Biodiversity

PEI Report Chapter 6 : Click Here

PEI Report Figures : Click Here

PEI Report Appendices : Click Here

Glossary and Abbreviations : Click Here

This section summarises the preliminary assessment findings at this point in the EIA process for biodiversity, based on PEI Report Chapter 6: Biodiversity.

Baseline

There are four SACs, one SPA, nine SSSIs and one Local Nature Reserve (LNR) within the 2km biodiversity routewide study area, alongside 16 non-statutory designated sites.

There are two additional SAC (North Pennine Moor and Asby Complex), one SPA (North Pennine Moors), four SSSIs (Argill Woods and Pastures, Augill Valley Pasture, Bowes Moor and Crosby Ravensworth Fell), which are situated within 200m of the Affected Road Network (ARN).

The desktop study identified nine Priority Habitat types within the draft DCO boundary of the routewide project: deciduous woodland (broadleaved and mixed), rivers and streams, good quality semi-improved grassland (lowland meadows and pastures), lowland fens, upland heath purple moor-grass and rush pastures, lowland dry acid grassland, coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (floodplain grazing marsh only) and traditional orchards. There are also multiple Phase 1 habitat types within the draft DCO boundary.

Surveys for protected and Priority Species are ongoing and the complete baseline will be included in the ES. The habitats present support opportunities for the following protected and Priority Species; Bats (roosting in structures and trees), Bats (activity), Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), Otter (Lutra lutra), Water vole (Arvicola amphibius), Badger (Meles meles), Pine marten (Martes martes), Polecat (Mustela putorius), Brown hare (Lepus europaeus), Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), Deer, wintering and breeding birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, white clawed crayfish, terrestrial invertebrates, aquatic invertebrates and macrophytes.

Construction

The highways design has fully considered designated sites and priority habitats and seeks to avoid habitat loss of high conservation value. The alignment width will also be minimised at water crossings to minimise potential impacts.

Temporary and permanent habitat loss will occur routewide during construction. The types of habitat lost permanently are predominantly improved grassland, arable land, hedgerows, woodland and semi-improved grassland.

Construction of the project will cause temporary and permanent habitat fragmentation both directly through habitat loss, severance, and through disturbance. This will have the greatest impact for those schemes which are all or partially offline. Noise and temporary lighting from construction compounds and vehicle movements along haul routes may increase disturbance effects and also deter species from crossing an area to reach an important resource.

Habitats within or adjacent to the schemes, and those which are hydrologically connected (areas connected by surface water or groundwater), may be at increased risk of damage and degradation through sediment run-off, water pollution, dust and vehicle emission deposits.

Construction has the potential to injure and kill a wide range of species through the following activities; vegetation clearance, topsoil stripping, tree felling and in-channel works to waterbodies.

Temporary construction traffic and vehicle diversions may also increase the chance of a road traffic collisions, on other species including badger, otter, deer, polecat, hedgehog, bats and barn owl.

The amount of land needed for the project will be kept to a minimum and construction impacts have been designed out or minimised as far as possible, for example locating access tracks, haul roads, site compounds and material storage areas outside of ecologically sensitive sites and habitats. This is an ongoing process and ecological constraints will continue to be fully considered during preliminary and detailed design.

The preliminary assessment of likely significant effects is based on the preliminary information currently available regarding the likely presence of the habitat or species incorporating data from surveys to end of June 2021 and the current stage of design. A precautionary approach has been applied assuming presence of a protected/notable species, where the habitat is suitable, in the absence of survey data.

A full impact assessment including assessment of magnitude/level of impact will be undertaken for the ES.

Preliminary construction assessment

There is the potential for likely significant effects to occur on the following during construction, subject to further survey and mitigation design:

• Statutory designated sites
• Non-statutory designated sites
• Terrestrial Habitats
• Rivers and streams
• Bat roosts
• Bat activity
• Red squirrel
• Wintering birds
• Breeding birds
• Barn owl
• Reptiles
• Terrestrial invertebrates
• Macrophytes

The ongoing EIA will further develop mitigation design to address likely significant effects identified at this preliminary assessment stage.

Operation

During the operational phase, the project will result in permanent habitat fragmentation through severance from traffic movements. The east-west alignment of the project will result in loss of ecological connectivity for north-south movements, which has potential implications for ecosystem and species resilience. However, with habitat creation and enhancement along the route, east-west dispersal and commuting opportunities are likely to be increased for many species.

Habitat severance may result in species crossing the new carriageway to access foraging and breeding resources. This is likely to result in injury and direct mortality and an increased risk of road traffic accidents through vehicle collision.

Habitats within or adjacent to the operational project, and those which are hydrologically connected, will be at risk of indirect damage and degradation through permanent changes to drainage, pollution from road-run off, changes to vehicle emissions and nitrogen deposition.

Operational traffic noise and lighting may have permanent effects on how species use foraging, commuting and breeding resources. Lighting at junctions may adversely affect nocturnal species such as bats. Lighting along watercourse crossings and underpasses along the road can also affect mammals such as otter.

Increased deposition of nitrogen and other airborne pollutants arising from increased traffic volumes in the wider road network and/or diversions, may also affect the integrity of vegetation communities.

Roads and associated infrastructure may also increase levels of human disturbance, through access to recreation areas, which were not previously accessible.

Mitigation measures including underpasses and crossing point installations for a range of mammal species will be incorporated into the design at appropriate locations. These will be comprehensively determined based on data from the ongoing surveys and preliminary design. Lighting will be minimised across the project. Where lighting is required, for example at junctions, suitable lighting choices or adaptations will be designed in to avoid light spill to sensitive habitats. Drainage design will ensure road run-off is channelled into a suitable system to protect retained and newly created habitats.

The preliminary assessment of likely significant effects is based on the preliminary information currently available regarding the likely presence of the habitat or species and the current stage of design. A full impact assessment will be undertaken as part of the ongoing EIA and will be reported within the ES.

Preliminary operation assessment

There is the potential for likely significant effects to occur on the following during operation, subject to further survey and mitigation design:

• Statutory designated sites
• Non-Statutory designated sites
• Bat roosts
• Bat activity
• Red squirrel
• Other terrestrial mammals (polecat, brown hare, deer, hedgehog
• Wintering birds
• Breeding birds
• Barn owl
• Reptiles
• Amphibians
• Terrestrial invertebrates
• Macrophytes

Ecology surveys are ongoing and will be completed to inform full impact assessment to be reported in the ES. The ongoing EIA will further develop mitigation design to address likely significant effects identified at this preliminary assessment stage.