WALES NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK - Habitats Regulations Assessment

A part of the derogations tests in Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive and Imperative Reasons of Regulations 62 and 103 of the Habitats Regulations and Part 4 of stage 4 of Overriding Public Interest the Habitats Regulations Assessment a situation which would allow plans or projects to take place that many adversely affect the integrity of a Natura 2000/ Ramsar site. [...] A Rules of Thumb document (Appended to the HRA Report for the Draft NDF, July 2019) was produced by Arcadis to provide advice to the Welsh Government with regards to the requirements of the HRA and how this should influence initial drafting of the NDF. [...] The first stage of the HRA for the NDF project included a period of evidence-gathering and background research to compile details of the Natura 2000/ Ramsar sites that would need to be referred to throughout the process. [...] This is the basis of the concept of ‘functionally-linked land’ and the fact that HRAs of SPAs/ Ramsar sites need to take into account the fact that birds from the designated population will often spend time outside the boundaries of the designated area. [...] Although all of the outcomes have the potential to lead to change, as the policies are the mechanism through which the outcomes will be achieved, assessment of the policies themselves (which contain more detailed information) is more appropriate, and is in-line with guidance set out within Part F of the DTA HRA Guidance.