Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has commissioned marine specialist ABPmer to provide guidance on physical processes Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) baseline survey and post consent monitoring requirements for major development projects.
Major developments within the marine environment such as port expansion or offshore wind farms have the potential to cause changes to sediment transport, hydrodynamics (waves, tidal currents and water levels) and morphology, reported ABPmer.
The company added that in order to understand the nature of such changes, it is essential that marine and coastal physical processes in the vicinity of the development are well understood.
ABPmer has been asked to address this by providing marine and coastal physical processes guidance for major marine development projects relevant to Welsh waters.
Heidi Roberts, Head of Physical Processes at ABPmer : “ ABPmer was delighted to be asked to prepare this guidance. We have a long history of undertaking EIAs for offshore and coastal developments and regularly support feasibility studies with physical process assessments.”
“ The guidance document prepared by our in-house geomorphology, modelling and dredging specialists, reviews and synthesizes published guidance relevant to marine physical processes EIA and draws on their experience to outline potential changes posed by marine developments ,” added Heidi Roberts.
NRW will make the report available in due course once it has been through NRW’s guidance development process.