The Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm Order 2020

Benthic compensation measures

13.  Each SIP must accord with the principles set out in the Sandbanks Compensation Strategy relating to the protected feature “sandbanks slightly covered by water all the time” and must include the following:

(a) details of how all impacts to Annex 1 reef habitats within designated sites will be avoided;

(b) details of the locations for the disposal of dredged material, and evidence that the disposal mechanism will allow sediment to be retained within the sandbank system and avoid impacts to other features, particularly reef habitats;

(c) details of the areas which will be subject to marine debris removal, which should equate to no less than 41.80 ha at NNSSR and 2.77 ha at WNNC;

(d) details of the marine debris awareness events, and measures to facilitate the rapid recovery of lost fishing gear, as detailed in the sandbanks compensation strategy. Such measures should be applied to both NNSSR and WNCC;

(e) an environmental monitoring plan to include: appropriate surveys to assess the effects of cable protection on sediment movement and epifauna assemblages during the operation of the Project, to improve the evidence base for assessing the impacts of offshore windfarm cable installation and rock protection for future projects; and appropriate surveys to monitor the recovery of the areas of the NNSSR and the WNNC impacted by cable protection, post-decommissioning; and

(f) Details of the timetable for implementation of each measure.