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Solent News Issue 14, May 2003 |
Research and Reports
Water Quality and Beaches
National and International News
Flooding and Coastal Defence
Conservation
Recreation and Tourism
Ports and Shipping
Other News
Whatever’s going on at the Solent Forum?
“The next two years will be critical for the Solent, as is heralded in this issue of Solent News. Coastal monitoring will be a key to ensuring improvement in the health of our inshore waters. We will perhaps know before the end of the year the result of the Dibden Bay inquiry and whether the Inspector reports in favour of a New Forest National Park. The U.K. and the Solent in particular needs a conservation plan for our inshore waters. Government must heed the proposals of the Southern Sea Fishery Committee.” Maldwin Drummond, Chair, Solent Forum.
An £8 million programme to monitor the coastline from the Isle of Grain in Kent to Portland Bill in Dorset is to go ahead thanks to 65% funding from DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The programme, which has developed a partnership between 31 Local Authorities and the Environment Agency, will make sure that coastal areas are monitored consistently across the region. It should mean that engineers and planners will have the quality information they need to help manage coastal flooding and erosion risks. This is the first collaborative project of its kind in the country, with £500,000 coming from the Environment Agency’s Local Flood Defence Committees and £2.8m from the local authorities, during the first 5 year phase of the programme. It is hoped that similar programmes will be adopted across England and Wales. DEFRA awarded the grant of 65% of the programme’s costs following the submission of a detailed technical and economic study. The study was carried out earlier this year by officers representing the three regional coastal groups (Southeast Coastal Group, South Downs Coastal Group and SCOPAC). The team was led by Andrew Bradbury, Chairman of the SCOPAC Research Sub-Group. The ‘Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme for the South East of England’ will allow coastal process and monitoring data to be collected. This information will be used for updating shoreline management plans, strategic studies, beach management plans and assist in evaluating the performance of implemented schemes. Shoreline monitoring will also improve future decision-making. Having a strategic approach to regional monitoring gives a structured basis for capturing the data needed to make reliable assessments of processes and to predict future changes. If data is collected over an extended period of time, ideally 20 – 30 years, predictions are more accurate and the best possible decisions can be made.
For further information contact Andrew Bradbury on tel:023 80285911
The government’s first Marine Stewardship Report (MSR), ‘Safeguarding Our Seas’ was published on 1st May 2002. This set the outline for a strategy for the conservation and sustainable development of the marine environment, based on a vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The report contained a number of new as well as ongoing initiatives. It outlined the real progress that had been made in protecting the seas around the UK, but it was recognised that many threats still remain and further action is needed to tackle these. Since then the government has held a number of workshops to help take forward these initiatives. In addition, it will be consulting on a range of initiatives in the near future. In November it launched its follow-up consultation paper, ‘Seas of Change’. This forms the basis for discussion on; *making progress; *how to develop a practical application of the ecosystem-based approach; *considering how to involve stakeholders in the development of coastal and marine policy; *scoping and content of future reports; and *consulting procedure. This consultation fulfils the government’s commitment outlined in ‘Safeguarding Our Seas’ to consult whether current arrangements for stakeholder involvement are adequate and on the scope and content of the future MSRs. In addition, it is taking the opportunity to invite initial views on how principles underpinning the ecosystem-based approach can be fleshed out and applied in practice, and views on our strategic goals for the marine environment. The deadline for this consultation was 28 February 2003.
Further information is available on the website Printed copies are available from Defra Publications, Admail 6000, London, SW1A 2XX, Tel: 08459 556000, Fax: 020 8957 5012.
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) and the Crown Estate have issued an annual report detailing the extent of UK dredging for the year 2001. The report is part of both organisations’ commitment to manage marine resources as effectively as possible. Other commitments include the review of all dredging licences over a five year rolling period and the surrender of areas no longer containing useful sand and gravel resources. In order to compile the report, all dredging is monitored by an Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) that is fitted aboard every dredger. The EMS records the date, time, and position of dredging activity in fifty metre by fifty metre blocks, twenty four hours a day, every day of the year. Due to moves forward in technology, this year has seen a fourfold improvement in the resolution of dredging activity data. The results show that a total of 22.76 million tonnes of sand and gravel were extracted from licenced areas in England and Wales during 2001. This represents a small reduction from the 2000 figures when 23.05 million tonnes were dredged. The total of seabed licenced in 2001 decreased by 6% to 1413km2, whilst the area of seabed dredged during 2001 reduced by 3% to 173km2. This reduction in the area of seabed is primarily a result of improved resource and operational management by the marine aggregates industry.
For more information or copies of ‘Marine Aggregate Dredging - The Area Involved, 4th Annual Report’, please contact Richard Griffiths, BMAPA, tel: 020 7730 8194 or email: griffiths@qpa.org or Irene Belcher, Crown Estate, tel: 020 7210 4846.
A report published in December has found evidence of changes in the reproductive health of some marine life in the UK, which appears mainly due to both natural and man-made chemicals. It details the findings of a £1.5 million three-year research project named ‘Endocrine (hormone) Disruption in the Marine Environment’ (EDMAR). The project was a joint initiative between DEFRA, government agencies and the chemical industry’s Long Range Research Initiative. EDMAR was the first large scale, and most detailed, research to establish whether such changes were occurring in marine life, what they were, where they were occurring, what was causing them, and what the consequences were. The project found that endocrine (hormone) disruption does occur in some marine species in certain locations, but not at other sites and that further work needs to be done to determine why this is and what the consequences are, if any.
A summary of the Report and its findings can be found on the DEFRA website.
