STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

of the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund submission

 

Updated Environmental and Health Impact Report April 2008

extract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

Approach and Need for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

 

1. A bid for money from the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) was submitted by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) to the Department for Transport (DfT) at the end of July 2007. The bid comprised various measures to deliver a sustainable network and reduce car dependency, combining demand management (including congestion charging) with extensive investment in public transport.

2. The City Region Development Plan envisages that Greater Manchester should be economically successful, and distinguished by the high quality of life enjoyed by its residents. Individual districts have even higher aspirations – for instance Manchester aims to be ‘the greenest city in Britain’. A prime objective of the second Local Transport Plan is to accommodate the trips generated by the projected increase in jobs in the most sustainable way so as to improve social inclusion and protect the environment and enhance the quality of life.

 

3. The objective of the European SEA Directive is 'to provide for a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans ... with a view to promoting sustainable development'. While it is possible that the TIF package including congestion charging does not strictly require SEA at this stage, there are several powerful reasons for producing a document that meets the spirit of the SEA Directive and DfT guidance .

• The package will require early and major revisions to LTP2 and it is clear that this will require SEA – the current work will form the basis of this.
• It can be demonstrated to partners and the public the overall environmental effects of the package - for instance on climate change, or local air pollution.
• Legal challenge to the TIF package on environmental grounds from people opposed to congestion charging is less likely to succeed.
• For schemes that do not already have powers, the SEA will set the overall environmental context for individual scheme Environmental Impact Assessment and make it easier to obtain powers.
• Environmental claims can be made for TIF knowing that there has been independent scrutiny of these claims.

Consultation and Scoping Report

 

4. Steer Davies Gleave identified those environmental issues considered most important by statutory consultees and other stakeholder in several ways:

• Consultations carried out during 2005 and 2006 for the SEA of the Second Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan (LTP2), and for individual schemes contained within it;
• TIF package SEA Scoping report issued Spring 2007 ; and
• The TIF package acceptability exercise.

5. Responses to the formal Scoping Report were sparse. English Heritage noted that cumulative landscape issues associated with the charging infrastructure would need sensitive handling and robust design guidance. No response has been received to date from Natural England, although they did attend a consultation meeting and contributed comments informally in this way. However, it was particularly disappointing that the Environment Agency did not feel able to contribute to this process.

 

6. Emerging evidence from TIF package acceptability exercise indicates that although environmental issues are not at the core of people’s concerns about the measures proposed, carbon emissions and local air quality were the most important issues identified both from public and decision-makers points of view. This confirms the focus of the work that has been done to date is the right one.

Alternatives Considered

 

7. The SEA Directive requires reasonable alternatives to the plan under consideration are identified, described and evaluated. The alternatives considered in this case are:

• Reference Case - Do minimum: Current policies continue to be pursued, and current transport infrastructure proposals implemented.
• Full TIF Package: Additional measures developed through TIF funding are implemented as planned and operational by 2016.
• A ‘low-carbon’ option: Including further measures to reduce carbon emissions from transport, this is being developed in parallel to the main TIF Package as part of the SEA in conjunction with GMPTE.

Outcomes of the SEA

 

8. Overall, the TIF Package for Greater Manchester will have no significant adverse impacts on the environment, and will provide minor environmental benefits across the board. In particular, in relation to specific categories of impact, the conclusions of the SEA are that, compared with the continuation of present policies in Greater Manchester, when the TIF Package is implemented there will be:

• About 1% lower level of fuel consumption;
• Some 1.5% to 2% lower level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to Congestion Charging in Greater Manchester as a whole (although within the charging zone, emissions will fall by more than 6 %). The TIF Package overall will provide about a 6% reduction of CO2 emissions across Greater Manchester.
• A reduction in the amount of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10) emitted by road traffic of about 1-2% overall, although there will be more than 10% reduction in key areas, particularly within the M60. However, this does not take account of the air quality effects of ‘smarter choices’ measures, which will deliver further benefits in this respect.
• Some reductions in traffic noise levels, and no significant changes identified.
• No damage to designated wildlife/biodiversity sites and protected species.
• No damage to areas and features of designated heritage value, and opportunities to improve urban realm.
• No damage to areas and features of designated landscape/townscape value, and opportunities to improve urban realm.
• Health benefits from reduction in the amount of the full range of pollution emissions from transport, a reduction in road traffic accidents, and from more walking and cycling. It is estimated that over 135 avoidable deaths per year may be prevented as a result of the full TIF package.

Mitigation

 

9. The SEA has indicated that the current TIF Package will broadly benefit the environment, and is unlikely to have any significant adverse effects. However, although it may secure some environment improvements, the implementation of the TIF Package proposals is unlikely to provide the significant environmental improvements that would underline the aspirations for Manchester to be ‘Britain’s Greenest City’. To this end, Steer Davies Gleave also recommends some further mitigation measures specifically aimed at tackling issues relating to:

• Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions;
• Local air quality and emissions of local air pollutants;
• Noise from transport infrastructure; and
• Visual impacts.

Monitoring

 

10. It is a specific requirement of the regulations governing SEA that the monitoring of the environmental effects of plans and programmes such as the TIF package is carried out. However, the existing monitoring arrangements set up for LTP2 largely covers this requirement, along with the routine monitoring of air quality at many locations throughout Greater Manchester required under air quality management regulations that will continue, and other monitoring activities relevant to the AQMP. Other monitoring data on environmental resources will be collated from existing data sources, such as the Environment Agency and Natural England, and the local authorities within Greater Manchester.

Key Conclusions

 

11. The policies and measures that have been included in the TIF Package will all bring improvements in terms of pollution emissions.

 

12. The congestion charging element of the TIF bid will lead to a reduction in the rate of increase in CO2 emission levels from surface transport. In combination with the other measures included in the TIF package for Greater Manchester, user charging will lead to actual reductions in CO2 emissions in the longer term rather than just capping them.

 

13. By 2016, there will be significant reductions in both emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulates from traffic in Manchester due to a combination of the TIF package measures, technological changes in fuel efficiency, greater use of particulate traps and increased use of alternative fuels.

14. Over 135 avoidable deaths per year may be prevented as a result of the full TIF package.

end

 

 

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