6. Approach to the In-Combination Assessment

  1. The Habitats Regulations require the consideration of the potential effects of a project on European sites both alone and in-combination with other plans or projects.
  2. The Marine Scotland Consenting and Licensing Guidance: For Offshore Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy Applications (Scottish Government, 2018) states that ‘Engagement with MS-LOT is required to identify which plans/projects/ongoing activities should be included in the in-combination element of the cumulative effects assessment’. The offshore wind projects in the Firth of Forth and Tay region will be considered, alongside other developments, including those which are:
  • already constructed;
  • under construction;
  • permitted application(s), but not yet implemented; and
  • Plans and projects which are "reasonably foreseeable" (i.e. developments that are being planned, including, for example, offshore renewable energy projects which have a Crown Estate AfL, offshore renewable energy projects that have been scoped).
    1. The in-combination assessment will consider all other relevant plans, projects and activities where information to inform the assessment is publicly available three months prior to the Proposed Development application.
    2. The in-combination assessment will present relevant in-combination impacts of projects according to a tiered approach. This approach provides a framework for placing relative weight upon the potential for each project/plan to be included in the in-combination assessment to ultimately be realised, based upon the project/plan’s current stage of maturity and certainty in the projects’ parameters. The tiered approach which will be utilised within the in-combination assessment comprises the following tiers:
  • tier 1 assessment – Proposed Development (offshore elements of the Berwick Bank Wind Farm) with Berwick Bank Wind Farm onshore;
  • tier 2 assessment – All plans/projects assessed under Tier 1, plus projects which are operational, under construction, those with consent and submitted but not yet determined;
  • tier 3 assessment – All plans/projects assessed under Tier 2, plus those projects with a Scoping Report; and
  • tier 4 assessment - All plans/projects assessed under Tier 3, plus those projects likely to come forward where an AfL has been granted.
    1. An overview of the projects or activities which will be considered for in-combination with the Proposed Development include:
  • other offshore wind farms and associated cabling and infrastructure;
  • oil and gas infrastructure/development (cables and pipelines);
  • other forms of cabling (i.e. telecommunications and interlinks);
  • beach replenishment schemes;
  • navigation and shipping; and
  • aggregate extraction and disposal of dredging spoil.

 

7. Summary of LSE

  1. Table 7.1   Open ▸ provides a summary of the European sites, qualifying interest features and potential impacts for which a potential for a LSE has been identified as a result of the Proposed Development alone and/or in combination with other plans or projects. The table excludes all features which have been screened out as no potential for LSE has been identified. These sites and features will be taken forward for consideration in the RIAA.
  2. In total, 12 SACs are being taken forward for consideration in the RIAA.  In relation to European sites designated for Annex I Habitats, the assessment of LSE undertaken in section 5.2 considered one SAC for which the potential for LSE could not be discounted. An appropriate assessment will be undertaken for this site in the RIAA with respect to Increases in SSC and sediment deposition, changes in physical processes and in-combination effects. 
  3. Six SACs were considered for Annex II diadromous fish species in section 5.3. All six of these sites were progressed to stage two of the HRA with respect to underwater noise, EMF, the colonisation of hard structures and in-combination effects.
  4. With respect to marine mammals, the assessment of LSE undertaken in section 5.4, considered 24 European sites (including five SACs in the UK and 19 transboundary sites). Of these, the potential for LSE could not be discounted with respect to underwater noise, changes in prey availability and in-combination effects for five SACs (two SACs for grey seal, one SAC each for harbour seal, harbour porpoise and bottle nose dolphin).
  5. In relation to the SPAs (and associated Ramsar sites included on the basis of their ornithological features), the assessment of LSE undertaken in section 5.5 above, resulted in a total of 37 sites being taken forward for consideration in the RIAA. Of these 37 SPAs (and Ramsar sites), one is a marine SPA, 19 are breeding seabird colony SPAs and 17 are migratory waterbird SPAs (and Ramsar sites), with one site from the latter category (i.e. the Firth of Forth SPA and Ramsar site) also included due to the potential for LSE as a result of disturbance and displacement of the non-breeding red-throated diver qualifying feature.

 

Table 7.1:
Summary of European Sites and Relevant Qualifying Features for Which Potential LSEs Have Been Identified and Screened in for Further Assessment in the RIAA

Table 7.1:  Summary of European Sites and Relevant Qualifying Features for Which Potential LSEs Have Been Identified and Screened in for Further Assessment in the RIAA

 

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Standard Data Forms

 

Link to PDF   Open ▸

 

Appendix 2 Baseline Seal Information for the FTOWDG Area

 

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[1] Council Directive 92/43 /EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206/7 22.7.1992) (the Habitats Directive)

[2] It is recognised that post EU-Exit, the UK parliament can amend the schedules to the Habitats Regulations

[3] Recognising the potential for non-significant effects to accumulate or act in-combination

[4] The UK Supreme Court may depart from binding pre-EU Exit case law if they consider it 'right to do so' and the Inner House of the Court of Session may depart from such case law in certain circumstances

[5] See: Changes to the Habitats Regulations 2017 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

[6] The titles of these documents have not, at the time of writing, been updated to reflect post EU Exit terminology

[7] See The handling of mitigation in HRA (A2900547) (nature.scot)

[8] Such as The European Union’s Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS) (EU, 2014)