CASE STUDY
Habitats Regulations Assessment
Worcestershire Local Transport Plan
Project Type
Habitats Regulations Assessment
Client
Worcestershire County Council
Location
Worcestershire, Worcestershire, UK
Keywords
- Air quality
- Brendon Hill SAC
- Violet click beetle
- Liaison with Natural England
Lepus was commissioned by Worcestershire County Council to ensure that the development proposed in the Local Transport Plan would have no adverse impact on the integrity of a European site.
Two European sites are located within Worcestershire. These include Lyppard Grange Ponds Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which is designated for great crested newts (Triturus cristatus), and Bredon Hill SAC, which is designated for the violet click beetle (Limoniscus violaceus). In addition, the Severn Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA), SAC and Ramsar, site is located downstream of Worcestershire. This is designated for its estuarine habitats which support important populations of birds (waders and waterbirds) and fish.
Lepus were commissioned to undertaken a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) to inform and support the preparation of Worcestershire County Council's Local Transport Plan (LTP4). This focused in particular on air quality and hydrological impacts associated with schemes set out in the LTP4. The HRA informed the development of policies to safeguard the integrity of European sites and concluded that the proposed schemes would not directly impact any European site. The LTP4 was fully adopted in November 2017.
