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Gloucester Security of Supply
Gloucester Security of Supply
Ensuring water provision across Gloucestershire
Severn Trent Water are proposing to install a major cross country clean water pipeline to prevent the loss of water supplies following summer floods suffered by customers in Gloucestershire in 2007.
Identifying protected species
Grontmij have been involved in the project since the outset, and ecology work has included a detailed desk-based evaluation of initial options, followed by Phase 1 and Phase 2 ecology studies on two refined routes. Work now focuses on a single 17km route corridor. Grontmij surveys have identified previously unknown populations of protected species, including great crested news, reptiles, badger, otter and rare nesting birds. Mitigation, including protected species licensing, is being progressed to avoid impacts and ensure construction proceeds without delays.
Protecting wildlife
An Appropriate Assessment has also been carried out to evaluate the impact of the proposed scheme on a nearby Special Area of Conservation. Specifically, this has considered effects on dead-wood invertebrates, notably violet click-beetle. Part of the Appropriate Assessment has included a construction phase mitigation strategy and a compensation plan agreed with Natural England.