Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Environmental Report - Technical Appendices On behalf of Prime Energy Development Ltd. Project Ref: 42481 | Rev: 01 | Date: November 2017 Office Address: 33 Bowling Green Lane, London, EC1R 0BJ T: +44 (0)203 824 6600 E: [email protected] Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley ii Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Appendices Appendix 1.1. Site Photographs Appendix 5.2.1. Non-statutory Designated Areas for Nature Conservation Appendix 5.2.2. Target Notes – Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey Appendix 5.3.1. Glossary of Acoustic Terminology Appendix 5.3.2. Time History Graph Appendix 5.5.1. PBA Methodology for Ground Conditions Assessment Appendix 5.5.2. Envirocheck Report Appendix 5.5.3. BGS Borehole Records \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley iii Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Appendix 1.1. Site Photographs Photograph 1 – View across site looking East from access gate. Photograph 2 – View across site looking south west from north east corner of site \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Photograph 3 – Substation in the north east corner of site Photograph 4 – Overhead cables looking west, just south of site \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Photograph 5 – View looking west from access gate Photograph 6 – View looking south from north west corner of site \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Photograph 7 – Railway embankment, looking east from north west corner of site Photograph 8 – View looking south from substation in north east corner of site \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Appendix 5.2.1. Non-statutory Designated Areas for Nature Conservation Approximate Distance Designated Area Name and Direction from the Designated Features Application Site Sites of Importance For Nature Conservation (SINCs) B3051 Kingsclere 680 m north - west Relic unimproved grassland. Road, Frost Hill Heath Copse 760 m north-east Ancient semi-natural woodland. Ancient semi-natural woodland and population of The Harrow Way 860 m north dormouse. Relic unimproved grassland. Sites of nature St. Mary's Churchyard, conservation occurring in an area otherwise 890 m south-west Overton deficient in such interest, and/or of particularly high value to local communities. Kingsdown Wood 950 m north-east Ancient semi-natural woodland. Nutley Copse 1.3 km north Ancient semi-natural woodland. Court Drove Woodland Ancient semi-natural woodland. Population of 1.2 km south-west Strip dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. Ancient semi-natural woodland. Population of Overton Green Lanes 1.7 km south-west dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. Berrydown Copse 1.8 km south Ancient semi-natural woodland. Road Verges of Ecological Importance (RVEIs) B3051 Kingsclere Knapweed broomrape Orobanche elatior, 13 680 m north - west Road, Frost Hill indicator species. Woolly thistle Cirsium eriophorum, chalk U19 Ash Warren 1.1 km north-east grassland. \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Appendix 5.2.2. Target Notes – Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey Target Note Photo Description Number Cultivated arable field. Harvested at the time of survey. Largely devoid of vegetation, with scattered grasses and 1 herbs developing, including dove’s-foot crane’s-bill Geranium molle and field pansy Viola arvensis. Unmanaged ruderal vegetation and scattered scrub at the western/north- western margin of the Application Site. Species included false oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius, creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens, common 2 nettle Urtica dioica, Cock’s-foot dactylis glomerata, perennial rye-grass Lolium perenne, bramble Rubus fruticosus agg., creeping thistle Cirsium arvense, common ragwort Senecio jacobea and wild clematis vita-alba. \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Offsite unmanaged ruderal vegetation along the northern field margin, adjacent to the proposed access track route. Species present include hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, creeping thistle 3 Cirsium arvense and common nettle Urtica dioica along with coarse grasses including cock’s-foot, false oat-grass, barren brome Anisantha sterilis and red fescue Festuca rubra. Eastern extent of access track comprising short-cropped species-poor semi- improved grassland. Species included false oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius, cock’s-foot Dactylis glomerata, clovers Trifolium sp., hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, meadow-grasses Poa sp., 4 Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus, dove’s-foot crane’s-bill Geranium molle, mugwort Artemisia vulgaris, perennial rye-grass Lolium perenne and greater knapweed, Centaurea scabiosa. \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Ruderal vegetation along the eastern Application Site boundary. Species include cock’s-foot Dactylis glomerata, hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, common nettle Urtica dioica, creeping thistle Cirsium arvense, false oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius, barren brome 5 Anisantha sterilis, red fescue Festuca rubra, mugwort Artemisia vulgaris, common ragwort Senecio jacobea, hedge mustard Sisymbrium officinale, meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis, dove’s-foot crane’s-bill Geranium molle,, lesser burdock Arctium minu, and Shepherd’s purse Capsella bursa-pastoris. \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Intact species rich hedgerows bordering the Application Site to the north (pictured top), and east (pictured bottom). Species included blackthorn Prunus spinosa, elder Sambucus nigra, hazel Corylus avellana, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and dog- 6 rose Rosa canina. Suckering re-growth of English elm Ulmus procer was frequent in the northern hedgerow. Oher shrubs including dogwood Cornus sanguinea and wayfaring-tree Viburnum lantana were present with a more scattered distribution. Wild clematis vita-alba was frequent. \\pba.int\BGL\Projects\42481 - Prime Willesley Overton Weston\Overton\ER\Appendices\Overton Appendices.docx Environmental Report Technical Appendices Overton Emergency Standby Electricity Generation Facility Appendix 5.3.1. Glossary of Acoustic Terminology Parameter Description The totally encompassing sound in a given situation at a given time, Ambient Noise Level usually composed of a sound from many sources both distant and near (LAeq,T). Daytime The period 07:00-23:00 hours. A scale for comparing the ratios of two quantities, including sound pressure and sound power. The difference in level between two sounds s1 and s2 is given by 20 log10 (s1/s2). The decibel can also be used to measure absolute quantities by specifying a reference value that fixes Decibel (dB) one point on the scale. For sound pressure, the reference value is 20 Pa. The threshold of normal hearing is in the region of 0 dB and 140 dB is the threshold of pain. A change of 1 dB is only perceptible under controlled conditions. Decibels measured on a sound level meter incorporating a frequency dB(A), LAx weighting (A weighting) which differentiates between sounds of different frequency (pitch) in a similar way to the human ear. Measurements in dB(A) broadly agree with people’s assessment of loudness. A change of 3 dB(A) is the minimum perceptible under normal conditions, and a change of 10 dB(A) corresponds roughly to halving or doubling the loudness of a sound. The background noise in a living room may be about 30 dB(A); normal conversation about 60 dB(A) at 1 metre; heavy road traffic about 80 dB(A) at 10 metres; the level near a pneumatic drill about 100 dB(A). Setting on sound level meter, denoted by a subscript F, which determines the speed at which the instrument responds to changes in Fast Time Weighting the amplitude of any measured signal. The fast time weighting can lead to higher values than the slow time weighting when rapidly changing signals are measured. The average time constant for the fast response setting is 0.125 (1/8) seconds. Sound pressure level measured outside, far away from reflecting Free-field surfaces (except the ground), usually taken to mean