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BOC Immingham Dissolved Acetylene Project Environmental Statement: Vol. 2 Main Text
10.44 The Humber Estuary European Marine Site encompasses the marine areas of the SSSI, SAC,
SPA and Ramsar site and incorporates all aspects of the qualifying features for these
designations. The reasons for designation are given in Table 10.2. The SAC, SPA, Ramsar site
and EMS are all considered to be of international importance for nature conservation. The SSSI is
of national importance for nature conservation.
10.45 The Humber Estuary is the one of the largest estuaries in the UK, covering approximately 24,470
ha. Habitats associated with the Estuary include intertidal and subtidal muds and sands, and salt
marsh and fringing reed beds which support a large number of rare or threatened mammals, fish,
invertebrates and plants.
10.46 The Humber Estuary (and therefore the associated statutory designated sites) is directly
connected to the site via Middle Drain (although the discharge from the site Drainage System to
Middle Drain is pumped and can be stopped). Terrestrial habitats between the proposed
development area and the designated sites comprise arable and industrial land, with the only
main road being Hobson Way to the north east of the proposed development area.
10.47 There are no other European sites within 10 km of the proposed development. There are currently
no candidate SACs or proposed SPAs within 10 km of the proposed development area. North
Killingholme Haven Pits SSSI (of national importance for nature conservation), 8 km north west of
the development site, is a saline lagoon which supports birds for which the Humber Estuary is
designated and forms part of the habitat used by foraging and roosting birds particularly at hightide.
10.48 There are no other statutory designated sites within 10 km that are designated for their bird
interest. However, 1 km north east of the proposed application site is the Humber Flats, Marshes
and Coast Important Bird Area (IBA), a non-statutory designated site identified and monitored by
Birdlife International, a global partnership of conservation organisations. Birdlife International has
developed criteria for the selection of IBAs in Europe based on a site’s international importance for
threatened and congregatory bird species, assemblages of restricted-range bird species and for
assemblages of biome-restricted bird species. The Humber Flats, Marshes and Coast IBA is
designated because of its international importance for supporting a significant number of
threatened bird species, its exceptional numbers of migratory species and because the site
supports many bird species with restricted ranges. In the European Union IBAs often form the
basis for the designation of SPAs and the internationally important value for nature conservation
assigned to the SPA is, for the purposes of this assessment considered to include the IBA.
10.49 Details of non-statutory designated sites within 2 km of the proposed development are given in
Table 10.3 and are shown on (see Figure 10.2).
10.50 The LWSs are of county value for nature conservation as they represent habitat types which are
of particular nature conservation importance within Lincolnshire. Many Sites of Nature
Conservation Importance (SNCI) were transferred over to LWSs to ensure full protection in
2010 81 . North Moss Lane Meadow SNCI was not transferred to LWS status at this time and
therefore this site is assumed to be of only local importance.
10.51 The desk study identified that the nearest UK BAP habitat (as indicated on MAGIC 67 ) is an
undesignated area of lowland calcareous grassland approximately 800 m north of the proposed
development area.
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