Environmental Assessment

The DMRB Stage 2 Assessment has taken consideration of physical environmental constraints and sensitive receptors in the vicinity of the route options. This has enabled design development to avoid or minimise potential adverse impacts and significant environmental effects.

Route option specific environmental mitigation has not been developed at DMRB Stage 2. Detailed environmental mitigation will be developed and committed to at DMRB Stage 3, to reduce potential adverse impacts and as far as possible avoid significant environmental effects.

Map showing environmental constraints including listed buildings, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, ancient and native woodland, sites of special scientific interest, open rivers, and peatland.
Environmental Constraints Map

The DMRB Stage 2 Assessment, is a comparative assessment which considers the impact of the route options based on the following environmental factors:

  • Air quality in sensitive areas such as residential properties, schools and designated ecological sites.
  • Cultural heritage such as archaeological remains, historic buildings and scheduled monuments.
  • Landscape including landscape elements and features, settlements and built elements, landscape character and landscape designations.
  • Visual for residential receptors, road users, cyclists and walkers on designated routes.
  • Biodiversity including designated sites, notable habitats and protected species.
  • Geology, soils, hydrogeology and land contamination including groundwater and human health in the context of land contamination.
  • Material assets and waste including material resources and the capacity of waste infrastructure.
  • Noise and vibration at sensitive receptors such a residential properties, schools and community facilities.
  • Population including community assets, local businesses and public rights of way.
  • Human health of affected communities, including both physical and mental wellbeing.
  • Road drainage and the water environment including surface water quality, hydromorphology and flood risk.
  • Climate including greenhouse gas emissions and resilience to climate change.

Environmental monitoring and surveys have been undertaken to inform the DMRB Stage 2 Assessment. These have included air quality monitoring, cultural heritage surveys, biodiversity surveys, landscape and visual surveys, and aquatic and hydrology surveys.