Project Description

Habitats Regulations Assessment | Lancaster City Council

We completed two Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs) on behalf of Lancaster City Council in 2014; for a wind energy development and for a retail park. Both projects are located immediately adjacent to the Morecambe Bay Special Protection Area (SPA), so the Council is obliged to undertake a HRA to ensure there are no effects on the SPA bird populations. This is a two-stage process, commencing with screening and progressing to a full ‘Appropriate Assessment’ if needed, and taking into account the opinions of key consultees such as Natural England and RSPB. We completed both stages on behalf of the Council for each project, producing succinct, compliant and legally robust HRAs to meet the Council’s legal obligations as a Competent Authority. The conclusions of our reports were fully accepted by all parties and Natural England acknowledged the layout and approach of our reports as exemplary.

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