benthos it is considered that there is no pathway for interaction between impacts cumulatively, in regard to the windfarm site. Whilst it is recognised that across the East Anglia Zone and wider southern North Sea there would be additive impacts, the overall combined magnitude of these would be negligible relative to the scale of the habitats affected. In addition, given the ubiquity and low ecological sensitivity of habitats across the southern North Sea (and indeed across areas deemed suitable for development) sensitivity is also likely to be low or negligible at a cumulative scale.
22.
There is potential for cumulative impacts to occur during construction and operation between the proposed East Anglia THREE project export cable and export cables from other windfarms as well as interactions with aggregate extraction sites. These impacts were assessed as beingminor adverse at worst and highly localised and temporary.
23. No transboundary impacts were identified.
30.2.5 Chapter 11 Fish and Shellfish Ecology 24.
The data identified within the study area, as described in the chapter, show that over 100 species of fish and shellfish may be present within the area. Of these species, only those which were considered to have potential to be impacted were taken forward for assessment.
25.
The receptors that have been identified include a number of species of interest due to ecosystem value and the value to commercial fishermen. Other species such as salmon and lamprey were taken forward for assessment due to their conservation value. The impact assessment required consideration of the marine geology, oceanography and physical processes, marine water and sediment quality, underwater noise and electromagnetic fields, benthic ecology, and commercial fisheries assessments.
26.
The effects that have been assessed are anticipated to result in impacts of negligible or minor adverse significance to all receptors. No additional mitigation measures, other than those which form part of the embedded mitigation, are suggested.
27.
As with the benthic assessment most impacts are localised, small scale and temporary and therefore pathways for cumulative impacts are limited. The key cumulative impacts which were considered with regard to fish ecology were from underwater noise largely from piling for other offshore windfarms. Given the distance of the proposed project from other offshore windfarms, there is no pathway for cumulative impact upon the identified receptors as noise footprints do not overlap.
Preliminary Environmental Information May 2014
East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm
Chapter 30 Summary and Conclusion Page 8
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