Contents

Flagship Project 1 - Solent Information Network
Flagship Project 2 - Solent Environment & Access Initiative
Flagship Project 3 - State of the Solent
Flagship Project 4 - Solent Outreach
Flagship Project 5 - Solent Science Conference

Flagship Project 1 - Solent Information Network

Objective: to achieve an effective network of data and information linking all the main planners and managers of the Solent, to support their work and improve decision-taking.

Background: The future of the Solent relies fundamentally on taking good decisions about its planning and management. To achieve this, the best information about the Solent needs to be at the fingertips of its planners, managers and those responsible for advising them.

We are fortunate that the Solent is one of the best studied estuarine systems in the UK, and that there is a unique concentration of academic institutions with coastal and marine research interests on the doorstep. Even so, there is a consensus that the information which is available is not being managed to maximise its use. Some information is difficult to access, some is unknown, and there are few systems in place to make the Solent ‘community’ aware of work which has already been done. The risks of duplication of effort, incompatible datasets and reduced quality of decision making are all too apparent.

The Solent Forum is well placed to develop the role of establishing an effective information network for the Solent. We wish to take forward a project during 1997-1998 to establish such a network and agree on-going commitments for administration of the system in the longer term. The concerns of the Forum are shared by SCOPAC, and it is the intention to work in partnership on the project, with the lead work being carried out by the Solent Project Officer, in conjunction with the organisations who will use or contribute to the system. SCOPAC already has a history of co-ordinating a research database on coastal defence, and this provides a useful basis for developing a wider system.

It is likely that the most effective method of distributing information will be by using the Internet. Such a system has the following advantages: it will be an increasingly important network, with a long term future; it allows links to be made from a Solent ‘website’ to other sites maintained by a wide range of organisations, nationally and internationally; is accessible through the telephone to a wide range of standard computer hardware, meaning that costs of connection and use are kept low. The Internet is already in day-to-day use within academia, but it is likely to be at least 3 to 5 years before the public sector will be using it to the same level. In the short term, there is a need to promote the use of the Internet amongst the Solent Forum’s membership, and to provide training courses in its use.

Other ways of disseminating information will be required to complement the Internet. Information from within the core system will be gathered and organised in a way which is compatible with its publication and distribution through other mechanisms.

Action: The key tasks to be achieved in developing the Solent Information Network (SIN) are as follows:

• developing a Solent site on the Internet to create a network between all organisations with research, planning and management interests in the Solent. This should be structured to allow all the key sources of data and information to be accessed simply and effectively, and allow for regular, cost-effective administration to keep the system up-to-date;
• make direct contact with the lead officers dealing with research and information on the Solent, SCOPAC and the full range of academics with significant research interests, in order to identify the extent of past and on-going work. Seek to integrate useful past work within SIN wherever possible and practical;
• establish a mechanism to register the existence of datasets with the Solent, including those created for geographical information systems. SINs prime function should be to put organisations needing data in touch with those who hold it, however, it may be appropriate in some cases to make data directly available over the Internet through SIN;
• establish a protocol for newly completed research on the Solent to be registered with SIN, and agree the quality control standards which should apply to the information held; identify the role of SIN in disseminating standards for data collection within the Solent, in order to facilitate compatibility and avoid duplication;
• identify the ongoing costs of maintaining SIN and secure an agreement over how these will be met. The need to ensure that these costs can be covered in the long-term is fundamental to the success of the system;
• identify the need for other mechanisms of information dissemination to complement the Internet site and provide information in these formats as required; provide training to Solent planners and managers in the use of the Internet, advice on making effective use of the Internet (including how to get connected), and software suppliers etc; integrate the work on the SIN with project work on public information on the Internet as part of the ‘Solent Outreach’ project - Flagship project 4.

Key organisations: The Solent Information Network will provide a resource of practical use to all those with interests in the planning and management of the Solent, however, the core organisations will be as follows:

• SCOPAC
• Local authorities (esp. Planning, engineering and leisure departments)
• Harbour authorities
• Environment Agency
• English Nature
• Southern and Sussex Sea Fisheries Committees
• Universities and colleges
• Government ministries.

Delivery of the work: the project will be co-ordinated by the Solent Project Officer, guided by a small steering group representing planners, managers and researchers. Expert input on the technical work in developing the system, and possibly in its maintenance will be required. There are a number of possible sources, including the University of Portsmouth and University of Southampton. Timescale: the aim is to establish the system by December 1998.

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Flagship Project 2 - Solent Environment & Access Initiative

Objective: To put in place a strategy for environmental improvements and access on the Solent coast, and establish the necessary partnerships for implementation.

Background: The strategic guidance recognises the scope to improve the quality of the environment of the Solent, and to improve co-ordination of the provision and promotion of public access and recreation facilities.

