Nigel Cossons - Mersey Gateway EIA Presentation 06 02 11

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

THE MERSEY GATEWAY NIGEL COSSONS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR RAMBOLL UK LTD

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

• What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?

• Review of process

• Recent experience on the Mersey Gateway

• Discussion

WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT?

“…a process for identifying the environmental effects (positive and

negative) of proposed developments before development consent is

granted. The aim of EIA is to prevent, reduce or offset the

significant adverse environmental effects of development proposals,

and enhance positive ones. It is a means to ensure that planning

decisions are made in the knowledge of the attendant

environmental effects and with full engagement of statutory bodies,

local and national groups and members of the public…”

(DCLG 2005)

LEGISLATION

• EU Directive 85/337/EEC as

amended by Directive

97/11/EC

• Article 3 of Directive

2003/35/EC (the “Public

Participation Directive”)

• Town and Country Planning

(Environmental Impact

Assessment) Regulations 2011

• Dominated by case law

PROCESS

• Screening

• Scoping

• Consultation

• Alternatives

• Baseline surveys

• Impact assessment

• Cumulative assessment

• Reporting

SCREENING & SCOPING

• Screening

• Schedule I and II projects

• Scoping

• Identify likely significant impacts

• Define study area

• Scope disciplines out

• Initial survey work

• Alternatives

Cultural heritage

Ecology

Surface water quality

Land use

Socio - economics

Landscape and visual amenity

Geology and ground conditions

Waste

Transportation

Air quality and climate

Noise and vibration

CONSULTATION

• General public

• Local Authorities

• Statutory consultees

• Non governmental agencies

• Other stakeholders

• Iterate with design

BASELINE SURVEYS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT

• Surveys and studies to

establish baseline

• Seasonal issues

• Potentially lengthy timescales

• Iterate with design

• Identify significant impacts

• Sensitivity of receptors

• Transparent methodology

• Cumulative impacts

• Define mitigation measures

ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

• Output of the Environmental

Impact Assessment process

• Objective, unbiased and not

promotional

• Accompanied by Non Technical

Summary

TYPICAL CONTENTS

Introduction

Content and Approach to the EIA

Description of Study Area

Alternatives

Planning Policy

Technical Chapters

Cumulative effects assessment

Mitigation and enhancement measures

APPENDICES

Technical Annexes

DECISION MAKING

• Planning process

• Public Inquiry

• Environmental Statement

fertile ground for challenge

• Test of technical content and

competence

• Inspector takes decision on

“balance of probabilities”

SUMMARY OF EIA PROCESS

Project Screening Scoping

Description of Project and Alternatives

Identification of Key Impacts

Prediction of impacts Evaluation and assessment of

impact significance Identification of mitigation

measures

Presentation of findings in Environmental Statement

Decision making

Post decision monitoring

Public consultation and participation

MERSEY GATEWAY PROJECT

• Background

• Environmental studies

• Environmental Impact

Assessment

• Public Inquiry

LOCATION

CURRENT CROSSINGS

450,000 veh/day use these crossings

CROSSINGS c.1961

SILVER JUBILEE BRIDGE

• Widened 1975 – 1977

• Peak traffic flows c.90,000 vpd

• Significant congestion

• Frequent maintenance

• Accidents or maintenance

result in delays

• Through traffic is key factor

SCHEME OBJECTIVES

1. To relieve the congested Silver Jubilee Bridge, thereby removing the constraint on

local and regional development and better provide for local transport needs;

2. To apply minimum toll and road user charges to both the Mersey Gateway Bridge

and the Silver Jubilee Bridge consistent with the level required to satisfy

affordability constraints;

3. To improve accessibility in order to maximise local development and regional

economic growth opportunities;

