HRA North Lincolnshire Minerals

Client: North Lincolnshire Council

Project: Habitats Regulations Assessment for the North Lincolnshire Minerals and Waste DPD

Urban Edge Environmental Consulting team members were appointed by North Lincolnshire Council in spring 2010 to advise on the potential impacts of the Minerals and Waste Development Plan Document in relation to internationally important nature conservation areas and carry out a Habitats Regulations Assessment.

The sites range from the former peat cuttings of Thorne and Hatfield Moors which are undergoing successful restoration to wetland and heath, to the riverine habitats of the Derwent and its surrounding lowland hay meadows, wet and dry grassland, swamp and fen vegetation.

The Humber Estuary outlines the northerly limit of North Lincolnshire, and is the second-largest coastal plain estuary in the UK. A muddy, macro-tidal estuary, fed by the Rivers Ouse, Trent and Hull, Ancholme and Graveney, its features include Atlantic salt meadows and a range of sand dune types in the outer estuary, together with subtidal sandbanks, extensive intertidal mudflats, glasswort beds and coastal lagoons.

These provide vital habitats for river lamprey, sea lamprey, grey seal and a diverse bird assemblage including bittern, marsh harrier, hen harrier, pied avocet, little tern, bar- and black-tailed godwit, golden plover, ruff, dunlin, red knot, shelduck and redshank.

The Minerals and Waste plan aims to provide an appropriate balance of minerals resources and waste processing capacity to serve the area and its surrounds over a fifteen to twenty year period. In summer 2011, the Council is shortly planning to consult on a variety of issues and options for the plan to help it determine a preferred strategy and process for site selection.