England’s seas and coast are damaged and declining according to an English Nature report launched on 6 November 2002. ‘State of nature: Maritime - getting onto an even keel’ is an 80 page report of evidence and analysis of the condition of the seas and coast around England. It reveals that, despite important initiatives to protect the marine environment, it is showing signs of significant stress and low resilience to continuing pressure. Key findings in the report include: * England’s coasts and seas are important cultural and economic assets. In 1998, 51% of people in England visited the seaside supporting the local economy; *50% of the UK’s biodiversity (around 40,000 species including corals, sea horses, fish and mammals such as dolphins and whales) is to be found in the sea; * in Essex alone, one quarter of all saltmarsh has been lost in the last 25 years, and in some estuaries, the rate of loss has increased over the last decade; * since 1984, nitrogen inputs to the sea around the UK have risen by 20%; * the estimated total fish stock in the North Sea has declined by 35% in the last 25 years; and * Plaice are now just quarter of the size they were in 1902.
FA copy of the report can be downloaded from English Nature’s website.
Together with colleagues at Southampton University, the University of East Anglia (UEA) is engaged in an inter-disciplinary research project studying stakeholder and institutional responses to potential climate change impacts on the UK coast. One of the three sites selected is Christchurch Bay, including the Hurst Spit area. At present the project is at a preliminary stage of making contact with stakeholders in the area. Officers at New Forest District Council and Christchurch Borough Council have already been contacted, but the project team would like to hear from other local organisations and stakeholders who may be interested.
For further information please contact: Dr Roger Few, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR47TJ, Tel: 01603 593678.
In October, the European Commission presented proposals for a revised Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the quality of bathing water. This Commission proposal replaces the existing Council Directive 1976/160/EEC, which has been in force for over twenty five years. The new proposal is intended to deliver three clear benefits: 1. improved health standards; 2. more efficient management including the active involvement of the public; and 3. allowing Member States greater flexibility in the way they implement the Directive.
Improved Health Standards
The main threat to human health associated with bathing is contact with, or ingestion of, faecal material originating from poorly treated sewage or from livestock. All bathers are potentially susceptible to the health risks although young children are particularly vulnerable (greater sensitivity and greater likelihood of swallowing water).The new proposal represents a significant tightening of the health standards relating to faecal pollution. Compared with the current Directive, the proposed standards reduce by a factor of two to three the risk of contracting gastro-enteritis and respiratory diseases as a result of bathing.
Proactive Approach to Beach Management
The proposed Directive foresees that an assessment should be made at each bathing site of the likely sources of contamination and a management plan drawn up in order to minimise the risks to bathers. Where bathing sites have a history of poor water quality, such as at times of unusually severe weather conditions, preventive measures should be taken to close the bathing site when such weather conditions are predicted. Where standards are not respected, remedial measures must be taken.
The proposed Directive requires that information on the status of a bathing site, the monitoring data on water quality, the management plan and other relevant information is readily available to the general public. As well as being physically displayed at the site, information should also be available through the media and the internet. The users of bathing water sites should be actively involved in the development of the management plan by way of public consultations.
Simplification
Whilst it is recognised that faecal material is the primary focus of concern, the 1976 Directive required the monitoring of 17 parameters including heavy metals. The new proposal requires only two parameters to be monitored, as both are regarded as excellent indicators of faecal contamination (Intestinal Enterococci and Escherischia Coli). This will allow resources to be focused on the monitoring of those parameters that constitute a real threat to human health.
Bathing water quality should also be improved through the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). The Framework Directive requires that good standards should be achieved for all waters. Member States will put in place river basin management plans including an analysis of the river basin’s characteristics, a review of the impact of human activity on the waters in the basin, and an economic analysis of water use in the district. This integrated approach upstream should contribute to the improved quality of downstream bathing waters.
In the new proposal, the classification of water quality at a bathing site will be determined on the basis of a three-year trend and not on the basis of one year’s results as is currently the case. This means that the classification will be less susceptible to bad weather conditions or “one-off” incidents.
The Commission is proposing that the new standards and procedures should come into force two years after the adoption of the Directive. This lead-in time should give the authorities and operators concerned the opportunity to make the necessary investment in sewage treatment and other remedial measures.
The full text of the Proposed Directive is available on the Europa website.
The Solent Water Quality Association (SWQA) examined the implications for local authorities in April 2002 at their SWQA Conference. Since that time work has been progressing on beach management in the Solent. In February, a workshop was held to look at a blueprint procedure for dealing with gross sewage pollution into or adjacent to a bathing water. The Solent Forum provides secretariat duties for the SWQA and has recently sent a draft to those it considers stakeholders in the response to such a situation. This summer there are plans for a pilot study into the provision of public information relating to water quality at local beaches. This would look at what the public need to make an informed decision on whether to bathe and how they would like this information to be presented. For further details on the work of the SWQA please contact Tracey Hewett the Solent Forum Officer 01962 846027.
For further details on the work of the SWQA please contact Tracey Hewett the Solent Forum Officer 01962 846027 or e-mail Solent Forum office.