4. To improve local air quality and enhance the general urban environment;

5. To improve public transport links across the River Mersey;

6. To encourage the increased use of cycling and walking; and

7. To restore effective network resilience for road transport across the River Mersey.

ALTERNATIVES

“ORDERS” SCHEME AS ASSESSED

CONSULTATION

• Series of consultation with

general public

• Long running consultation with

statutory bodies

• Consultation with adjacent

local authorities

• Non governmental

organisations

DISCIPLINES FOLLOWING SCOPING

• Planning Policy • Cultural heritage

• Hydrodynamics • Contaminated land

• Surface water quality • Waste

• Land use • Transportation

• Terrestrial ecology • Air quality and climate

• Avian ecology • Noise and vibration

• Aquatic ecology • Navigation

• Landscape and visual amenity

• Socio-economics

ECOLOGY

SINC

SPA, Ramsar SSSI

Saltmarsh, SINC

Runcorn Gap

ECOLOGY - FINDINGS

• Surveys & Studies

• Bird surveys

• Invertbrate surveys

• Fish and marine mammal surveys

• Bat surveys

• Great crested newt surveys

• Key Findings

• Upper Estuary not a Special Protection Area

• Construction impacts critical but can be mitigated

• Long term monitoring

• Ecological Trust for salt marshes

HYDRODYNAMICS

HYDRODYNAMICS – TIDAL CYCLE

HYDRODYNAMICS – CHANNEL MOVEMENTS

Mersey Gateway Route

HYDRODYNAMICS - FINDINGS

• Surveys & Studies

• Topographic & bathymetric surveys

• Numerical modelling

• Physical modelling

• Aerial photography

• Key Findings

• Channel fixing

• Scour

• Erosion of salt marsh edges

• Access to site

CONTAMINATED LAND

CONTAMINATED LAND – ALKALI INDUSTRY

CONTAMINATED LAND - WIDNES

CONTAMINATED LAND - FINDINGS

• Surveys & Studies

• Eight phases of ground investigation

• Groundwater monitoring

• Detailed risk assessments

• Remediation option studies

• Key Findings

• Widnes & salt marshes heavily contaminated but unlikely to impact estuary

• Estuary sediments contaminated

• Overall low risk end use

• Mitigation vs Remediation

NOISE, VIBRATION AND AIR QUALITY

TRAFFIC RE-ROUTING

NOISE, VIBRATION AND AIR QUALITY- FINDINGS

• Surveys & Studies

• Noise modelling

• Air quality data from existing sources

• Air quality modelling

• Key Findings

• Negative noise effects in some residential areas of Runcorn

• Positive noise effects elsewhere in Runcorn and in West Bank

• Overall improvement in air quality

• Mitigation with noise barriers

OTHER DISCIPLINES

• Planning Policy • Cultural heritage

• Surface water quality • Waste

• Land use • Transportation

• Landscape and visual amenity

• Navigation

• Socio-economics

PUBLIC INQUIRY

• Summer 2009

• Nineteen HBC expert

witnesses

• Objectors experts &

members of the public

• No statutory objections

• Inspectors Report

December 2010

• Orders granted early 2011

“FURTHER APPLICATIONS” SCHEME

FURTHER APPLICATIONS PLANNING SUBMISSION DOCUMENTS

• Non Technical Summary

• Environmental Statement

• Appendices to the

Environmental Statement

• Design and Access Statement

• Statement of Community

Involvement

• Engineering Design Drawings

• July 2001 - Gifford appointed as Lead Technical Consultant

• Nov 2001 – Desk Study submitted

• Mar 2003 – Preferred Route selected

• July 2003 – Major Scheme Business Case submitted

• Dec 2003 – “Super Work in Progress” status

• Mar 2006 – Programme Entry

• July 2006 – HBC Dedicated Project Delivery Team Established

• Mar-May 2008 – “Orders Applications” made

• May-July 2009 – Public Inquiry

• May 2010 – General Election

• Oct 2010 – Spending Review

• Dec 2010 – Planning Approval and Orders Made/Confirmed

• Nov 2011 – “Further Applications” made

• Mar 2012 – Decision on Further Applications

• Oct 2013 – Construction commences

• Oct 2016 – Completion

TIMESCALES

QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION