Table 2: Hedge numbers within indicative 30m working area and potentially affected by the pipeline J2.1.1 Species-rich J2.2.1 Defunct species-rich Species-rich Hedge J2.3.1 Species-ric
INTRODUCTION
1.1 RWE npower has submitted a proposal to the Department of Energy and Climate Change for consent to construct a new gas-fired power station on the former site of Willington A and Willington B Power Stations in south Derbyshire Consent for the new power station was granted 4 th March 2011
1.2 A new gas pipeline is required to link the proposed power station with the National
Transmission System (NT S) This i s a national network of large gas transmission pipelines operated by the National Grid The proposed pipeline would connect with th e NTS n ear the village of Yoxall in Staffordshire, where an Above Ground Installation (AGI) would be constructed The pipeline would run from Yoxall for approximately 27km to the site of the proposed gas-fired power station in Willington, Derbyshire
1.3 Consent for the n ew gas pipeline, is requir ed in the form of a Development Consent Order under the Pl anning Act (2008 ) and subject to The Infrastructure Planning (EIA) Reg ulations
(2009) The body responsible for the administration of this process is currently the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), formerly the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC)
1.4 This report will form part of the baselin e upon which the assessment of environmental impacts will be made and it will be presented as part of the Environmental Statement submitted as part of the application for consent for the new pipeline
1.5 In addition to the scoping opinion received from the IPC, two meetings were held during 2010 with representatives of Natural England, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, in order to inform the detailed methodology and scope of the surveys
1.6 This survey of hedgerows is one of a number of ecology studies carried out along a land corridor following the route of the proposed pipeline, forming part of an ecological baseline assessment The purpose of this has been to establish the character of habitats, presence of protected species, protected areas of wildlife value and features of ecological interest The results of the surveys will be used to evaluate the immediate and long-term impacts of the pipeline and inform appropriate routing and mitigation measures
1.7 This study is based upon hedgerow assessments completed in 2010 and 2011
1.8 The Hedgerow Regulations came into operation in 1997, having been created under the
Environment Act 1995 They allow Local Authorities to protect important hedges from damage and loss Hedgerows are notified by certain criteria which are used to determine whether they are important The criteria relate to the value of hedgerows from an archaeological, historical, landscape or wildlife perspective, and a hedgerow is considered important if it qualifies under any one of these criteria Therefore, important hedges are likely to be continuous, old with a wide range of trees and shrubs, possibly a parish or estate boundary, and may have a ditch and bank system The Regulations exclude hedgerows less than 30 years old
1.9 Specialist surveys are needed to assess the hedges against the criteria listed in the
1.10 Hedgerows are also a Priority Habitat in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BRI G 2008), with a hedgerow defined as: ‘any boundary line of trees or shrubs over 20m long and less than 5m wide, and where gaps between trees or shrub species are less than 20m wide’ The ha bitat includes all hedgerows consisting predominantly of native woody species As UK priority habitat, hedgerows are capable of being a material consideration in planning decision making, and under Section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, local authorities must take steps to further their conservation
1.11 Under Article 10 of the Habitats Directive, the UK Government is required to enco urage the management of important landscape features for wild flora and fauna, in particular features which by their linear or continuous nature function as stepping stones for migration, dispersal and genetic exchange Such features would include traditional field boundary systems such as hedgerows Suitable planning conditions and obligations are seen as a key tool to promote such management
METHODOLOGY
2.1 Hedgerows were assessed as part of the Phase 1 survey, undertaken in April to July 2010 and
March to July 2011 Where further assessment against the hedgerow regulations was deemed necessary, these additional surveys were undertaken in May to June 2011 All surveys were conducted within the prime survey period for habitat and botanical assessment (JNCC 2010)