The Solent Water Quality Awards 2003 have recently been issued to the following beaches:
Chichester: Bracklesham; East Beach, Selsey; West Wittering
Fareham: Hillhead bathing beach
Gosport: Camper and Nicholson Marina; Hardway; Haslar Marina; Lee-on-the-Solent; Stoke Lake; Stokes Bay
Havant: Hayling Island Seafront (West Hayling, West of Eastoke and West Beachlands sampling points)
Isle of Wight: Colwell; Cowes; East Cowes; Gurnanrd; Sandown; Seagrove; Shanklin Springvale; St Helens; Ventnor; Yaverland
New Forest: Barton on Sea (Christchurch Bay); Calshot; Milford on Sea
Portsmouth: Eastney; Southsea West Beach; Victoria Pier
For details about the SWQA scheme visit the website
Launched in October 2002, ‘Working with the Grain of Nature’ is a five year programme of action aiming to weave concern for biodiversity through five key policy areas - agriculture, water, woodlands, urban areas and the marine and coastal environment - and through every part of people’s lives. The undertaking for a biodiversity strategy was set out in the Rural White Paper ‘Our Countryside, the future: a fair deal for rural England’ (November 2000). It builds on the improvements for the conservation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest made by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the 436 existing species and habitat action plans being implemented within the framework of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Further information is available on the website
In February, a review of the UK’s progress towards sustainable development was published . This report, the third in the series, sets out progress made in 2002. Additionally, it brings together the latest data available up to the end of 2002 on the fifteen headline indicators which comprise the ‘quality of life barometer’ and highlights the main strategic developments. It also contains a wide range of case studies showing some of the cross-cutting action being carried out across the UK to further sustainable development.
The report can be viewed at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/ar2002/index.htm
DG Environment will host a consultation on financing for the Natura 2000 network on 16 March 2003. The consultation will be based on the ‘Final Report on Financing Natura 2000’ and will present three options for future financing: using existing EU funds (Rural Development Regulation of the Common Agricultural Policy, Structural and Cohesion Fund and LIFE-Nature); expanding the LIFE-Nature instrument to serve as the main delivery mechanism; or creating a new funding instrument for Natura 2000. The outcomes of the meeting will serve as the basis for a Communication and will be presented to the Council and Parliament in September 2003.
For more information on Natura 2000, see europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/life/natura2000.htm
With the aim of promoting greater awareness and understanding of its work to protect Europe’s most important wildlife areas, the European Commission has prepared a paper which explains what the Natura 2000 network of protected areas is and how it is being set up. This answers frequently asked question about Natura 2000, the most important initiative ever undertaken in the EU to conserve areas of high importance for threatened species and habitats. By protecting these ‘precious components of biodiversity’ Natura 2000 aims to meet the European Council’s goal of halting biodiversity decline within the EU by 2010.
Further information is available at europa.eu.int/comm/environment/nature
The 550m frontage of Seaview Duver will benefit from the construction of a new stone-faced seawall and rock revetment, together with improvements to drainage and outfalls, beach access steps and an upgraded slipway. In addition, DEFRA will be grant-aiding a range of environmental enhancements to the twenty five acres of marshland and reed beds on the landward side of the existing road in order to form a nature reserve. The scheme, which is expected to take nearly a year to complete, will commence in February.
Further information is available from the Island’s Coastal Manager, tel: 01983 857220.
In November, the largest coastal realignment project ever undertaken in Europe took place with the breaching of the sea wall at Abbotts Hall Farm in Essex. This project will convert over 200 acres (84 hectares) of arable farmland into saltmarsh and grassland as part of a nationwide initiative to restore the UK’s rapidly declining coastal wetlands. It is expected that the flooded area will gradually regenerate as natural saltmarsh and saline lagoons, both internationally important wildlife habitats. It is estimated that we lose around 100 hectares of saltmarsh in the south and east of England every year with a global loss of forty to fifty per cent predicted for the next century. Abbotts Hall Farm will form the centrepiece in a conservation jigsaw that will link together over 3,000 acres of wildlife-rich land along twenty five kilometres of the Essex coast. The farm is situated on the Blackwater Estuary, an internationally important area for wildlife, protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), and a marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The 700-acre coastal farm also aims to show how the re-creation of saltmarsh can act as a more cost-effective, sustainable sea defence option whilst supporting a rich variety of wildlife.
Further information is available from the Wildlife Trusts website
The Local Government Association (LGA) has carried out a review of the legislation and guidance relating to coastal planning and shoreline management, with the following aims:
* To identify ways in which better co-ordination and integration between coastal planning and coastal defence, particularly the shoreline management system, can be achieved through the existing legislative and policy framework; and
* To investigate ways in which the shared responsibility for managing coastal risk could be fostered through wider institutional and administrative change.
The review was carried out by a team of consultants comprising Rhoda Ballinger (University of Cardiff), Jane Taussik (independent researcher, formerly with University of Portsmouth) and Jonathan Potts (National Maritime Museum). The project has been managed by Alan Inder, Hampshire County Council’s Coastal Manager. The review concluded with recommendations for all levels of government (local, regional and national) and for particular organisations such as the LGA, the Environment Agency, and regional coastal groups such as SCOPAC. In January 2003 the team produced a wide ranging action plan, which the LGA’s Coastal Issues Group has agreed to implement over the next two years. The implementation programme will be supervised by Robin McInnes, Isle of Wight Council’s Coastal Manager and Chairman of SCOPAC’s Officers Group. One of the main features of the action programme will be a comprehensive training and education programme at regional and national levels. In the autumn of 2003 it is intended that the three main professional institutions in this field (RTPI, ICE and CIWEM) will hold a joint workshop for practitioners on the central south coast to raise awareness and understanding of the issues and to discuss ways of working together better.
For further information contact either: Alan Inder on 01962-846759, Robin McInnes on 01983-857221
The BBC’s ‘Blue Planet’ series captivated millions with its breathtaking images of tropical reefs, polar shores and fantastical denizens of the deep. But what would the cameras reveal if they toured our region’s seas? Lisa Browning, Marine Conservation Officer for the Wildlife Trusts in the South East, takes us on an imaginary submersible-ride around some of the hidden highlights of South East England. As we descend slowly into the turbid waters of the western Solent, our eyes struggle to adjust to the deepening gloom. Fifteen metres down we pause, lights on, waiting for the swirling silt to clear. Nothing. then suddenly the seabed snaps into focus, a muddy moonscape of shells and pebbles. A forest of peacock worms catches my eye, tentacles extended from their parchment tubes. They bend and flail in the tidal current like palm trees in a tropical storm. Startled from its slumber, a cuttlefish jets into view, raising two arms above its head in a flamenco-style threat. We head south. Off the Isle of Wight we weave amongst cliffs and boulders of green, pink and grey. A flash of neon blue reveals a male corkwing wrasse, the Laurence Llewellyn Bowen of the fish world. He’s busy furnishing his ‘bachelor pad’ with this season’s colours, carrying pieces of seaweed in his mouth and arranging them just so. If he’s lucky a female might just choose to lay her eggs there. We’re off the Sussex coast now, cruising at a depth of ten metres. Between Worthing and Brighton we encounter a long reef running parallel to the coast, possibly the UK’s only offshore chalk reef. A tiny tompot blenny, undaunted by our stature, stands his ground. Who are we to argue with a fish that sports scarlet antlers? Taking a dogleg to the south east, we visit the vast, mid-channel gravel beds, fifty metres down. Here every surface, every square centimetre, is home to something: sponges, sea squirts, worms, anemones, crabs, shrimps and a host of colonial animals. Scallops clap haphazardly about amongst loitering flatfish. North east and we’re into the Dover Strait. Golden dunes rise forty metres above the surrounding seabed, their surfaces sculpted into mesmerising patterns of ripples and waves. A beast of burden labours into view – the netted whelk, a sea snail. North to Kent’s Thanet coast now, and the cloudy waters of the southern North Sea. We hover above a seemingly limitless chalk platform that is riddled with the burrows of that most denigrated of molluscs, the boring piddock. Into the Thames estuary and it seems like school is out. Juvenile fish, young crabs and hordes of shrimp scuttle in the flooding tide. It’s getting lighter now, and all too soon we’re bobbing at the surface, beneath the watchful gaze of the London Eye. Although we barely began to explore the South East’s seas, our tour is over.
For more information contact Lisa Browning at Hamsphire Wildlife Trust on 023 8068 8936.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued a list of the habitats and living organisms (species) considered of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity in England. The list is in accordance with the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity. It will be kept under review and a report on any necessary revisions will be made as part of the first report on progress on the Biodiversity Strategy for England in 2006.
Further information is available at the website
In December 2002, the South East Marine Programme entered the second phase of its development. The focus for the next couple of years will be on two key issues: marine aggregate extraction and biodiversity action planning. In addition, there will be development of local marine projects by individual Wildlife Trusts throughout the region. The programme will be supported by English Nature (through DEFRA’s Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund) and the Wildlife Trusts in the South East. The aims of the new project, entitled ‘Marine biodiversity and aggregates in South East England’ are to: *work with the marine aggregates industry to reduce adverse impacts on the marine environment from sand and gravel extraction; *champion the production of a regional marine Biodiversity Action Plan; *build capacity within the Wildlife Trusts and wider conservation community to deliver conservation of sand and gravel habitats; *provide opportunities for public/community involvement in marine biodiversity conservation; and *raise public awareness of the region’s marine biodiversity. Activities planned for the first half of 2003 include: * a national conference on ‘Marine aggregates and biodiversity’ organised by the Wildlife Trusts in association with Coastal Management for Sustainability; *two research reports on the impacts of marine aggregate extraction on biodiversity; *an Oil Spill Response Workshop for Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers; *a workshop for organisers of South East Marine Week events; and *development of a suite of marine projects by local Trusts and partner organisations, including trails, events and surveys.
To find out more, go to the website or contact Lisa Browning on 023 8068 8936.
The West Sussex Vegetated Shingle Project has now evolved into the Nature Coast Project thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant and continued support from the project partners. It will include all coastal and marine habitats and wildlife in West Sussex. The project will continue to work towards HAP targets. The Nature Coast Project plans to highlight the coastal treasures in the region by producing a treasure chest packed with helpful advice, information and equipment to facilitate the teaching of marine and coastal biodiversity issues in West Sussex schools. In addition a “beach-carers” scheme will enable local people to “adopt” their beach monitoring its wildlife, recording any changes or damage and carrying out practical conservation tasks. Another of the project’s objectives is to raise public awareness of the probability and implications of coastal re-alignment, particularly in the Chichester/Selsey area. To this end the Project is organising a conference for schools entitled “Coastal Wildlife – feeling the squeeze?”
For more information about the Nature Coast Project or to get involved in any of the above activities, contact Julie Hatcher on 01903 737949
All terrain wheelchairs and new paths for the disabled may soon be available at Chichester Harbour. The Conservancy have made ‘Access for All’ an integral part of their bid for £1.5m of Heritage Lottery Fund money. Plans are underway to make available special wheelchairs with balloon like tyres to disabled people visiting the Harbour. When the chairs are available disabled people will be able to borrow them free of charge for all or part of a day. Wheelchair paths around the Harbour are also in line for a face lift. Under the proposals, three possible sites have been located. The existing path at Cobnor will be resurfaced and extended. New paths will be laid at Prinsted and the proposed cycle route from Chichester to West Wittering will also be made wheelchair friendly, opening whole new areas of the harbour to people of all levels of physical ability. Chichester Harbour Conservancy already spends much of its environment funds on improving access to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Heritage Lottery Fund bid aims to provide improved access for those of all abilities to enjoy the Harbour.
Further information is available on the website Tel 01243 512301
A twelve mile walk from the city to the sea or a two and a half mile circular coastal walk? Whatever you prefer you are sure to find something of interest in a new pack of ten self-guided walks. The pack has been produced by Chichester Harbour Conservancy. The carefully researched walks are of varying lengths and are designed to encourage the public to explore this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Shoreline, countryside and villages are featured in the walks. Even if you know the area well, the leaflets will provide you with historical information as well as details of the plants and wildlife you are likely to see. The walks are presented as attractive pocket sized leaflets. The leaflets contain, maps, transport information, a detailed walk route and background information on the area through which you are walking. All ten of the leaflets are presented in a clear plastic wallet with an overall map of the Harbour showing footpaths, roads, train and bus stops. The walks packs are on sale at £4 each from the Harbour Office, local tourist offices and local outlets including Bosham Farm Shop and Bookends, Emsworth.
Further information is available at www.conservancy.co.uk
Green Tourism on the Island has received a kick-start with the appointment of Green Island Officer, Steve Blamire. Steve, who is working with Angela Mawle, the Isle of Wight Council’s Agenda 21 Officer, has been brought onboard to develop and launch the Green Island Awards, reform the Sustainable Tourism Forum and contribute to the delivery of a number of regeneration projects. Steve’s main focus at present is the Green Island Awards, the pilot scheme set up last year to promote environmentally-friendly tourism and encourage rural businesses. To date there are twenty local businesses piloting the scheme, and their contribution will be recognised on 24 March at the first Annual Awards Ceremony at Ventnor Botanic Garden.
Any businesses interested in joining the awards can call 01983 823646
Work to replace Calshot Slipway, owned by Hampshire County Council and located near its Calshot Outdoor Activities Centre, is due to start at the beginning of March, and is likely to take until mid-May. The existing slipway has been in place since World War 2, and its condition has steadily worsened each year due to damage by waves, and heavy wear from frequent public use. Annual emergency repairs are no longer sufficient, only a complete resurfacing will ensure a safe and usable facility for the future. The slipway is used to launch both small private motor boats, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (R.N.L.I.) inshore boat. The R.N.L.I will be contributing to the cost of the works as a result. A temporary slipway, adjacent to the existing one, will be set up to maintain access for the R.N.L.I. Private boat owners will be encouraged to use another small slipway on the west side of the Spit where possible. The new slipway will be built over the existing one, and will have a concrete surface which is designed to last for many years.
Further information is available on the website
“The South East is a region rich in tourist attractions and we need to develop the region’s planning system in such a way that the tourism industry can grow and prosper.” This is one of the key messages of the new spatial planning strategy for tourism published by the South East England Regional Assembly. The new strategy, entitled ‘Destination South East’, focuses on the physical and spatial planning aspects of tourism such as criteria for deciding where new tourism developments should be located and policy advice for developing new, and improving existing, accommodation facilities. It sets out a positive approach to tourism and its related industries while seeking to manage the pressures and problems which a successful tourism industry can create, such as increased pressure on the region’s transport system. Consultation on the Strategy finished in January and feedback will be presented to government in spring 2003.
Further information is available on the website
A new guide to the Hamble river and surrounding countryside has been launched for 2003 to encourage visitors to explore the region and make the most of their visit to this famous stretch of coastline. Produced by Hamble Valley Tourism, the guide includes details of the main marinas on the River Hamble, their visitor moorings and facilities, as well as how to get about once moored and explore the region by dinghy, foot, bus and train. Also incorporated are details of maritime and other events taking place in and around the river and the village of Hamble, including the Hamble Valley Food and Drink Festival and Hamble Week (both 28 June - 6 July).
For a copy of the guide call 0906 68 22 001 or email: hamblevalley@eastleigh.gov.uk Information is also online
In October, work commenced on the £8 million project to transform Portsmouth Commercial Port’s Berth 3. The engineering works will remove the existing ‘linkspan’ (ship to shore bridge) and provide a new double deck facility to meet the requirements of the next generation of cruise ferries and fast craft. The facility is scheduled to open in March 2003 and among the first vessels to utilise it will be the latest investments from P&O Ferries and Brittany Ferries. This project is part of the port’s objective to increase valuable freight traffic. In 2000, it opened the new £6.2 million Berth 5 and this has made a great improvement to the operational efficiency and capacity of the Channel Island routes. The Berth 3 rebuild will increase the breadth of service offered to potential as well as existing customers. On completion, the new linkspan will be fifty percent bigger than the largest linkspan currently in operation at the port. The fully self-contained floating structure will offer a greater degree of flexibility with the ability to change its freeboard from minimum to maximum in less than fifteen minutes. This will provide greater headroom between the decks and a top deck that can move independently to the lower deck. These features will allow the linkspan to accept a wide variety of ships and cargoes.
Further information is available on the website
Associated British Ports (ABP) is to provide a third cruise terminal, capable of berthing the largest cruise ships in the world, at the Port of Southampton. Southampton, the cruise capital of the UK, has gone from strength to strength in the cruise sector during recent years, and the new terminal will provide much needed extra capacity. The terminal will be constructed, at a cost of £1.5 million, on the site of the former banana terminal at 101 Berth in Southampton’s Western Docks and should become a key feature of the city’s busy waterfront. Construction is expected to be completed during the course of 2003.
Further information on the website
A festival celebrating the arrival of the largest passenger liner ever built is the climax to a year of maritime events in Southampton for 2003. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 will revive the name of perhaps the best-known and best-loved vessel that had Southampton as her home port. The original RMS Queen Mary epitomised the golden age of transatlantic travel in the middle decades of the 20th Century, a trade that established Southampton as one of the world’s most famous ports. The new, 150,000-tonne vessel, the successor to the Queen Elizabeth 2, makes her maiden voyage in January 2004, after arriving in late December. April sees the inaugural Round Britain Challenge, another pioneering sailing event put together by Sir Chay Blyth’s Challenge Business, based at Ocean Village, Southampton. Arriving hard on the heels of last year’s successful finish to the Challenge Transat 2002, a fleet of identical yachts, carrying volunteer crews, starts on the 2,000-mile circuit of the British Isles on Saturday, April 19. They will return to Southampton around two-weeks later. A festival will accompany the race start.
