Drayton, Environmental Impact Assessment

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT OF INTENTION NOT TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT (Regulation 5 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Land Drainage Improvement Works) Regulations 1999 as amended by SI 2005/1399 and SI 2006/618 South Moor Flood Storage Area; Measures in the Interests of Safety (MIOS)

The Environment Agency gives notice that it proposes to carry out essential public safety works, known as Measures in the Interests of Safety' or 'MIOS' in the South Moor Flood Storage Area (FSA) (NGR ST 42308 24782), near Drayton in the district of South Somerset. The Environment Agency is required to undertake the MIOS works before October 2024, in accordance with its obligations under the Reservoirs Act 1975. The proposed MIOS works consist of:

• New 160m long embankment with key trench from the banks of River Parrett toward the south of the Westover Farm.
• Concrete block erosion protection to crest and downstream face of spillway and in-situ concrete cut-off beams and concrete anchor beams located along the crest of the spillway and the toe of the new embankment.
• Cut in the Old Railway Embankment.
• Culverts and Headwalls.
• Sheet piled cut off wall on the Railway embankment.

The MIOS are intended to restore the FSA to safe operation in accordance with its existing flood management functions. They are not intended to change the function or operation of the FSA in any way. The MIOS works will be delivered under the Environment Agency's Permitted Development rights, as conferred by The Town and Country Planning Act (General Permitted Development (England) Order 2015 (Part 13, Class D). The MIOS works have been assessed by environmental specialists in ecology, heritage/archaeology, landscape, water, etc., who have worked actively with the Environment Agency NEAS (National Environmental Assessment Service) division, scheme engineers and the Principal Contractor to incorporate proposed environmental mitigation measures into the temporary and permanent works design. The Environment Agency has therefore concluded that the improvement works are not likely to have significant effects on the environment and has not produced does not intend to prepare an environmental statement in respect of them. In addition, an Environmental Action Plan (EAP) has been developed for this project to ensure that environmental risks are well managed before, during and after construction. An Environmental Clerk of Works (EnCoW) has been appointed to monitor the project's performance against the requirements of the EAP and to ensure that the mitigation measures specified have been implemented in full.

Any person wishing to make representations in relation to the likely environmental effects of the proposed MIOS works should do so, in writing, to the address specified below or by email, within 28 days of the date of publication of this notice.

Peter Clark BSc MRICS, Senior Project Manager Environment Agency, Manley House, Kestrel Way, Exeter EX2 7LQ

westmoorreservoir@environment-agency.gov.uk