Habitats Regulations Assessments: Specialist sHRA & Mitigation
Delivering specialist shadow HRA reports to evaluate impact pathways on European designated sites and ensure robust environmental legislative compliance.
E3 Ecology.
Expert assessments for environmental legal standards.
A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is required where a development has the potential to affect a European designated site, such as a Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), or Ramsar site. These legislative requirements are still applicable following the UK’s exit from the European Union. If your site lies within the zone of influence (e.g. 10km) of one of these sites, the Local Planning Authority must consider whether your proposal could result in a likely significant effect.
An HRA is commonly required for residential, commercial, or recreational developments that may increase recreational pressure, affect air, or water quality, or impact birds associated with coastal designated sites, including areas of functionally linked land used for feeding or roosting.
The council is usually responsible for completing the HRA, however they require a report to inform their “Appropriate Assessment”, or alternatively we can prepare a “shadow HRA” (sHRA) which is then adopted and relied upon by the council.
Commissioning an sHRA at an early stage is strongly recommended. Early assessment allows us to confirm whether your site falls within a zone of influence, plan for further surveys if required, and identify likely mitigation requirements (such as financial contributions to a Coastal Mitigation Service).
What does a shadow HRA involve?
We can prepare a shadow HRA (sHRA) report to support the planning application and provide the necessary evidence for the Local Planning Authority, who are responsible for completing the formal HRA as part of the decision-making process.
The HRA process follows three stages, of which we can assist with the first two and the Local Planning Authority is responsible for the third:
- Screening– to assess if the proposal is likely to have a significant effect on a European designated site’s conservation objectives. If no significant effect is anticipated, no further assessment is needed.
- Appropriate Assessment– to assess the likely significant effects of the proposals in greater detail and identify ways to avoid and/or minimise any impacts.
- Derogations (Alternatives and Compensation) – if the relevant competent authority considers proposals would have an adverse effect on a European site, a project may only proceed if there are no suitable alternative solutions, there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest and compensatory measures are secured.
When can a sHRA be carried out?
A sHRA can often be primarily desk-based and undertaken year-round. However, there are occasions where surveys to support a sHRA are seasonally constrained (e.g. wintering bird surveys between October to March and breeding bird surveys between March to July).
How Can E3 Ecology Help?
E3 is based in a region close to a number of European designated sites, giving our team extensive experience in assessing the potential for development to affect these sensitive locations. We regularly prepare sHRAs to evaluate impact pathways, including recreational pressure and impacts on functionally linked land used by qualifying bird species.
If you think you require or have been asked for a shadow HRA, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will be happy to help.