Artistic impression sketch of Solent Gateway 2. This is indicative and based on our emerging proposals.
Environmental impacts and mitigations
The potential environmental effects of the project, along with the mitigation and enhancement strategies being prepared, will be rigorously assessed, including through both the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) processes.
What is an EIA and HRA?
- EIA - An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process that identifies and evaluates the potential environmental effects of a proposed development to help inform decision-making and ensure impacts are properly understood and addressed.
- HRA - A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) checks whether a proposed development could affect European sites. European sites comprise Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA) and Ramsar sites; all these designations are relevant to this project.
Part of the proposed site from the River Test.
These assessments are being supported and informed by extensive surveys and studies and will be shaped through consultation with statutory stakeholders.
As an iterative process, the EIA will evolve alongside, and inform, the project design to ensure environmental considerations are fully integrated.
These assessments will be conducted across a range of areas and will include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Noise and light levels from the proposed development and its associated infrastructure.
- Air quality impacts from the proposed development, and the associated traffic (vehicles and vessels) to and from the site.
- Flood risk.
- Visual impact of the proposed development.
- Impacts on public access and connectivity, including public rights of way.
- Ecology of the site, including marine and landside flora and fauna.
We expect our next round of consultation, in 2026, to include preliminary environmental information, with details of the assessments we’ve conducted as well as our proposals for mitigating any impacts.
That document will then, combined with further assessments throughout the pre-application stage, form the basis of an Environmental Statement (ES) which will be submitted as part of our application for development consent.