Further information is available on the website
Many changes have taken place at Cowes Harbour over the past few months. As you sail into Cowes, you will witness the redevelopment of Town Quay, with the new Red Jet Terminal and the much enlarged Yacht Haven. Further development is proposed over the next few years at Town Quay to create an integrated harbour and waterfront town. Not so apparent, but vital for Cowes future, is the improved main fairway, which will allow unrestricted access to modern deep drafted yachts. Maxi and super yachts will now be able to come into the heart of the Harbour giving easier access to shore facilities. The Harbour Commission has purchased Sheppards Wharf Boatyard enabling the Commission to increase the number of moorings for visiting yachts, provide improved walk ashore moorings and facilities, whilst ensuring the Boatyard continues to provide excellent marine services.
Further information is available at www.cowes.co.uk
On 12 December 2002, the inquiry (which opened on 27 November 2001) into the proposal by Associated British Ports for development of a deep-water container terminal at Dibden Bay, on Southampton Water, closed. The inquiry was in effect concurrent inquiries into the following: * the Port of Southampton (Dibden Terminal) Harbour Revision Order; * the Fawley Branch Line Improvements Order; * a Stopping up Order to authorise the stopping up of two areas of highway at the Hythe Road, near Marchwood; * four planning applications (called-in by the Secretary of State) for improvements to the A326 and Terminal Access Road Junction and for noise barriers along Fawley Branch Line, plus additional improvements to A326 and Hythe Road at Totton and Marchwood and; * a proposal to provide land at West Cliff Hall in exchange for open space at the Hythe Marina Bund. At the close of the inquiry, the Inspector indicated that he expected to submit his report to the Secretaries of State by the end of October 2003.
Further information is available from the Planning Inspectorate Secretariat Office: Dibden Terminal Inquiry Secretariat, Planning Inspectorate, 4/24 Hawk Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN Telephone: 0117 372 8751, Fax: 0117 372 8102 Email: PINSDB@planning-inspectorate.gsi.gov.uk
No single-hull oil tanker will be allowed to carry heavy fuel oil in the European Union once a proposal, presented in December by the European Commission, is adopted by Council and Parliament. Furthermore, all single-hull oil tankers of Erika and Prestige type aged more than twenty three years will be immediately banned from the Union. The elimination of more modern ones will take place between 2005 and 2010, which is a stricter calendar than provided for by current rules. Finally, during the phasing out period, those tankers that have not yet reached the age limit will be subject to stricter safety inspections. The Prestige, a twenty six year old single hull oil tanker carrying 77, 000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, sank off the coast of Galicia on 18 November, creating an oil slick on the coastline of Galicia which caused a major economic and environmental disaster.
Further information is available at www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment
The Solent Coastguard has released its figures for last year which overall show a fourteen percent reduction in incidents over the previous year, and a significant decrease in the number of those rescued:
| 2001 | 2002 | |
| Total number of incidents | 1405 | 1215 |
| Total number of persons assisted | 1874 | 1774 |
| Total number of persons rescued | 476 | 276 |
| Total number if lives lost | 28 | 38 |
| District coastguard rescue call outs | 836 | 763 |
Further information is available from the MCA infoline on tel: 0870 6006505 or email: infoline@mcga.gov.uk
Gosport Borough Council has decided to re-designate some of the town’s slipways to ensure the best area possible is used for different sporting pastimes. For example, the Stokes Bay Central Slipway, which is currently designated for dinghy sailing, boardsailing and swimming will be re-designated dinghy sailing and motor boats. Although there are no by-laws available to enforce the changes, the council hopes that members of the public will observe the notices and act responsibly, ensuring a safe venue is provided for all sports. In implementing these changes, it has proposed to omit swimming and canoeing from all slipway area notices in the interests of public safety.
For more information please contact: Cllr Dennis Wright, Chairman Community & Environment Board. Tel: 023 9258 4889.
Hythe residents have given the ‘thumbs up’ to a joint plan to improve the promenade, turning it into a popular attraction for residents and visitors. Around 300 people attended an exhibition of the improvements proposed by Hampshire County Council and New Forest District Council, with respondents to the questionnaire showing strong support for the scheme. The most popular proposals were for resurfacing the road and footways, improving seating and lighting, building a seaside boardwalk, and creating the opportunity for a possible footway link to the pier. Plans to create spaces for public events, including the popular summer arts festival, and areas for relaxing outdoors were also strongly supported. Consultation will be completed on the updated scheme, before funding is secured and the appropriate consents gained. The plans may need to be further amended or the work phased in sections, and any changes to current parking and traffic regulation orders will be advertised. Subject to all the necessary approvals and finance, work could start later this year. The scheme is a partnership between the County Council, District Council and Hythe Parish Council. Repairs to the pier itself and improvements to the area in front of the pier offices are also being considered, and will be published following further consultation and technical work. The results of the promenade public exhibition can be obtained from Hythe Parish Council, The Grove, St John’s Street, Hythe, on weekdays between 8.45am and 4.30pm.
