Snowdonia National Park Authority Local Development Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment Screening Report Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited 2212959 Firecrest Court Centre Park Warrington WA1 1RG United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)870 000 3008 Fax: +44 (0)870 000 3908 www.hyderconsulting.com Snowdonia National Park Authority Local Development Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment Screening Report Author D Hourd Checker N Hartley Approver S Hill Report No 002-NH51128-NHR-05 Date March 2009 This report has been prepared for the Snowdonia National Park Authority in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment for Sustainability Appraisal dated 30 July 2008. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited (2212959) cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this report by any third party. CONTENTS Abbreviations ..................................................................................................iii 1 Introduction and Purpose of the Report ............................................... 1 1.1 The Purpose of Habitats Regulations Assessment and Appropriate Assessment.......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Legislation and Guidance ..................................................................... 2 2 The Habitats Regulations Assessment Process .................................. 3 2.1 HRA Screening Methodology ............................................................... 3 2.2 The Scope of the Assessment.............................................................. 3 2.3 Applying HRA to the Snowdonia LDP................................................... 4 2.4 Definition of Significant Effects ............................................................. 5 2.5 In Combination Effects ......................................................................... 5 2.6 Mitigation Measures ............................................................................. 7 3 The Deposit LDP .................................................................................. 9 3.1 Introduction........................................................................................... 9 3.2 Influences ............................................................................................. 9 3.3 The LDP Policies .................................................................................. 9 4 The European Sites............................................................................ 11 5 Habitats Regulations Assessment of the Deposit Version LDP......... 15 5.1 Introduction......................................................................................... 15 5.2 European Sites and the Settlement Hierarchy.................................... 15 5.3 Assessment Matrices ......................................................................... 15 5.4 Summary of Key Findings .................................................................. 70 6 Conclusions and Recommendations.................................................. 72 Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited-2212959 Page i k:\projects\nh51128-snowdonia-sea\f-reports\002-nh51128-nhr-05-hrascreeningldp.doc Tables Table 2-1 Methodological Stages of the HRA Process 4 Table 2-2 Plans and Projects Considered for In-Combination Effects 5 Table 4-1 European Sites Located in and Around the National Park 12 Appendices Appendix A Preferred Strategy Options February 2008 Appendix B Assessment of the Preferred Strategy Options February 2008 Appendix C European Sites located near to or adjacent to Settlements Appendix D Conservation Objectives of the European Sites Figure 1 Location of European Sites Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited-2212959 Page ii k:\projects\nh51128-snowdonia-sea\f-reports\002-nh51128-nhr-05-hrascreeningldp.doc Abbreviations CCW Countryside Council for Wales cSAC Candidate Special Area of Conservation FCS Favourable Conservation Status GB Great Britain GIS Geographical Information Systems HRA Habitats Regulations Assessment LDP Local Development Plan LHMA Local Housing Market Assessment pSPA Potential Special Protection Area RSPB Royal Society for the Protection of Birds SAC Special Area of Conservation SNPA Snowdonia National Park Authority SPA Special Protection Area TAN Technical Advice Note UDP Unitary Development Plan WAG Welsh Assembly Government Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited-2212959 Page iii k:\projects\nh51128-snowdonia-sea\f-reports\002-nh51128-nhr-05-hrascreeningldp.doc Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited-2212959 Page iii k:\projects\nh51128-snowdonia-sea\f-reports\002-nh51128-nhr-05-hrascreeningldp.doc 1 Introduction and Purpose of the Report The Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) is preparing a Local Development Plan (LDP) for the period to 2022. The LDP builds on national and regional policy and provides the development strategy and policy framework within which provision is made for the development and conservation needs of the National Park. The LDP will be used by the Authority to encourage development to the most suitable locations and to provide a basis for determining planning applications consistently and appropriately. The SNPA is obliged to afford the highest levels of protection to the intrinsic qualities of the National Park. The National Park’s biodiversity is a key aspect of this and, as such, the SNPA is committed to protecting the designated sites located within and around its borders. Within the National Park and immediately adjacent there are a number of sites that form part of the Natura 2000 Network. Natura 2000 is a network of areas designated to conserve natural habitats and species that are rare, endangered, vulnerable or endemic within the European Community. The sites forming part of the network are frequently referred to as ‘European Sites’ and include Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated under the EC Habitats Directive 1992 (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) for their habitats and/or species of European importance and Special Protection Areas (SPA) classified under the EC Birds Directive 1979 (Council Directive 79/409/EEC) for rare, vulnerable and regularly occurring migratory bird species. There are also Ramsar Sites which are wetlands of international importance designated under the Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. Prior to the adoption of the LDP it is the responsibility of the SNPA to consider the potential effects of the LDP on European Sites. This process is referred to as Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA). The HRA process for the LDP commenced for the LDP in February 2008 when the options for the LDP were reviewed to determine their effects on European Sites. Following consultation upon the LDP Options, the SNPA has prepared the Deposit Version of the LDP and it is necessary to re-screen the policies in the LDP to determine the likelihood of significant effects occurring and subsequently whether the LDP should be subject to Appropriate Assessment. This HRA Screening Report should be read in conjunction with the Deposit Version of the LDP1. 1.1 The Purpose of Habitats Regulations Assessment and Appropriate Assessment Under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive, an assessment is required where a plan or project may give rise to significant effects upon a site within the Natura 2000 network. This requirement is transposed into national legislation in the 1 SNPA (March, 2009) Local Development Plan, Deposit Version Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited-2212959 Page 1 k:\projects\nh51128-snowdonia-sea\f-reports\002-nh51128-nhr-05-hrascreeningldp.doc Conservation (Natural Habitats & c) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. As part of the assessment, effects upon SACs and SPAs must be considered. Additionally, and as a matter of policy, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) requires all public authorities to treat potential SPAs (pSPA), candidate SACs (cSAC) and possible Ramsar sites (pRamsar) as if they were fully designated. The overarching aim of HRA is to determine, in view of a site’s conservation objectives and qualifying interests, whether a plan, either in isolation and/or in combination with other plans, would have a significant adverse effect on the designated site. If the Screening Report concludes that significant adverse effects are likely then Appropriate Assessment must be undertaken to determine if there will be adverse effects on site integrity. Section 2 provides further procedural and methodological information. 1.2 Legislation and Guidance The HRA has drawn upon the following pieces of legislation and guidance: Habitats Regulations (the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. Consultation Draft Annex to Technical Advice Note (TAN) 5, Nature Conservation and Planning – the Assessment of Development Plans in Wales under the Provisions of the Habitats Regulations (WAG 2006). Department for Communities and Local Government (2006) Planning for the Protection of European Sites: Appropriate Assessment (whilst it is acknowledged that this applies only to the English planning system, the guidance has many useful and transferable points). European Commission, Managing Natura 2000 sites: The provisions of Article 6 of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC. European Commission, Guidance document on Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC. Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited-2212959 Page 2 k:\projects\nh51128-snowdonia-sea\f-reports\002-nh51128-nhr-05-hrascreeningldp.doc 2 The Habitats Regulations Assessment Process This section provides an outline of the stages involved