2.2 Surveys for hedgerows potentially qualifying as ‘Important’ for wildlife were cond ucted by ecologists with appropriate experience in Phase 1 and Hedgerow Regulations assessments Surveyors were: Helen Hamilton, Emma Vernon, Phil Smith, Darren Lorking, Danny De La Hey, Alistair Blackshaw, Lucy Besson and Jessica Eades All are educated to degree level in appropriate subjects and all perman ent staff are members or associates of IEEM 1 The determination of hedge rows as ‘Important’ for heritage was carried out by Kirsten Holland of WYG Environmental, who is RWE npower’s appointed archaeological consultant
2.3 All hedgerows lying within the 30m ind icative pipeline working area and a 100m buffer zo ne along either side of the entire length of the pipeline route (i.e a 230m wide corridor) were assessed initially, with Phase 1 codes and target notes pre pared The areas covered also included the full extent of the works limits (35m either side of 30m indicative pipeline working area)
2.4 Target notes were taken for each hedgerow, including an indication of the relative abundance of each plant species using the ‘DAFOR’ scale (where D = dominant; A = abundant; F = frequent;
O = occasional; R = rare) The pipeline route was divided into 8 Sections for the purposes of the ecological study, and the first digit of each target note number for hedges reflects the section within which it lies, e.g H7.2 lies within Section 7 Target notes included a general description and list of key plant species present and an allocation to the standard Phase 1 habitat codes (Nature Conservancy Council 1990) associated with a numbered feature on the habitat map Hedges were categorised as follows:
J2.3.1 – species-rich hedge with trees;
J2.3.2 – species-poor hedge with trees
2.5 All species-rich hedgerows were th en re-evaluated against the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 criteria (DEFRA 1997) to determine whether th ey were ‘Impo rtant’ under the Regulations on wildlife grounds Hedgerows were noted as ‘species-rich hedge’ when they contained a minimum of five woody species listed under Schedule 3 of the Hedgerows Regulations 1997
1 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
(i.e most native trees or shrubs) This was because five species is the minimum required to qualify as important under the Regulations in Staffordshire and Derbyshire, when accompanied by other key features This method provides a quick and easy minimum threshold for eliminating less important hedges from detailed Phase 2 surveys
2.6 All hedges categorised as ‘species-rich’ in the initial survey plus some others that supported other hedgerow features of interest, were re-examined in 2011 Where hedges were considered likely to qualify under the Regulations, they were assessed against the criteria A standard recording form was used (Appendix A), which identifies the Hedgerow Regulations criteria and gathers information on features associated with ancient hedgerows such as dimensions, structure, management, and presence of mature and veteran trees (after Defra 2007)
2.7 Information on hedgerows qualifying as ‘Important’ under the Regulations from an archaeological, historical and landscape perspective was received from Kirsten Holland of WYG Environmental
2.8 Hedges qualifying on ecol ogical grounds have been highlighted on a map presenting all the hedgerows Hedges qualifying on archaeological and heritage grounds have also been identified on these figures
2.9 Hedges were also assessed against the UK Biodiversity Action Plan Hedgerows Priority Habitat criteria (BRIG 2008), outlined above, which are now fairly inclusive of all predominantly native species hedges
2.10 All botanical nomenclature follows Stace (2 010) Where trees were assessed for bat potential, the grading followed the Bat Conservation Trust’s Bat Surveys Good Practice Guidelines (Bat Conservation Trust 2007) – discussed in more detail in Appendix 8.4
RESULTS
3.1 A continuous network of hedgerows is present throughout the study corridor, reflecting the rural nature of the pipeline route Hawthorn is the dominant hedgerow shrub The great majority of hedges fell into the species-poor categories based upon the Phase 1 codes, but a number of Important Hedgerows were encountered, as well as many spe cies-rich hedges with or without trees
3.2 In total, 458 hedgerows were surveyed within the 2 30m study area (e ncompassing the 3 0m indicative pipeline working area and surrounding 100m buffer zone for the proposed pipeline route) Of these, 92 were re-surveyed to see if they met with the Hedgerow Regulations criteria (Table 1) A total of 30 important hedges were identified under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997;
24 in Staffordshire and 6 in Derbyshire All hedgerows and their Phase 1 codes are presented in Figures 1 to 15, including hedgerows which qualify under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997