The Solent Forum could take the lead in promoting co-ordinated action, by producing a strategy for environmental improvements and access. It could also establish a partnership approach to its implementation particularly with the Solent local authorities. A strategy would provide an effective means of identifying the need and scope for further work, establish priorities and provide a basis for bidding for resources from the National Lottery and other funds.

The concept could be based around:

• promotion of a revised Solent Way and a network of linked routes - including links between the Isle of Wight and the mainland, and circular routes; improvement of degraded stretches of coastline and habitat creation;
• improvement of the condition and maintenance of key public slipways, and the implementation of a co-ordinated programme of environmental and safety signage;
• improvements to existing and the selective provision of new visitor facilities;
• promotion of use, including publications; ensuring that there is an active on-the-ground management presence through the Solent coastline.

Promotion of public use needs to be achieved hand-in-hand with the protection of the environment. The strategy will ensure that promotion of recreational activity on the Solent meets sustainability requirements, including the need to reduce the reliance on the car. It will also aim to ensure that recreational activity does not cause pollution, damage or disturbance to sensitive nature conservation interests. Implementation of the strategy will need to be achieved through a partnership approach, with local authorities having a particularly significant lead role. Implementation will be an on-going process, to be achieved as resources are available. However, an agreed strategy will help to make the case for resources, identify priorities and back-up grant applications and other funding bids. It will be important for the strategy to identify a portfolio of sites and initiatives requiring specific action and to estimate costings.

Action: The key tasks to be achieved are as follows:

• establish contacts within the lead organisations responsible for site management and access within the Solent; propose a revised route for the Solent Way, including a route along the north coast of the Isle of Wight, in consultation with the rights of way authorities in Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.
• link the route to a network of access ranging from short to long distance walks, circular routes and, where appropriate, horseriding, cycling and wheelchair access; carry out an audit of the Solent coastline, in conjunction with the appropriate lead local authorities, and identify a comprehensive portfolio of sites requiring environmental improvements;
• establish how selective promotion of access to the Solent coast and its facilities should be achieved, including the requirements for publications, waymarking and marketing;
• establish a framework for prioritising implementation and identify the most significant needs for action;
• publish the above as a costed strategy for consultation and agreement between the key partners; identify with the key partners how the strategy will be implemented, and seek to agree where resources for priority projects can be provided, and the timescales for implementation. Facilitate and co-ordinate bids for grant aid where appropriate.

Key organisations: There are a wide range of organisations within the public, private and voluntary sector who have interests in this project. However the lead organisations are as follows:

• Local authorities
• Harbour authorities
• Environment Agency
• Countryside Commission
• Solent Protection Society.

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Flagship Project 3 - State of the Solent

Objective: To establish a robust set of environmental, social and economic indicators which can be widely understood by the public, as a basis for future monitoring of the health of the Solent, and the publication of a regular report.

Background: We can only be confident that the policies for the Solent are being achieved if we understand the past and future changes to the system. In order to do this, it is proposed to devise a series of key indicators for the social, economic and environmental health of the Solent. These will be monitored regularly and be reported on through a regular published report. The priority audience for the indicators is the Solent Forum membership, comprising primarily of planning and regulatory bodies and user groups.

The indicators which are selected need to be properly tested so that we are confident that they are relevant to issues of concern, sensitive to change (space and time), supported by consistent data, meaningful and measurable. Indicators also need to be expressed in ways that make sense. Some examples of possible Solent indicators are shown in the list at the end of this section. Information from the monitoring of the indicators should be made available to the public and decision makers as a means of demonstrating the effectiveness of policies, and identifying the need for any changes.

The Solent Outreach project (Flagship Project 4) could be one effective means of disseminating this information, however it is also proposed to publish a regular ‘State of the Solent’ report, probably on a three yearly basis. Many organisations are responsible for gathering information which could form the basis for agreed indicators. Where possible, it is desirable for indicators to be based around existing monitoring effort. Costly additional monitoring will need to have a strong justification, however in some cases new monitoring activity may be required. For some issues, indicators of public perception may be important as well as measures of environmental or economic performance.

Action: The action required to achieve this project is as follows:

• on the basis of the aims and issues of the strategic guidance, identify a broad range of possible indicators for the Solent; test the possible indicators against the criteria for a good indicator, and draw up a shorter list of possible priorities, indicating the level of information which each indicator can supply, and the type of action which it should prompt;
• gather the relevant data for each of the indicators (from existing sources, and where necessary first-hand) and carry out a more systematic evaluation and analysis, to be published as a basis for agreeing the indicators within the Solent Forum;
• identify the organisations who will supply information for each of the indicators, and agree and document the specifications for data which will be gathered; produce and publish a ‘State of the Solent’ report, setting out the results of monitoring of the indicators. This should include a meaningful interpretation of them, reflecting the best available scientific advice, and indicating any action which the indicators suggest should be taken;
• based on the response to the first report, agree a monitoring programme which will lead to two further state of the Solent reports in 2002 and 2005.

