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| Solent News Issue 16, Spring 2004 |
Whatever’s going on at the Solent Forum
Water Quality
Research and Reports
Ports and Shipping
Conservation
History and Archaeology
Natural Resources
Recreation and Tourism
Coastal Planning and Management
Coastal Defence and monitoring
Other News
I would like to thank members of the Forum who have given such good advice over the past twelve years to the team in the Castle and to myself, as Founder Chairman of the Solent Forum. The Forum has exceeded the expectations and even the ambitions of those who brought the organisation into being. We are now considered an example of how to facilitate useful and productive discussion in enclosed water areas, where multiple use is very much a factor. We have collectively created a body of well informed men and women who work in the Solent region. We have pooled our ideas and produced a Strategy, now being reviewed. Our publications and conferences are valued and the friendship and commitment among members has produced the ability to solve problems and understand differing views. The Solent is richer for this. I would like to thank you all and, in particular, Tracey, Gemma and Alan. Alan’s wise words have been a source of comfort from the start. I wish my successor “Bon Voyage”!
Maldwin Drummond, chairman of the Solent Forum 1992 - 2004
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is wise advice for anyone moving into a new role – and the Solent Forum certainly ain’t broke. Whether judged by membership, activity, staffing support or influence, it is at a position where the only reason for avoiding the use of a word like “peak” is that we confidently expect to see it continuing to grow. But success should be a platform for change rather than comfortable continuity, and the challenges to the Solent and its Forum are developing at a pace that renders complacency thoroughly inappropriate. Which brings me back to that word “influence”, which I see as quintessential to the Forum: influencing the debate, public opinion, media reaction and Government in all its guises. Influencing rather than directing – but perhaps more than just facilitating? The interactions between the many interests in this complex waterway will be tested more rather than less in the future, as the pressures of development, demographics and environmental change mount. We have a track record of confronting these debates constructively and creatively, an experience in building the foundations of consensus, and a genuine commitment to a proactive role in awareness and informing. And yet all this is achieved without being confrontational! That is something in which the Forum can take great pride, and for which it should offer a huge vote of thanks to Maldwin Drummond. Through his chairmanship the Solent Forum has flourished and has developed a model that others are noticing. It is our job to put that model to work to the benefit of the Solent and its many partners, and I am both delighted and privileged to be joining the team.
Mike Clark, chairman of the Solent Forum
In writing the Solent Forum’s first Business Plan we have formulated our mission and our vision statement which have been developed in line with both our work and the coastal management arena we are operating within. MISSION To provide, maintain and develop the Solent Forum network and facilitate integrated coastal zone management. To implement integrated coastal zone management through individual project delivery. VISION STATEMENT To be a recognised mechanism for promoting sustainable development in the Solent through ICZM. April finds us in the implementation phase of the plan. A draft was presented at the Solent Forum meeting in November and has been available for comment on the website. Members have also been asked what changes they would like to see to the core service that we provide. All comments were reported to the Steering Group in February and they approved the action and delivery plan. From this month members will see some changes in the way we operate as a Forum but will find only added value to our services.
The Business Plan and Action and Delivery document are both available on the Solent Forum website’s publication section.
Clean Scene arises from the opportunities for action identified in the Access and Environment Strategy and is part of a wider project: Solent Environmental Appreciation (SEA). The overall aim of Clean Scene is to protect and improve the Solent’s environment through the implementation and coordination of projects or schemes that improve the quality of the natural environment. Various projects and schemes that improve the environmental quality of the Solent were identified in the audit stage of the Strategy. However, it was recognised that coordination is required so that they might be applied in other areas of the Solent. As effective protection and improvement of the environment requires action at different levels and by various actors, the aim of this report was to summarise those national and local environmental improvement schemes that are concerned with the marine and coastal environment. It identifies those that could be expanded or employed in the Solent and makes recommendations for future work and investment. The Clean Scene report was written with much input from Solent Forum members and help from a student placement during the summer months.
The Clean Scene Report and its recommendations can be found on the website’s publication page and can be made available in hard copy if required.
This April a new sub-group will begin to operate within the Solent Forum. The aim of the initiative is to provide a cost-effective mechanism to coordinate the implementation of a Solent-wide programme of action to help authorities and agencies meet statutory obligations and BAP objectives. Already suggestions for the initiative are amassing including a beneficial use of dredged spoil seminar; coordinating partners in delivering coastal biodiversity actions: information sheets about various nature conservation aspects in the Solent etc. It has also been proposed that the group is used to discuss options for large scale on the ground delivery projects and to seek partners where required.
