27 Jan 22 | Blog

The Marine EIA process

Under the Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009, many developments in coastal or offshore areas such as port, harbour and marina developments require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The aim of an EIA is to gain full knowledge of the significant effects of a development on the environment so that a planning decision can be made.

APEM undertook a programme of intertidal and subtidal benthic ecology surveys and fish surveys at the proposed London Resort

APEM specialist undertaking a survey in the Thames Estuary

The EIA process

The EIA process can be complex, with varying requirements depending on the size and scope of the project. For smaller projects, the first step is a screening exercise to establish whether an EIA will be required by law. A Screening Opinion from the Secretary of State might be requested at this stage.

The next stage (though often the first stage for many projects) is scoping, which sets out the main issues and how data will be collected to inform the assessment, considering existing data and proposed site-specific marine ecology surveys. For port, harbour and marina developments these could include collection of data at locations where infrastructure may be placed and/or within a dredge pocket if dredging is required. The Scoping Report is sent to the Regulator as part of the request for a Scoping Opinion, in which the Regulator and their advisors set out their requirements.

Then the process goes down one of two routes. For many projects an EIA is undertaken, and an Environmental Statement is produced as the next step. However, for large Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) is required which is used as part of a statutory consultation. A PEIR is a way to engage early on in the process with the Regulator and the main stakeholders: a key part of the consultation for large projects and a way to help steer the project design. Following on from the PEIR, an Environmental Statement is produced, incorporating the findings of the PEIR and the updated project design with revised assessments if needed.

The proposed London Resort theme park site on the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent

Assessing impacts on marine environments

In order to understand the impact a project might have on marine species and habitats:

The pathways of effect and Zone of Influence of the project must be identified. This refers to the interactions between the proposed development and the ecological receptors. For example, noise from construction works (e.g. piling activity), could have direct or indirect effects on marine species.
The existing marine environment must be defined in the Study Area. Are any species/habitats in this area protected? Are any non-native species present?
Then any identified effects need to be understood. The likelihood, extent, duration, timing, and frequency of the impact is considered, and the magnitude of the effect is assessed. The magnitude of the effect, combined with the sensitivity of an ecological receptor to a given impact and the conservation value of the ecological receptor, is then used to assess the overall significance of the effect.
If the effect is assessed to be significant then measures are proposed to mitigate any adverse significant effects. Once mitigation measures are applied, the significance of any residual effect is assessed.
A cumulative impact assessment is also undertaken which assesses the potential cumulative effects of the proposed project and any other relevant plans/projects in the area.

APEM support the delivery of all aspects of a marine EIA, encompassing stakeholder engagement, alongside any other requirements that might be needed for the same project including Water Framework Directive (WFD) assessments, Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA), Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) assessment, Biosecurity Risk Assessment and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments.

APEM undertook intertidal and subtidal benthic ecology surveys and fish surveys

Working on the London Resort

The London Resort development is quite an unusual project. A proposed theme park on the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent in the Thames Estuary, it’s been billed as Britain’s answer to Disneyland. It is also a very large project and is classed as an NSIP.

As the resort itself will be on land, London Resort is primarily a terrestrial project. But there are some marine aspects, including building a passenger ferry terminal with floating pontoon jetty, potentially refurbishing or extending existing jetties at the site with possible requirements for dredging depending on the options considered.

EDP, who are delivering the terrestrial ecology aspects of this ambitious project, commissioned APEM to undertake a programme of intertidal and subtidal benthic ecology surveys and fish surveys to characterise the species and habitats present and determine the presence of protected species and non-native species at the project site. These surveys were conducted to inform the Marine Ecology EIA as well as supporting assessments including an MCZ assessment, WFD assessment and Biosecurity Plan which were produced by APEM.

Key considerations included potential effects of the infrastructure and any dredging on benthic species of conservation importance; underwater noise and vibration effects (mainly from piling) on fish and marine mammals; release of chemicals from bottom sediments due to dredging (with use of the EA’s SeDiChem tool for the WFD assessment); loss of intertidal habitat and introduction and spread of invasive non-native species.

Marine aspects of the London Resort EIA include jetties and a ferry terminal

We’re proud to support our clients with projects large and small, and our specialist teams work together to provide accurate, reliable results that they can trust.

If you are interested in learning how APEM can support your marine project EIA, get in touch.