Study of Options Environmental Assessment Report Hereford Relief Road 005 August 2010 Job No.: 00551497 Study of Options Environmental Assessment Report Hereford Relief Road Report No.: 005 Revision No.: 01 Date of issue: August 2010 Amey Herefordshire Council Caburn House Franklin House Brooks Road 4 Commercial Road Lewes Hereford East Sussex Herefordshire BN7 2BY HR1 2BB 00551497\005 i Document Control Sheet Project Name: Hereford Relief Road Project Number: 00551497 Document / Study of Options Environmental Assessment Report Report Title: Document / 005 Report Number: Issue Status/Amendment Prepared Reviewed Approved Issue 0 Name: Adam Glass Name: Gavin Sams Name: Gavin Sams Signature: A Glass Signature: G Sams Signature: G Sams Date: 09/07/2010 Date: 09/07/2010 Date: 09/07/2010 Issue 1 Locations of Name: Adam Glass Name: Gavin Sams Name: Gavin Sams Badger Setts removed. Signature: Signature: G Sams Signature: G Sams A Glass Date: 13/08/2010 Date: 16/08/2010 Date: 16/08/2010 (Enter Details of Name: Name: Name: Amendment) (print) (print) (print) Signature: Signature: Signature: Date: Date: Date: (Enter Details of Name: Name: Name: Amendment) (print) (print) (print) Signature: Signature: Signature: Date: Date: Date: 00551497\005 ii List of Contents Page Chapters and Appendices B1 Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 B1.1 PURPOSE OF STUDY ........................................................................................... 1 B1.2 BACKGROUND AND STUDY CONTEXT .............................................................. 1 B1.3 STUDY METHODOLOGY....................................................................................... 3 B1.4 TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENTS............................................................................ 3 B1.5 SCHEME OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................... 4 B1.6 CURRENT PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION .............................................................. 4 B1.7 HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT................................................. 5 B1.8 SOURCES OF OPTIONS ....................................................................................... 6 B2 Methodology............................................................................................................ 10 B2.2 APPRAISAL PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE........................................................ 11 B2.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY OF OPTIONS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORT...................................................................................... 12 B2.4 DESIGN MANUAL FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT...................................................................................................... 13 B2.5 TAG APPRAISAL ENVIRONMENT OBJECTIVE ................................................. 17 B2.6 TAG APPRAISAL ENVIRONMENT SUB-OBJECTIVES...................................... 17 B2.7 CONSULTATIONS................................................................................................ 17 B3 The Noise Sub-Objective ........................................................................................ 19 B3.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 19 B3.2 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................. 19 B3.3 SCREENING ......................................................................................................... 19 B3.4 SCOPING.............................................................................................................. 20 B3.5 BASELINE CONDITIONS ..................................................................................... 21 B3.6 CONSULTATION AND CONSTRAINTS............................................................... 21 B3.7 SENSITIVE RECEPTORS .................................................................................... 23 B3.8 NOISE IMPACTS .................................................................................................. 24 B3.9 NOISE AND VIBRATION EFFECTS DURING CONSTRUCTION ....................... 25 00551497\005 iii B3.10 MITIGATION ......................................................................................................... 25 B3.11 FURTHER WORK................................................................................................. 25 B3.12 CONCLUSIONS.................................................................................................... 26 B4 The Air Quality Sub-Objective................................................................................. 27 B4.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 27 B4.2 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................. 27 B4.3 PROPERTY COUNTS, SENSITIVE RECEPTORS AND DESIGNATED SITES .................................................................................................................... 28 B4.4 CONSULTATION WITH HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL ...................................... 28 B4.5 AIR QUALITY POLICES AND PLANS.................................................................. 28 B4.6 BASELINE AIR QUALITY MONITORING............................................................. 31 B4.7 BRIEF FOR FURTHER MONITORING ................................................................ 33 B4.8 CALCULATION OF LEVELS OF POLLUTION..................................................... 33 B4.9 AIR QUALITY EFFECTS DURING CONSTRUCTION......................................... 33 B4.10 IMPACT ON HEREFORD AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREA........................ 34 B4.11 FURTHER WORK................................................................................................. 34 B4.12 REGIONAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ................................................................... 35 B4.13 MITIGATION ......................................................................................................... 36 B4.14 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................... 36 B5 The Greenhouse Gases Sub-Objective .................................................................. 37 B5.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 37 B5.2 Study Area............................................................................................................. 37 B5.3 Proposed Level and Scope of Assessment .......................................................... 37 B5.4 REGULATORY/POLICY FRAMEWORK .............................................................. 38 B5.5 GREENHOUSE GAS ASSESSMENT .................................................................. 39 B5.6 Further work required for Stage 2 Assessment .................................................... 40 B5.7 MITIGATION ......................................................................................................... 41 B6 The Landscape Sub-Objective................................................................................ 42 B6.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 42 B6.2 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................. 42 00551497\005 iv B6.3 LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ................................................................................. 43 B6.4 LANDSCAPE QUALITY, SENSITIVITY AND VALUE .......................................... 46 B6.5 THE ROUTE CORRIDORS .................................................................................. 49 B6.6 LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL EFFECTS................................................................. 51 B7 The Townscape Sub-Objective ............................................................................... 69 B7.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 69 B7.2 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................. 69 B7.3 TOWNSCAPE CHARACTER................................................................................ 69 B7.4 TOWNSCAPE QUALITY, SENSITIVITY AND VALUE......................................... 70 B7.5 TOWNSCAPE EFFECTS...................................................................................... 71 B8 The Heritage of Historic Resources Sub-Objective ................................................ 72 B8.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 72 B8.2 NATIONAL LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE....................................................... 74 B8.3 LOCAL PLANNING POLICY................................................................................. 75 B8.4 GENERAL METHODOLOGY................................................................................ 77 Importance of the Assets................................................................................................... 78 B8.5 BASELINE DATA .................................................................................................. 86 B8.6 STAGE 2 DMRB ASSESSMENT........................................................................ 104 B8.7 FURTHER WORK REQUIRED FOR STAGE 2 ASSESSMENT ........................ 106