The Solent Recreation Study, coordinated by the Solent Forum, has been undertaken by Geodata, with the following objectives: . To provide up to date information on recreational activities and their associated facilities in the Solent. . To identify trends and predict future changes in recreational activities and facility requirements. . To identify key issues relating to recreation in the Solent . To make recommendations for the future planning and management of the Solent. The findings of the study will be presented at the Solent Coastal Management Conference. Unlike the 1991 study, the findings (report and data) will be held by the Solent Forum to allow wider dissemination.
The aim of this project is 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. The project arises from the opportunities for action identified in the Strategic Guidance for the Solent. In particular it takes the State of the Solent, Flagship Project 3, to fruition. The project devises a series of key indicators for the social, economic and environmental health of the Solent. These will be monitored and reported on through the regular publication of the State of the Solent report. Currently a number of possible indicators have been selected related to the issues in the Strategic Guidance. These are based on those currently being used at international, national, regional and local level. The possible indicators will be discussed by virtual groups to see which are most appropriate to the Solent so that a number of key indicators can be agreed.
Should you like to be involved in any of these groups please contact the Solent Forum Office.
The Strategic Guidance for the Solent, published in 1997, is currently being reviewed. An initial phase has been to take stock of where we are in implementing the “What we must do” actions of each chapter in light of changing legislation, the way sectors operate and what we have achieved. The next step will be to host workshops to discuss the issues that the Solent is or might face and determine the actions required to ensure the continued sustainable use of the Solent. As requested at a meeting between SEERA and the Solent Forum Steering Group, the results of these workshops will be reported to SEERA to inform the South East Regional Plan that is currently being scoped. Collectively, the findings of the Strategic Guidance review and any fallout from the Solent Coastal Management Conference will determine what further project work is required in implementing integrated coastal zone management in the Solent.
The partner search is complete for the Around the Solent project. We have decided to apply for Heritage Lottery Feasibility Funding for Phase I (audit of themes, interpretation and state of routes). This will ensure we pitch any subsequent bids at the right level and ensure we are on the right track with the project itself. Partners for Phase I include: all Local Authorities from countryside services, in particular Rights of Way; Island 2000; Civic societies; AONB partnership on the Isle of Wight and the Hampshire Integrated Access Project. Phase I is due to commence in June 2004.
The Solent Water Quality Awards 2004 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; Ryde, Sandown; Seagrove; Shanklin Springvale; St Helens; Totland, 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
Last year the Solent Forum organised a co-ordinated Solent wide beach clean as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s BeachWatch campaign. A number of different organisations took part including Southsea Town Council, many community groups, the probation service and local authorities. If you would like to take part in this year’s event which will be held on the third week of September please contact the Solent Forum Office, solentforum@hants.gov.uk, tel 01962 846027, for more information.
Further information from Nigel Pontee, Project Manager. Tel: 023 8033 8100.
The aim of the Sea Water Information and Monitoring (SWIM) project was to establish the amount, type and preferred location of information the bather may wish to see. The results have now been collated and the report is available on the Solent Forum’s website or as a hard copy. The report has produced a number of recommendations: •Information should be displayed in a standard, easily understood format and be readily available •Raise awareness of bathing water quality issues. Following on from this project and to ensure that Local Authorities are ready to meet the proposed changes to the Bathing Water Directive, the SWQA is going to hold a seminar to explore the public information requirements of the revised BWD, to discuss methods of displaying bathing water information and to create a standard, easily understood, information board for the Solent region.
The report can be downloaded at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/southern.
The JNCC is to lead an EU Interreg-funded international marine habitat mapping programme entitled ‘Development of a framework for Mapping European Seabed Habitats’ (MESH). This will start in spring 2004 and last for three years. MESH has 12 partners across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. It aims to produce seabed habitat maps covering the marine waters of north west Europe, together with the development of international standards for seabed mapping.
Further information from www.jncc.gov.uk/marine/mesh/default.htm.