Table 1: Numbers of hedgerows per section within 230m wide study area and surveyed for comparison against the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 criteria
Section Total Number of hedges within study area
Number hedges surveyed against Hedgerow Regulations
3.3 Appendix B presents full target notes of all hedgerows surveyed throughout the survey area A species list o f all woody a nd herbaceous species occurring in hedgerows along the route is presented in Appendix C Detailed notes for the hedgerows determined as Important under the Hedgerow regulations are presented in Appendix D
3.4 Only hedgerows which either intersect with the 30m indicative working area or lie within additional working areas such as storage compounds and access points are considered further in any detail Hedgerows lying only within the buffer zone are unlikely to be affected by the proposals as they currently stand, except where they occur on land within the additional working areas The additional extent of the works limits has also been considered, but movement of the pipelin e route within this area has not been found to significantly alter the impact of the proposals upon hedges, or to include any additional hedgerows considered to be Important under the Hedgerow Regulations
3.5 The Hedgerow Management Strategy sets out the proposals for crossing hedgerows adopted by the proposed pipeline construction methods The document distinguishes hedges into 3 categories, defined as follows:
Sensitive hedge (qualifies as Impo rtant under the Hedgerow Regulations on either ecological or archaeological grounds;
Species-rich hedge (Phase 1 codes J2.1.1, J2.2.1 and J2.3.1);
Standard hedge (all other native species hedges)
3.6 The Hedgerow Management Strategy also sets out nominal hedgerow removal widths that are correct where hedges are to be crossed at 90 degrees Where the pipeline crosses a road, the pipeline will be installed under the road and adjacent hedges by non-open cut means, also requiring temporary removal of sections of hedgerow Sections of hedge will also be affected at the Yoxall AGI site and the Carriers Rod pipe dump
3.7 A total of 155 hedgerows lie within the 30m indicative working area and will potentially be affected by the pipeline, although movement within the works limits, extending a further 35m either side of this, is also possible Th e number of hedg erows falling into each of the three categories is outlined in Table 2, also detailing whether the hedge lies adjacent to a road, or is associated with the AGI or pipe dump locations Placement of the pipeline elsewhere within the works limits would not significantly affect these numbers of hedges or their distribution within the various categories
Table 2: Hedge numbers within indicative 30m working area and potentially affected by the pipeline
Hedge Category Phase 1 Code Number of Hedges Totals
J2.1.1 Species-rich J2.2.1 Defunct species-rich
J2.1.2 Species-poor J2.2.2 Defunct species-poor
3.8 A total of 1 4 hedges qualify as Important under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 and lie within the indicative 30m pipeline working area Of these, 13 hedges were determined to be important for biodiversity and a sin gle hedge (H5.5) qualified on he ritage grounds The hed gerows classified as important based upon their ecological diversity are listed in Table 3, together with the single important hedge for heritage
3.9 Hedge H5.5 is defunct and species-poor but designated as ‘Important’ based on its heritage value The remainder of the hedges were species-rich hedgerows with trees and were characterised by additional features of ancient and species-rich hedgerows Although the majority of hedges in the study were dominated by hawthorn, those classified as important for biodiversity contained at least five native woody species, plus a suite of a ssociated features, e.g hedgerow trees, ditches, woodland herbs, adjacent footpaths and good connectivity to other hedges and habitat features such as ponds and woodlands In additio n to hawthorn,
9 woody shrubs were most typically blackthorn, elder, rose, ash and field maple, though hazel, willow, alder and birch were also encountered Standard hedgerow trees were most usually pedunculate oak or ash though occasional willow pollards were notable Herbaceou s ground flora was remarkably poor, with few hedges exhibiting more than one species: most typically lords-and-ladies; though other woodland species such as blue bell, moschatel, wood-avens, wood sage, wood sorrel, wood false-brome, wild strawberry, male fern, herb Robert, bugle, common dog-violet and dog’s mercury were also encountered Most of the hedges had good structure and were apparently managed to som e degree, from close re gular cutting to more sporadic occasional management, e.g H1.106
3.10 All these hedges would qualify as good examples of the UK priori ty BAP habitat ‘hedgerows’