The Solent European Marine Sites (SEMS) Bait Collection Topic Group has produced a leaflet outlining a voluntary code of conduct for bait collection in the Solent. The leaflet forms part of the work underway to produce a management scheme for the SEMS. The statutory management scheme is being produced by a range of organisations in the Solent in order to comply with the EU Habitats Directive, the aim being to ensure the sustainable management of all activities in the Solent. Bait collection has been identified as a possible impact on the site, and due to the public inquiry at Fareham Creek regarding the ‘Site Nature Conservation Order’, a topic group was set up last year to produce a voluntary code of conduct. The group includes Chichester Harbour Conservancy (representing Solent harbour authorities), Fareham Borough Council (representing Solent local authorities), English Nature, the Crown Estate, National Federation of Sea Anglers, Solent Area Bait Diggers Association, Hampshire Police Marine Unit and three representatives of the angling and bait collecting community. It has carried out extensive consultation with bait collectors and anglers in the area, comments and ideas raised during the consultation have helped develop the leaflet. The leaflet has been produced with funding from English Nature, the Crown Estate and Chichester Harbour Conservancy and it will be available in April.
The code will be widely distributed to local angling clubs, tackle shops and through harbour authorities. However if you would like a copy of the leaflet please contact Rachael Bayliss, SEMS Project Officer, on 01962 846925 or email: sems@hants.gov.uk
In March 2003, the Hampshire Water Strategy (HWS) was launched at Milestones Museum, Basingstoke. The HWS takes a partnership approach, similar to the Solent Forum, to developing actions that aim to achieve sustainable management of Hampshire’s remarkable freshwater environment. The HWS and the Solent Forum share several partners: Environment Agency, Southampton City Council, Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and Hampshire Wildlife Trust. Central to the success of the HWS is to move beyond the key stakeholders involved in water management, and engage and educate all those who live and work in Hampshire regarding issues facing the county’s freshwater environment. To this end, the HWS partners are organising the inaugural Hampshire Water Festival to be held in venues around Winchester on Saturday 16 August 2003. The intention is to attract thousands of people to Winchester on the day. The programme for the festival is in the development stage, but will include a market held in the outer-close of the Cathedral selling a variety of water-based produce, talks and displays at the Guildhall, street theatre, arts events including exhibitions and a concert at the Tower Arts centre, and outdoor activities such as guided walks along the Itchen, taking in Winnall Moors Nature Reserve, the Winchester City Mill and the Water Meadows.
Anyone who is interested in getting involved, or who has any suggestions or ideas for the festival, or who would like more information is encouraged to ring Andrew Pitt or Mike Bridgeman at Hampshire County Council, on tel: 01962 845832.
The two projects, ICZM for Tiligul liman and ICZM for Odessa, managed by Jane Taussik on behalf of the coastal network, CoastNET, have been completed. Much was learnt by the Ukraine teams on their visits to the Solent Forum and to various of its member organisations. Following experience here, directories of contacts and state of the environment reports have been produced. While the bringing together of a wide range of different interests has provided the basis for future forums in both areas, the Odessa group has shown a particularly strong enthusiasm for this. It is proposed to operate this through an ICZM centre in Odessa. The Tiligul team, on the other hand, is keen to improve quality of life and economic opportunity in the liman area through local and regional partnership. Both teams will be developing future projects and hope to attract UK partners. Both the Ukraine and UK participants learnt much in the process of undertaking these projects. For any person or organisation interesting in working in such a context, it is suggested that you: * Understand the local cultural and political contexts * Develop teams that mix expert and managerial skills * Plan realistic projects which reflect the current situation, state of knowledge and so on in the local area. * Develop open and transparent processes, including on financial management. For example, copy information widely and be prepared to explain decisions many times * Develop project costings with very close involvement of overseas partners * Understand the practicalities and implications of moving money between countries * Establish and maintain good recording systems
If anyone is interested in finding out more about working with Ukraine or would like to be involved, please contact Jane Taussik on jane@taussik.u-net.com
In December, HMS Severn was launched by shipbuilder Vosper Thornycroft (VT) in Southampton. It is the second of three new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that are being leased to the Royal Navy. VT is financing the £60m build of the three ships and will lease the vessels to the Royal Navy and support them in service for five years. At the end of that time, the MOD can extend the charter, purchase outright or return them to VT. The other vessels are HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey. The first of the class, HMS Tyne, was launched on 5 June 2002 and will be handed over to the Navy shortly. HMS Severn is due for acceptance next spring, while HMS Mersey will be handed over in Autumn 2003.
Further information is available at www.royal-navy.mod.uk.
Solent Forum Website The Solent Forum website is your place for finding out information relating to the Solent, the work of the Solent Forum, links to member organisations and a calendar of meetings and events in the Solent. We also have links to other coastal partnerships and initiatives and are happy to include others. Over the next few months the Solent Forum homepage will change to give you easier navigation to our pages. For more information on the website or to let us know what you think. Please call the Solent Forum Office 01962 846027.
Met Office Forecasts on RYA website The RYA and met office are working together to provide members and visitors to the RYA site with the latest weather information. Vistors to www.rya.org.uk can now access the Met Office’s shipping forecast. inshore waters forecast and severe weather warnings.
Where to Lauch RYA have got together with Boatlaunch.co.uk to link the RYA website directly into Boatlaunch’s database. Simply go to www.rya.org.uk/slipway for details of over 700 launch sites throughout the UK and Ireland
www.UKcoastalzone.com provides information on the integrated management of the UK coastal zone.
Martin Hyman joined the team at Southern Sea Fisheries District (SSFD) as District Fishery Officer in September 2002. Martin served twenty two years in the Royal Marines and spent time in the Wiltshire Constabulary before joining SSFD. Born and raised in Exmouth, Martin has wide experience of the marine environment.
Southern Sea Fisheries District, 64 Ashley Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH15 9BN. Tel: 01202 721373.
Brian Austin has recently joined the team at Southern Sea Fisheries District (SSFD) as Deputy Clerk and Treasurer. Brian served for twenty three years in the British Army as an accountant and office manager. Born and raised in Southampton and now living in Weymouth, Brian is a fanatical fisherman and well used to the ways of the sea.
