2. Consultation

  1. Consultation has been undertaken with statutory stakeholders with regards to the ornithological features of SPAs. A summary of all relevant consultation undertaken to date is presented in Table 2.1   Open ▸ .

 

Table 2.1:
Summary of Key Consultations on Relevant to Part 3 of the RIAA

Table 2.1: Summary of Key Consultations on Relevant to Part 3 of the RIAA


 

3. Summary of HRA Screening Conclusions

  1. This section summarises all pathways for potential LSE2 on ornithological features identified for SPAs and Ramsar sites (arising alone or in-combination with other plans and projects).

3.1. Screening Outcomes for the Array Alone

  1. A total of 41 SPAs (of which, 16 are also Ramsar sites) designated for ornithological features were identified in the Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report (Part 1, appendix 1A; Ossian OWFL, 2023) as having potential LSE2 and therefore requiring assessment. These are as follows:
  • Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast SPA;
  • Calf of Eday SPA;
  • Cameron Reservoir SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Copinsay SPA;
  • Coquet Island SPA;
  • Din Moss - Hoselaw Loch SPA and Ramsar site;
  • East Caithness Cliffs SPA;
  • Fair Isle SPA;
  • Fala Flow SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Farne Islands SPA;
  • Firth of Forth SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Flamborough and Filey Coast SPA;
  • Forth Islands SPA;
  • Fowlsheugh SPA;
  • Gladhouse Reservoir SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Greenlaw Moor SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Hermaness, Saxa Vord and Valla Field SPA;
  • Holburn Lake and Moss SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Hoy SPA;
  • Lindisfarne SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Loch Leven SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Loch of Kinnordy SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Marwick Head SPA;
  • Mingulay to Berneray SPA;
  • Montrose Basin SPA and Ramsar site;
  • North Caithness Cliffs SPA;
  • North Rona and Sula Sgeir SPA;
  • Northumbria Coast SPA and Ramsar site;
  • Noss SPA;
  • Rathlin Island SPA;
  • Rousay SPA;
  • Slamannan Platea SPA;
  • South Tayside Goose Roosts SPA and Ramsar site;
  • St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA;
  • St Kilda SPA;
  • Sule Skerry and Sule Stack SPA;
  • Troup, Pennan and Lion’s Heads SPA;
  • West Westray SPA;
  • Westwater SPA and Ramsar site; and
  • Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch SPA/Ythan Estuary and Meikle Loch Ramsar site.
  1. The Ossian Array Scoping Opinion ( Table 2.1   Open ▸ ) identified the following discrepancies with the Array HRA LSE2 Screening Report, which have been amended to provide the final list of SPAs (and Ramsar sites) and relevant ornithological features to be taken forward to the RIAA:
  • NatureScot noted that qualifying features were missing for St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA, North Rona and Sula Sgeir SPA, Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch SPA, Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary SPA as well as Firth of Forth SPA. These sites were all revisited and reassessed. However, in all cases no new features with LSE2 were identified, and in the case of Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary SPA and Firth of Forth SPA it was determined that additional qualifying features had been included in the Array HRA Screening Report rather than missing features (refer to paragraph 15 for a list of differences between the LSE2s identified in the Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report (Ossian OWFL, 2023) and the LSE2s taken forward in this RIAA);
  • NatureScot noted that the Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report states that the mean maximum plus 1 SD foraging ranges from Woodward et al. (2019) were used to calculate connectivity, which is correct for most species however there are exceptions. As highlighted in NatureScot Guidance Note 3 (NatureScot, 2023c), there are exceptions for gannet, guillemot and razorbill;
  • NatureScot and MD-LOT requested that the Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA be included due to the potential for disturbance from vessel movements passing through the SPA; and
  • Natural England advised that guillemot from the Flamborough and Filey Coast SPA should be screened in for potential impacts during the non-breeding season.
  1. Following this advice, Rathlin Island SPA and Mingulay to Berneray SPA were removed from the list of LSE2s to take forward to RIAA, as the Array is beyond the recommended foraging range of all features of those sites. The list of qualifying features for each site has been reviewed and updated (see Table 3.1   Open ▸ ).
  2. For this RIAA, connectivity with breeding seabird colonies has been refined using a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool that measures at-sea distances from the geometric centre of the Array to individual breeding colonies (based on colony coordinates provided in Burnell et al., 2023), as required for apportioning following NatureScot (2018). This refinement has led to the following additional sites and species being ruled out for appropriate assessment, due to their at-sea distance being greater than their species- and site-specific foraging range, as recommended in NatureScot (2023d):
  • Guillemot at Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast SPA, Farne Islands SPA, Forth Islands SPA, Fowlsheugh SPA, St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA and Troup, Pennan and Lion’s Heads SPA;
  • Herring gull at Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast SPA and Fowlsheugh SPA;
  • Kittiwake at Calf of Eday, Hoy SPA, Fair Isle SPA, Marwick Head SPA, Rousay SPA and West Westray SPA; and
  • Razorbill at East Caithness Cliffs SPA, Forth Islands SPA, North Caithness Cliffs SPA, St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA and Troup, Pennan and Lion’s Heads SPA.
  1. In addition, the full two years of DAS data was reviewed to confirm the screening conclusions drawn in Ossian OWFL (2023). Following this review, it was concluded that the number of both lesser black-backed gull and of great black-backed gull using the Array is negligible. Lesser black-backed gull were recorded in only one out of all 24 DAS, with an estimated abundance of 11 birds in the Array offshore ornithology study area in April 2021. Great black-backed gull were recorded in nine of the 24 DAS, of which only a single record (estimated abundance 11 birds in the Array offshore ornithology study area) occurred during the breeding season (volume 3, appendix 11.1 of the Array EIA Report) therefore, there is no potential LSE2 to:
  • the great black-backed gull feature of the following sites:

-        Calf of Eday SPA;

-        Copinsay SPA; and

-        East Caithness Cliffs SPA.

  • the lesser black-backed gull feature of the following sites:

-        Forth Islands SPA.

  1. This has led to a revised list of 35 SPAs (of which 16 are also Ramsar sites) and their relevant ornithological features, which have been assessed in this RIAA, based on the LSE2 findings, stakeholder scoping opinions, and further refinements as described above. A summary of the sites with potential LSE2, all of the qualifying features for each site, and qualifying features with potential LSE2 (and therefore undergoing appropriate assessment) is presented in Table 3.1   Open ▸ .
  2. The bullet points below set out the differences between the LSE2s identified in the Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report (Part 1, appendix 1A; Ossian OWFL, 2023) and the LSE2s taken forward in this RIAA:
  • Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast SPA: The Stage One Offshore HRA Screening Report identified guillemot and herring gull as LSE2s, but these were not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Calf of Eday SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake, great black-backed gull and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Copinsay SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified great black-backed gull as an LSE2, but this was not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Coquet Island SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake as an LSE2. However, this is not a qualifying feature of Coquet Island SPA and was not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • East Caithness Cliffs SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified great black-backed gull and razorbill as LSE2s, but these were not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Fair Isle SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake as an LSE2, but this was not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Farne Islands SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified guillemot as an LSE2, but this was not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Flamborough and Filey Coast SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified razorbill and puffin as an LSE2. However, puffin is not a qualifying feature of Coquet Island SPA and razorbill was not taken forward to the RIAA. The RIAA also includes guillemot;
  • Forth Islands SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified guillemot and razorbill as LSE2s, but these were not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Fowlsheugh SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified guillemot and herring gull as LSE2s, but these were not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Hoy SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Marwick Head SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Mingulay and Berneray SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified razorbill and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA;
  • North Caithness Cliffs SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified razorbill as an LSE2, but this was not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report did not include the Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA. This SPA has been included in the RIAA;
  • Rathlin SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified razorbill and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA;
  • Rousay SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA;
  • St Abb’s Head to Fast Castle SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified guillemot, herring gull and razorbill as LSE2s, but these were not taken forward to the RIAA;
  • St Kilda SPA: The RIAA includes Manx shearwater, which was not identified as an LSE2 in the Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report;
  • Troup, Pennan and Lion’s Heads SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified guillemot and razorbill as LSE2s, but these were not taken forward to the RIAA; and
  • West Westray SPA: The Array HRA Stage One LSE2 Screening Report identified kittiwake and seabird assemblage as LSE2s, but no qualifying features for this SPA were taken forward to the RIAA.

3.1.1. Breeding Seabird Assemblages and Non-breeding Waterbird Assemblages

  1. Table 3.1   Open ▸ includes the breeding seabird assemblages and non-breeding waterbird assemblages that form part of the citation for each SPA or Ramsar site. The component species of these assemblages were considered during the HRA screening process as features for that particular site, and the resulting components with a potentially significant impact have been identified (as shown in Table 3.1   Open ▸ ). It follows that all other named components of the assemblage can be considered “screened out” as having no potential for a significant impact. Therefore, when considering these assemblages in this RIAA, the potential for an adverse effect to the assemblage can be inferred from the results obtained for the named components for which an assessment is provided.

 

Table 3.1:
Summary of all SPAs (and Ramsar Sites) for Which the Potential for LSE2 Could not be Discounted, and for Which an Appropriate Assessment is Required

Table 3.1: Summary of all SPAs (and Ramsar Sites) for Which the Potential for LSE2 Could not be Discounted, and for Which an Appropriate Assessment is Required