environmental statement - Rotherham's Online Application for ...

experienced ecologists, holding a current Natural England whiteclawed
crayfish survey licence. These watercourses are the northern
and southern branches of Ulley Brook. The survey involved firstly a
habitat assessment of the watercourse, recorded on a Crayfish Survey
Form. The forms provide background and habitat information, including
an assessment of channel substrate, potential for refuges and water
quality. The position of any potential crayfish burrows were also
marked, as well as any significant physical features which could be
considered barriers to crayfish movement. The second part of the
survey followed the standardised field survey methodology within the
Survey and Monitoring Protocol for the White-Clawed Crayfish (Peay,
2002). This was undertaken to determine presence/absence of whiteclawed
crayfish. This entailed manual searching; carefully lifting and
turning over suitable stones and debris on the channel bed and in the
banks, which crayfish may use as refuge sites. Areas of habitat that
appeared to be the most favourable for crayfish and could be physically
searched were searched. These were searched in upstream direction
to avoid poor visibility.
Great Crested Newt (GCN) Survey: A single pond was identified
adjacent to the southern boundary of the study area in June 2007, at
which time it contained a shallow depth (3-4cm) of standing water and
was completely overgrown with grass, rosebay willowherb (Chamerion
angustifolium), bur-reed (Sparganium sp.), soft rush (Juncus effusus)
and patches of watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum). A Habitat
Suitability Index survey (HSI) was undertaken in May 2008, according
to HSI methodology produced by Oldham et al. (2000), which assumes
that habitat quality determines GCN population size. The HSI provides
a measure of habitat suitability and, whilst not being a substitute for
GCN surveys, is a useful tool in determining which ponds require GCN
surveys. The HSI survey involved evaluating the pond against a
number of key habitat criteria to derive a HSI index value between 0
and 1, with 0 being highly unsuitable for great crested newt and 1 being
an ideal pond for the species.
Assessment of Significance
7.12 The method of evaluation and assessment uses a combination of
guidance from:
Guidelines for Ecological Impact Assessment (Institute of Ecology and
Environmental Management, 2006);
Guidelines for Baseline Ecological Assessment (Institute of
Environmental Assessment, 1995); and
Handbook of Biodiversity Methods (RPS Group plc and Scottish
Natural Heritage, 2005).
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Penny Hill Wind Farm
Environmental Statement