Key organisations: The indicators should be of widespread interest to the membership of the Solent Forum, and to all those with interests in the Solent. The lead organisations providing the required data will vary according to the type of indicator established.

Delivery of the Work: The work of co-ordinating and evaluating indicators, assembling and interpreting monitoring data and the publication of the first State of the Solent report will be carried out by the Solent Project Officer. Information will be required from a range of organisations including the Environment Agency, English Nature, local authorities, harbour authorities, private industry and the voluntary sector. For some indicators there may be potential to make useful links with the Universities and Colleges, and there may be opportunities to make good use of student project work.

Timescale: The development of a series of indicators will be a step-by-step process. The first State of the Solent report was published in 2001 and indicators are now being considered. The second State of the Solent report will be published in 2004 to include indicators.

SOME POSSIBLE SOLENT INDICATORS

Nature Conservation

• Bird populations
• Total area of important habitats
• Indicator species
• Damage to SSSIs
• Socio-economic impacts of European Wildlife sites
• Management resources available

Landscape Conservation

• Implementation of environmental improvements
• Development Control Decisions

Historic Heritage and Maritime Archaeology

• Addition or removal of buildings from the ‘At Risk Register’
• Damage to protected historic and archaeological sites
• Accessions of entries to the Sites and Monuments Register
• Enhanced management or interpretation of historic sites

Ports and Shipping

• Total volume of trade
• Total value of trade
• Shipping movements through Eastern and Western Solent
• Employment reliant on the Ports industry

Marine Aggregates

• Area of seabed licensed for extraction
• Volume of aggregates extracted
• Total aggregate stocks
• landings of marine-dredged material and crushed rock

Recreation

• Number of Moorings/Marina berths
• International success of Solent sports persons
• Visitor numbers to key attractions
• Congestion at harbours and launch points
• Governing Body membership
• Users perceptions of quality of experience/conflicts

Naval Base and Defence Interests

• Numbers of vessels based in the Solent
• Employment dependant on MoD

Fisheries

• Health of oyster fishery
• Total fish landings
• Water quality of fisheries

Marine Industries

• Value of marine industry activity
• Employment dependant on marine industry
• Growth or contraction of different sectors of activity

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Flagship Project 4 - Solent Outreach

Objective: To actively promote wider awareness and understanding about the Solent, in order to improve public confidence and participation in its planning and management.

Background: There is a need to build a greater public awareness about the Solent by: more actively promoting information about its planning and management; identifying the main environmental and economic issues and providing the public with good opportunities to find out more.

The Solent Forum aims to provide a voice for the Solent, and this can be achieved by providing a range of public information services integrated under the heading of ‘Solent Outreach’. The proposed priorities between 1997-2000 are as follows:

Solent News: Solent News is produced for the bi-annual meetings of the Solent Forum. The first edition was well received, and it should be expanded to produce a slightly better quality production which could be distributed to a mailing list of organisations with an interest in the Solent, including the media. Solent Events Programme:

A large number of events are organised within the Solent every year including: public talks, guided walks, exhibitions and competitions with a coastal focus. Many of these are not given sufficient public attention, and it is desirable to draw them together within a single publication which can be effectively distributed and promoted. This should be published bi- annually in Autumn and Spring. It should not duplicate existing activities, such as the co-ordination of sailing events through the Solent Cruising and Racing Association, and should promote the SCRA’s existing ‘Solent Book’.

Enjoy the Solent: In 1990, the Solent Harbourmasters’ Association produced a publication entitled ‘Enjoy the Solent’, to provide practical safety and recreational information to watersports participants. The publication was well received and was judged a success. Stocks of the original remain but are now dating. It would be desirable to revise and produce a new ‘Enjoy the Solent’, in close conjunction with the harbour authorities, and to add to the original by including environmental information (working with the nature conservation organisations and the British Marine Industries Federation’s ‘Navigate with Nature’ initiative). It will be important to ensure that an effective and continued programme of distribution of the publication is in place.

Solent homepage: There will be growing public use of the Internet in the future, and it offers a powerful and cost-effective tool for giving the public access to information on the Solent - both about the issues, and the opportunities to enjoy it. A Solent homepage should aim to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for key information. The Solent Forum and SCOPAC (The Standing Conference on Problems Associated with the Coastline) have agreed to work jointly on a pilot project to develop a Solent homepage. This project could usefully be integrated with the development of the Solent Information Network (Flagship Project 1), and will be one of the methods for disseminating the State of the Solent report (Flagship Project 3).