A fund has been established to provide financial support for student research projects that contribute to the implementation of the Hamble Estuary Management Plan (EMP). The Hamble EMP has been developed by local stakeholders to seek the sustainable management of the River Hamble over the period 2003 to 2008. The establishment of student research fund is part of a strategy to underpin the EMP with sound research, and to develop links with local and regional universities. The fund is aimed at undergraduate students undertaking their level 3 or M level dissertation, and PhD students who are using the Hamble as a case study. The fund will meet expenses incurred by students and expenses directly related to the research itself. The fund will also be used to provide a small payment to the student in recognition of their work. Partners within the EMP Implementation Forum have also agreed to provide guidance, advice and data (as appropriate) to facilitate the completion of research projects.
For further information please contact Emma Beagley on Tel: 01489 576387 or email: emma.beagley@hants.gov.uk.
Last October, the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) hosted a workshop in Oxford, to consult stakeholders on a future cross-regional research agenda. The aim of the workshop was to consult the regional and sub-UK climate change partnerships on the content of the cross-regional research agenda. Defra has now confirmed the next steps in the process of commissioning future research within the six priorities highlighted at the workshop: 1. Planning and land use 2. Business 3. Water 4. Rural economy 5. Costing impacts and adaptation 6. A framework for adaptation Defra, in consultation with other research funders (e.g. Devolved Administrations, Environment Agency) will draft Invitations to Tender (ITTs) covering the six priority research areas, taking into account workshop outputs, received comments and previously outlined criteria. It is envisaged that the ITTs will be issued during late February/early March 2004.
Further information is available at www.ukcip.org.uk/climate_impacts/climate_impacts.html.
The ‘Conservation, Access and Recreation Report’ is an annual report produced by the Environment Agency giving a snapshot of the Agency’s activities in relation to conservation, access and recreation. It includes information on the many projects that it has carried out, together with wider information on Agency activities throughout each year. After the success of the 2001/2002 CAR report’s web-based format, all future reports will now be available solely on the Agency’s website and will be ‘live’ for the financial year they cover.
To view these reports see www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
In December, hundreds of people welcomed the world’s biggest and most expensive cruise liner, the British-flagged Queen Mary 2, as it arrived at its new home port of Southampton. A flotilla of small boats and jet-skis accompanied the Cunard-owned ship, which was completed at the St Nazaire shipyard in western France. The £550m, 345-metre (1,132ft) ship, which can carry 2,600 passengers, was named by the Queen on January 8 and four days later it left on its maiden
A major oil spill like that which happened off the Spanish coast last winter, involving the aged single hull tanker ‘Prestige,’ would have very serious consequences for the Solent and its environment. She broke in half and sank with about 77,000 tons of fuel oil onboard. So far she has leaked about 53,000 tons (the Spanish have capped the leaks on a temporary basis), thereby severely polluting the nearby coastal beaches and harbours. This is the second similar event to take place in the past three years. New European Union legislation has now banned all single hull tankers trading in our waters from 2010. It prohibits single hull tankers carrying fuel oil and heavy crude oils from entering its ports or coastal waters. This has been part of the Society’s aim and should be considered a positive step forward. We are, however, still faced with the potential for the two major oil companies operating in the Solent to use single hull tankers up to 2010. The Solent Protection Society had a constructive meeting with one of these companies, which claims to be sympathetic to our objectives and for the past months has only used double hull tankers. From the other company we continue to seek more assurance and clarity of their operation. We are now also focusing our attention towards the safe navigation of the increasingly large container carriers and cruise liners, which carry significant quantities of bunker fuels in single hull tanks. We believe greater tug escort presence is essential to minimise groundings or collisions ,where in some cases pilots state the safety clearance margin can be measured in inches not feet.
www.solentprotection.org for more information on the Solent Protection Society or call The Secretary, Mrs Judy Davies on (01590) 612345 (day) or 01425 621524 (after 5.00pm)
QHM, Portsmouth has announced the creation of a Volunteer Harbour Patrol. Its aim is to assist the full time QHM Harbour Patrol in educating and assisting mariners within the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth during busy periods and to provide a pool of trained manpower to marshal craft during special events.
For further information contact QHM at e-mail: qhm@qhmportsmouth.com
PortsWatch is a new campaigning network focusing on seaport development. Its members include: CPRE, FoE, MCS, RSPB, Transport 2000, WDCS, WWT and the Wildlife Trusts. The network has been formed to campaign against the needless destruction of sensitive coastal areas, overburdening of local transport links and negative impacts upon communities.
