Background
In 2022, Coopersale Hall School near Epping identified they were in need of additional classrooms, toilets, and support / teaching spaces to increase the capacity of the school to meet local demand.
The proposals sought to improve the facilities available, incrementally providing over the course of five years, a total of 75 additional pupils and up to 10 new staff.
After applying for planning permission, Epping Forest District Council made the applicant aware of the need to conduct a shadow Habitats Regulations Assessment (sHRA) as the following protected sites are present within 10km of the site:
· Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation (SAC) 1.6km west;
· Lee Valley Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Ramsar 9.1km west; and
· Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) some of which are components of the above Internationally important sites.
Why the Assessment Was Needed
The Epping Forest SAC site is considered sensitive to changes in air quality. Exceedance of critical values for air pollutants may modify the chemical status of its substrate, accelerating or damaging plant growth, altering its vegetation structure and composition and causing the loss of sensitive typical species associated with it.
How We Helped
We identified that there are three elements to be considered when assessing the impacts of existing / proposed vehicle movements at Coopersale Hall School (i) the routes used, (ii) the volume of use, and (iii) the types of vehicles, as these three variables influence the likely degree of pollutants within the SAC.
Routes Used
We obtained postcode data for all pupils and staff in order to identify the distribution of current parents and staff. The postcode data revealed that very few site users live in proximity to Lee Valley SPA and Ramsar, therefore the site was scoped out of further assessment of vehicle movement or air quality impacts.
We plotted the Epping Forest SAC boundary and a 200m buffer zone, then inputted postcode data into Google maps route planner to determine the most likely route (fastest or shortest depending on the location) taken to the school directly from the postcode.
This demonstrated that the current users of the site have a very limited impact on roads within the SAC or 200m buffer. Due to the location of where current pupils and staff live, around 75% of all vehicle movements to and from the site do not use roads within the SAC or 200m buffer.
Volume of Use
We worked with the Transport Planning Consultants to identify existing vehicle movements to and from Coopersale Hall School along with information relating to sibling data provided by the school, to calculate the number of additional vehicle movements associated with the proposals.
Types of Vehicles
We created a short questionnaire survey which was sent to the parents and staff of the school to identify the types of vehicles being used and understand their current and future behaviours. 157 respondents took part in the survey, the findings of which indicated that:
· the majority of existing site users are using vehicles which are designed in accordance with recent standard for pollution control measures;
· 16% of existing site users are already using cleaner energy options for the main means of transport;
· 61% of existing site users are intending to adopt cleaner modes of transport by 2025; and
· the introduction of a Clean Air Zone (proposed by the Council to protect Epping Forest) would influence behaviours which would have a positive impact on the SAC, with only a small proportion of site users likely to have potential impacts on the SAC or 200m buffer.
Outcome
Our assessment concluded that the proposals would not have a material impact on traffic flows or air pollution within the Epping Forest SAC or any road within 200m of the SAC, resulting in no adverse effects on the integrity of sites within the National Site Network.
Epping Forest District Council in consultation with Natural England concluded they were satisfied with the conclusion and granted permission for the proposals in March 2022.
For further information contact:
Laura Grant BSc (Hons) MCIEEM
Associate Director, Ecology by Design Ltd
Tel: 01865 893348
Mob: 07495 00213
laura@ecologybydesign.co.uk