Public lectures: There is scope to organise a number of public lectures on aspects of the Solent, to publicise topical issues or new research. These are probably best targeted at a specific audience; for example a successful event on archaeology and nature conservation for recreational divers was held in 1995.

The media: There is a need to develop better contacts with the media, and make effective use of the press, radio and television in debating the future of the Solent, and promoting its importance.

The location of the Solent Project will be reviewed during 1997, and the options to find an office base on the coast are being examined. A coastal location for the project would enable greater day-to-day contact with the activities on the Solent, and give the potential to provide a site where groups of the public can visit to make use of the project’s resources.

Action and timescales: The action required under the ‘Solent Outreach’ programme is as follows:

• establish and maintain effective distribution lists for information dissemination within the Solent, to include the main user groups, interested local and amenity organisations and the media;
• continue to produce a twice-yearly Solent News linked to the meetings of the Solent Forum, and identify the demand for improved quality printing and a larger print-run, and the costs;
• research, produce and distribute a Solent events programme for Spring 1998, and subject to evaluating its success produce a regular programme at six monthly intervals;
• hold discussions with the Solent harbourmasters, BMIF and environmental interests to evaluate the success of ‘Enjoy the Solent’, and agree the production of a revised version for the 1998 season;
• identify the scope for a Solent homepage and produce a brief for a pilot project, setting out the information which it should provide access to, its structure and design. Manage the delivery of the brief, in conjunction with a small project steering group jointly convened with SCOPAC, utilising an external consultant;
• organise at least two public lectures every year on topical issues within the Solent, in conjunction with appropriate partners;
• establish awareness of the Solent Forum and its activities with the local media, and seek appropriate coverage for its events and activities.

Key organisations: Solent Outreach should be of widespread interest to the membership of the Solent Forum. There is particular scope for joint working with SCOPAC over the development of the Solent homepage.

Delivery of the work: The co-ordination of Solent Outreach will be carried out by the Solent Project Officer. Various inputs from the membership of the Solent Forum will be needed. There is a particular need for technical support for the creation of the Solent homepage, which will be sought from the academic sector.

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Flagship Project 5 - Solent Science Conference

Further information on this topic is available in the Solent Science pages.

Objective: To hold a scientific conference to establish the baseline state of knowledge about the Solent, and to publish the findings as the precursor to determining a research agenda for the Solent.

Background: Good scientific information is fundamental to the successful long-term management of the Solent, and there is a need to establish and clarify the extent of our present knowledge. A conference is the most effective way of achieving this, with invitations being made to leading experts briefed to present an up-to-date picture of the position, and identify key gaps.

The proceedings of the conference will be published in book format, providing a durable record which will be of considerable value to researchers and managers of the Solent. The conference will be of significant interest to SCOPAC, and it is hoped that it will be organised on a partnership basis. The Southampton Oceanography Centre have indicated a willingness to host the event, and to work in conjunction with the Solent Forum to organise the programme and secure the best possible range of presentations. The target date for the conference is Easter 1998, and it will run over 2 or 3 days.

The conference will provide a firm basis for identifying gaps in knowledge, and for agreeing a prioritised agenda for addressing them.

Action: The action required to achieve this project is as follows:

• establish a programme for the event, in consultation with the key organisations, and agree the timing and dates for the conference;
• identify speakers and provide them with a full briefing on both the oral presentation at the conference, and accompanying paper to be published in the proceedings;
• co-ordinate promotion of the event, and administrate bookings and conference arrangements; identify the possibilities for publication of the proceedings, and secure a publisher;
• organise and administrate the publication of proceedings, including a review of papers submitted by an editorial board; convene meetings and working groups as necessary to ensure that all key organisations are involved in the conference, and able to represent their views; on the basis of the conference presentations, convene a meeting to discuss the potential priorities within a research agenda and how they should be met.

Key organisations: The conference should be of widespread interest to the membership of the Solent Forum, and beyond. The following organisations will all have a particularly strong role to play:

• Bournemouth University
• English Nature
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee
• Environment Agency
• Hampshire & Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology
• Portsmouth University (RACER Group, Solent Mapping & Charting, CCZM, Marine Labs)
• SCOPAC
• Southampton Institute
• University of Southampton (Southampton Oceanography Centre, Geodata Institute)
• Local authorities
• Harbour authorities
• Private Consultants

Delivery of the Work: The Solent Project Officer will need to take a co-ordinating role in the conference, ensuring that all the relevant organisations are involved. Secretarial and expert support during the organisation and running of the event, and publication of proceedings will be required, and it may be possible to secure some of this through the SOC and via other organisations.

Timescale: The first conference took place in 1998. A second Solent Conference is targeted for Spring 2004.

Source: Strategic Guidance for the Solent, 1997.

Delivery and Timescales last updated October, 2002.

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