2, Stage 1) 9 2.1.3 Identification of the European Sites that Could Be Affected by the Proposed Development and Other Plans/Projects (Step 3, Stage 1) 10 2.1.4 Determining LSEs (Step 4, Stage 1) 11 2.2 Appropriate Assessment (Stage 2) 12 3. HRA Screening (Stage 1) 13 3.1 Step 1: Relationship Between the Proposed Development and the Conservation Management of European Sites 13 3.2 Step 2: Description of the Proposed Development 13 3.2.1 Description of the Site and the Surrounding Area 13 3.2.2 Summary Description of the Proposed Development 14 3.2.3 DCO Programme and Project Delivery 14 3.2.4 Other Developments and Plans 15 3.3 Step 3: Identification of Potential Effects on European Sites from the Proposed Development and Other Developments and Plans 15 3.3.1 Scope of Screening Principles 15 3.3.2 European Sites Included for Assessment 16 3.3.3 Identification of Potential Impacts 17 3.3.4 Screening Opinion and Consultation 18 3.3.5 Evidence Base 19 3.3.6 Identification of Geographical Parameters to Screen European Sites 20 3.3.7 Screening Summary 26 3.4 Step 4: Screening Assessment of Likely Significant Effects 26 4. Appropriate Assessment (Stage 2) 37 4.2 Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA - Golden Plover (non-breeding) 39 4.2.2 Current Baseline 40 4.2.3 Future Baseline 44 4.2.4 Predicted Adverse Effects 44 4.2.5 In-combination Effects 51 4.3 Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA – Little Tern (Breeding) 52 4.3.1 Current Baseline 52 4.3.2 Future Baseline 53 4.3.3 Predicted Adverse Effects 53 4.3.4 In-combination Effects 54 4.4 Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA/ Ramsar - Turnstone (Non-Breeding) 55 4.4.1 Current Baseline 55 4.4.2 Future Baseline 56 4.4.3 Predicted Adverse Effects 56 4.4.4 In-combination Effects 57 4.5 Sandwich Bay SAC – Annex I habitats 57 4.5.1 Current Baseline 57 January 2019 Doc Ref. 38199CR056i1 4 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 4.5.2 Future Baseline 59 4.5.3 Predicted Adverse Effects 60 4.5.4 In-Combination Effects 63 4.6 Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Ramsar – Invertebrates 64 4.6.1 Current Baseline 64 4.6.2 Future Baseline 64 4.6.3 Predicted Adverse Effects 64 4.6.4 In-Combination Effects 65 5. Conclusions 66 6. References 67 Matrix Key: 4 Stage 1, Matrix A: Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA 5 Evidence supporting conclusions 5 Stage 1, Matrix B: Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Ramsar 6 Evidence supporting conclusions 6 Stage 1, Matrix C: Thanet Coast SAC 7 Evidence supporting conclusions 7 Stage 1, Matrix D: Sandwich Bay SAC 8 Evidence supporting conclusions 8 Stage 1, Matrix E: Outer Thames Estuary SPA 9 Evidence supporting conclusions 9 Stage 1, Matrix F: Margate and Long Sands SAC 10 Evidence supporting conclusions 10 Stage 1, Matrix G: Stodmarsh SPA 11 Evidence supporting conclusions 12 Stage 1, Matrix H: Stodmarsh SAC 13 Evidence supporting conclusions 13 Stage 1, Matrix I: Stodmarsh Ramsar 14 Evidence supporting conclusions 15 Stage 1, Matrix J: Blean Complex SAC 16 Evidence supporting conclusions 16 Potential Impacts 2 Stage 2: Appropriate Assessment Matrices 4 Stage 2, Matrix A: Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA 5 Evidence supporting conclusions 5 Stage 2, Matrix B: Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Ramsar 6 Evidence supporting conclusions 6 Stage 2, Matrix C: Sandwich Bay SAC 7 Evidence supporting conclusions 7 Table 1.1 HRA Consultation 8 Table 3.1 Identification of Geographic Parameters for HRA Screening of the Proposed Development 22 Table 3.2 Screening Assessment 28 Table 4.1 European Sites and their Qualifying Features, Taken Forward for Detailed Assessment 38 Table 4.2 Golden plover Populations and Selection Thresholds 40 Table 4.3 Peak Monthly Counts of Golden Plover in Pegwell Bay, from Winters 2000/01-2014/15 42 Table 4.4 Peak Counts of Turnstone from 2008/09 – 2012/13 for Pegwell Bay and the Thanet Coast 55 Table A.1 Impacts Considered within the Screening Matrices 2 Table B.1 European Sites (and Qualifying Interest Features) within 15km of the Order Limits 2 Table C.1 Consultee Comments to Scoping Report and 2017 PEIR 2 Table C.2 Consultee Comments to 2018 PEIR 5 Table E.1 Impacts considered within the Appropriate Assessment matrices 2 January 2019 Doc Ref. 38199CR056i1 5 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited Figure 3.1 European sites within 15km of the Order Limits Figure 4.1a Daytime noise levels at or above 80 dB (LAmax) Figure 4.1b Night time noise levels at or above 80 dB (LAmax) Figure 4.2a Daytime noise levels at or above 70 dB (LAmax) Figure 4.2b Night time noise levels at or above 70 dB (LAmax) Figure 4.3 Functional Habitat Survey 2016/17: peak counts of golden plover Figure 4.4 Pegwell Bay Distribution Survey 2016/17: peak counts of golden plover Figure 4.5 Henderson & Sutherland (2017): peak counts of golden plover in winter 2016/17 Figure 4.6 Proposed flights lines of aircraft under 500m in altitude Figure 4.7 Pegwell Bay Distribution Survey 2016/17: peak counts of turnstone Figure 4.8 Sandwich Bay SAC – extent of the Priority Habitat, sand dunes Appendix A Screening Matrices (Stage 1) Potential Impacts Appendix B Designation Information Appendix C Scoping Opinion, Consultee Responses Appendix D Conservation Objectives Appendix E Appropriate Assessment Matrices (Stage 2) January 2019 Doc Ref. 38199CR056i1 6 © Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK Limited 1. Introduction 1.1 Background to and Purpose of this Report 1.1.1.1 This Report forms one of a suite of documents, which together support and explain in detail the content and nature of RiverOak Strategic Partners (hereafter referred to as ‘RiverOak’) Development Consent Order (DCO) application in respect of the Manston Airport Project (the ‘Proposed Development’); the proposals and their policy context are more fully described in the Planning Statement (Environment Statement [ES] Chapter 4: Planning Policy Context) and related supporting documentation accompanying the DCO application. The description for the Proposed Development is provided in ES Chapter 3: Description of the Proposed Development. This report is an appendix (Appendix 7.1) to ES Chapter 7: Biodiversity. 1.1.1.2 RiverOak is seeking a DCO (incorporating powers of compulsory acquisition of interests and rights in land) to acquire, re-develop and re-open Manston Airport in Ramsgate, Kent.