However, even these imp ortant hedges were considered to be in declining condition, having already lost much of their woodland flora diversity during agricultural improvements to the adjacent land, which have encouraged the gro wth of more vigorous ruderal species such as nettle and rank grasses Without more conservation-oriented management, they are likely to further decline and lose their Important status altogether
3.11 Movement of the pipeline within the works limits would not alter the numbers of Important hedges potentially affected
Table 3: Important Hedges under Biodiversity and Heritage Criteria within indicative 30m working area (*marks hedges in Derbyshire; all others are in Staffordshire)
J2.3.1 H1.62 Part of double row species-rich hedge with trees Parallel hedge Consists of hawthorn, elder, field-rose, sycamore, blackthorn, field maple and ivy Ground flora includes ruderal grasses and tall herb plus lords-and-ladies, dog's mercury and wild strawberry Standard tree is mature field maple Adjacent to footpath, bank present, intact Connects to 4 other hedges Laid in past Close-managed; HxW=2-3m hi x 1- 2m
J2.3.1 H1.64 Species-rich hedge with trees Hawthorn, field maple, birch, crab apple, elder, blackthorn and field-rose present HxW=2 to 3m x2 to 4m Close-managed top and sides, along footpath with parallel hedge Ground flora with lords-and-ladies, bugle, wood-avens and dog’s mercury 2 semi-mature trees: field maple and hawthorn
J2.3.1 H1.98 Species-rich intact hedge with trees Hawthorn dominant with ash, hazel, field maple, oak, wild pear, elder, elm and blackthorn present Ground flora with male fern, lords- and-ladies, lesser celandine, dog's mercury, ivy, water-avens and common dog- violet Closely managed to 2m high Road/path and parallel hedge 6 mature trees are ash and oaks
J2.3.1 H1.106 Intact but unmanaged species-rich hedge with trees Oak, ash, hawthorn, hazel, rose, blackthorn, elder and field maple Ground flora with lord's-and-ladies, dog’s mercury, moschatel and wood sedge 4 mature to semi-mature standards of oak and ash, plus veteran ash tree at S end hedge Largely unmanaged tall and bushy structure with some coppice Connectivity to pond and 2 hedges Ditch throughout, dry
J2.3.1 H2.35 Species-rich hedge with trees, along a dry ditch Blackthorn, oak, elder, ash, hawthorn and rose sp present Lords-and-ladies, ivy, blackthorn, oak and field maple present Some double sections Close-managed
J2.3.1 H2.38 Species-rich hedge with trees Consists of hawthorn, blackthorn, elm sp, elder, hazel, field maple, oak, lords-and-ladies and dog's mercury Biodiversity
SUMMARY
A total of 457 hedgerows were identified within the 230m wide study area, and all have been surveyed to a mini mum of Phase 1 standard Attention was particularly focussed upon hedges within the indicative 30m pipeline working area and works limits as these were considered most likely to be affected As a result, 93 h edges were in additional surveyed to assess them against Hedgerow Regulations 1997 criteria
The analysis of hedge rows potentially affected is limited to those falling within the indicative 30m pipeline working area and the additional working areas, and is based upon the detail set out in the Hedgerow Management Strategy regarding land take and roadside access requirements Movement of the pipeline within the works limits would not affect a ny additional ‘ Important’ hedgerows, and the nu mbers of species-rich and species-poor hedges would remain broadly similarto that stated for the indicative 30m pipeline working area
A total of 13 hedgerows qualified as ‘Important’ for biodiversity under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, on biodiversity grounds Eleven of these fell within Staffordshire, with two lying within Derbyshire A further single hedge (Staffordshire) was considered important on heritage grounds
Species-rich hedges accounted for the remaining 27 hedgerows, of which eight lay adjacent to roads These were not of sufficiently good quality to qualify as ‘Important’ under the Regulations, but supported four or more woody species with or without some additional hedgerow features
Species-poor hedges were by far the dominant hedge type alo ng the pipeline route, accounting for 72% of all hedgerows present within the indicative 30m pipeline working area A total of 114 hedges were classed as species-poor, of which 32 lay adjacent to roads
Almost all hedgerows were considered to meet the UK BAP Priority Habitat definition for
‘hedgerows’, which was revised in 2008 (BRIG) to include all boundary lines of trees and shrubs over 20m long, less than 5m wide, with gaps less than 20m and composed of 80% or more of UK native woody species
All hedgerows were considered to be declining in quality due to intensive agriculture on the surrounding land, and to be likely to continue to decline in quality in the absence of restoration management measures