aggregated direct and permanent loss of habitat during the operational phase of the windfarms it is anticipated that, given the recoverability of the species found in East Anglia THREE and East Anglia FOUR and across the wider southern North Sea, cumulative impacts would not be considered significant.
38.
During the construction phase there is potential for the situation to arise where a number of export cables were to be under construction concurrently, in this scenario there is potential for cumulative impacts to arise however these are not expected to be significant. Also during both the construction phase and the operation phase there is potential for the cable protection at cable crossing points to act cumulatively to create a number of Impacts. The cables from East Anglia ONE, East Anglia THREE and East Anglia FOUR will cross the cables from the Greater Gabbard and Galloper offshore windfarms. Depending on the method by which these cable crossings are protected there is potential for cumulative impacts including:
Construction
o Physical disturbance; and o Habitat loss.
Operation
o The colonisation of a reef type structure; and o Habitat loss (as a result of changes in physical processes.
4.1.5 Other activities: 39.
The distance of other activities from East Anglia THREE and FOUR, combined with the common and widespread nature of species and habitats within the East Anglia Zone and export cable corridor, means that significant cumulative impacts are not anticipated.
4.1.6 Transboundary impacts 40.
Similarly to the general case with cumulative impacts, the localised and small scale nature of the impacts on the benthos and the distance to the other planned and proposed windfarm projects means that significant transboundary impacts are unlikely.
Evidence Plan Benthic Ecology Method Statement
East Anglia THREE & East Anglia FOUR Offshore Windfarms