Southern Sea Fisheries District, 64 Ashley Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH15 9BN. Tel: 01202 721373.
Helen Houghton joins the Centre for the Coastal Environment within the Isle of Wight Council after graduating from the University of Liverpool with a BSc (Hons) in Geography and an MSc in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment from the University of Sheffield. The Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment, within the directorate of Corporate and Environmental Services, undertakes many of the Council’s functions in relation to the coast, including shoreline management and planning liaison over coastal, geotechnical and environmental issues. Helen’s time will be split between working on a number of European funded coastal research projects, namely ‘Protect’ and ‘Erosion’, and being involved with local coastal defence strategy studies on the Isle of Wight.
Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment, Salisbury Gardens, Dudley Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 1EJ. Tel: 01983 857227.
It has come to the notice of the Solent Forum officers that member organisations are expected to attend numerous meetings, seminars etc on coastal matters, not only organised by the Solent Forum but also by other groups. Some NGOs are finding it very difficult to offer a presence at each as much as they wish to. We are currently providing a meetings diary on the website detailing the meeting, venue, timing as well as those who are expected to attend (not names but work titles/regions). This should help people save time and resources (STAR) by perhaps arranging to meet before or after meetings where they will also be in attendance and asking the meeting organiser to extend the time of the room hire.
A Strategy for the Solent Last autumn, the Solent Forum published its Strategy for improving access and enhancing the environment of the Solent. Since that time Tracey has been working on project outlines to take the actions forward in feasible programmes. The Solent Environmental Appreciation (SEA) Project has three parts: 1) an examination of the feasibility of a circular coastal trail, linking the main coastal paths on each side of the Solent, with various themes of interpretation; 2) a Clean Scene study looking at schemes currently undertaken to improve the environmental quality of the Solent such as MCS Adopt-a-Beach, Safeguard Our Solent and looking at methods of taking such schemes further. It is hoped all bathing beaches will take part in the MCS Beach Clean this September, being co-ordinated by the Solent Forum, and which will provide baseline data about litter on these bathing beaches. 3) The development of a Schools Pack that will bring the Solent to the classroom and make the Solent a learning environment. Over the next few months Tracey will be seeking partners for these projects to not only fund the projects but be involved in the development of the project itself. For more information or to express an interest please contact the Solent Forum office. A Recreation Study is also planned but will not be taking place this summer as originally hoped. Watch this space as partners will be needed.
The Solent Forum signposting service to datasets relating to monitoring, research and GIS map layers. Are you looking for some data but aren’t sure if someone else has already collected it? This is your one-stop shop for finding out if someone has. The database held at the Solent Forum has now more than 600 datasets listed together with associated information such as: the year of research; when and if it is updated; data format; who owns the data and how you can access it. Currently, topic reports can be found on the Solent Forum website at www.solentforum.hants.org.uk/forum/metaproj.html. Region reports will follow and soon we hope to be able to offer web-based access to the database itself. This is just the start! DISC has been established to help you, however we need your help to continue making it a useful and valuable resource, if there are errors, omissions or updates to be added please let us know.
The Nature conservation chapter for the Strategic Guidance has been updated after consultation with members. The updated chapter will be available on the website in May.
The Hampshire BAP was agreed in September 2001 and since then there has been a lack of progress. To ensure that the plan is implemented successfully and is not another to “sit on the shelf” a free one day workshop is being organised jointly by the Solent Forum and Hampshire County Council. The workshop aims to bring those together who will be involved in the implementation of this plan and also look at how to integrate the coastal BAPs for Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. The workshop is on the 11th of April 2003 in Winchester. If you want any more information or a booking form please contact the Solent Forum Office, Tel 01962 846027
This years entrants were of a very high standard and the panel was impressed with the quality of all submissions. The postgraduate prize was awarded to Sarah Wiggins, University of Southampton. Her dissertation was on the Sustainability of Estuary Management. The judges were impressed with the high quality of Sarah’s research, arguments and presentation and it was felt that it was an innovative and outstanding piece of work on sustainable management. Claire Smith and Ylva Gilbert, both from the University of Portsmouth were highly commended. The undergraduate prize was awarded to Iwan Basten, Southampton Institute. His was titled “An investigation into the impacts of a foreshore recharge on the Solents oyster population”. It was considered brave of him to tackle the subject of Dibden Bay recharge, he had a thorough understanding of the issue and produced a good examination of the EIA process. Kelly Attrill, Southampton Institute, came highly commended. The winners and those who came highly commended are invited to the May Solent Forum meeting for the presentation of prizes.
The Solent Forum Research Group have now agreed that the Solent Conference will take place in the Spring of next year. The venue for this 2-day event is Portsmouth University, Langstone Campus with the Conference dinner being held on HMS Warrior. The date is yet to be set but will probably be late March.
Kate Ansell, the Solent Forum Officer (SFO) since 1997, gave birth to Thomas in October last year. Kate has chosen to resign from the SFO position to spend time with her children. We all wish Kate and family well. Tracey Hewett, the Assistant Solent Forum Officer, since 2001 has been promoted to the SFO position and Gemma Conway, Assistant Solent Forum Officer during Kate’s maternity leave, will remain as the Assistant for another year.
The Solent Forum was established in December 1992, in order to develop a greater understanding among the authorities and agencies involved in the planning and management in the Solent. The Forum is chaired by Maldwin Drummond. This newsletter is the 12th edition. The copy deadline for submission of articles for the Autumn/Winter 2002 edition is 4th October 2002. Please contact the Solent Forum Officers for any further information on the work of the Forum.