Further information is available at www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/portswatch/
In order to improve its management of environmental issues within the company, ABP has recently reviewed the environmental indicator data that it currently gathers from its ports within the UK. It has collected environmental indicator data within the company for the last two years on subjects ranging from energy use to the amount of material dredged in the ports. The review has resulted in the introduction of three new environmental indicators within ABP, namely: 1. Water Consumption 2. Environmental Incidents/Near Misses 3. Good Environmental Actions
Further information is available from http://environment.abports.co.uk
A Europe-wide network of port cities named NEW EPOC (Renewing Economic Prosperity for Port Cities) has been set up to promote sustainable development in urban centres, which have a port at their economic heart. It is led by the city of Southampton. Partners from the Maritime Cities Network implementing NEW EPOC, include Bremen, Bilbao, Cherbourg, Gijon, Trieste, Taranto, Patras and Kaliningrad. The City Council’s local partners include Southampton Institute and MarineTechSouth, based at the Southampton Oceanography Centre. The project also has the support of ABP and the Southampton Environment Centre. NEW EPOC will aim to bring together representatives of port cities and stakeholders from the private and public sector as well as academic and environmental bodies. This will provide a variety of expertise and will highlight good practice. The partnership recently secured European funding worth over £670,000 which will fund a three-year project to create a ‘tool-box’ helping port cities to deal with the global changes that influence their economic vitality. The successful award bid, which was spearheaded by Southampton City Council, has given the go-ahead to a partnership project worth £1.3 million.
Further information is available from Sue Mullan on Tel: 023 8083 2383, or e-mail: sue.mullan@southampton.gov.uk
Portsmouth ferry port is extending its services to the Continent with the introduction of additional ferry crossings to Caen, St Malo and Cherbourg. Serving seven destinations across France, Spain and the Channel Islands, the Port is now offering an even greater variety of routes and services. From spring 2004, passengers travelling to Caen via Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port can take advantage of P&O Ferries’ high-speed service, which is capable of crossing the Channel in just three hours and twenty five minutes (almost half the time of conventional ferries). The Caen Express, which will operate between April and September 2004, will travel at speeds of 40 knots with capacity for up to 800 passengers and 200 cars. Brittany Ferries is also expanding its services from Portsmouth with the introduction of a route to Cherbourg, increasing the number of sailings from Portsmouth to this popular Normandy holiday destination. In addition, Brittany Ferries is increasing its sailings from Portsmouth to St Malo, creating an extra overnight sailing at weekends between May and October, allowing passengers to rest during the crossing and maximise their time in France.
Further information is available from www.portsmouth-port.co.uk
‘Estuarine Waterbirds at Low Tide’ was published by the International Wader Study Group on behalf of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS). This is a partnership of BTO, The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), RSPB and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The WeBS Low Tide Counts, which form the basis for this book, have involved 600 volunteer birdwatchers.
Further information from Andy Musgrove (BTO) on Tel: 01842 750050 e-mail: andy.musgrove@bto.org
The SEMS Management Scheme is nearing completion. The project started in 2000 when the Management Group of Relevant Authorities agreed to produce a Management Scheme to ensure that their duties comply with the requirements of the Habitats Regulations. Activities with the potential to affect the site have been reviewed, and the effectiveness of current management measures for safeguarding the site have been assessed. This has resulted in the establishment of a framework for the effective management of the SEMS so that the conservation objectives are met. The Management Scheme also outlines a number of key principles that will guide the future identification of impacts on the features of interest and any management actions required to ensure the protection of the site. The final draft Management Scheme is to be submitted to DEFRA at the end of June 2004.
A Summary Leaflet is available from the SEMS project: email - sems@hants.gov.uk or phone 01962 846925.
Chichester Harbour Conservancy, in association with the marinas in the harbour, is leading a trial into the beneficial disposal of dredged sediments in the harbour. The proposed new scheme could be of great benefit to the harbour habitats that are currently under threat. The marinas in the harbour are dredged regularly to keep the depth of water adequate for safe navigation. At present, the dredged sediments are disposed of outside the harbour, thus losing valuable mud from its ecosystem. In the new trial, taking place in April, fine mud from the Chichester Marina approach channel will be released at a point near the harbour entrance and the fast flowing flood tide should redistribute it throughout the harbour. The research models show that more than fifty percent of the mud should stay within the harbour to regenerate eroding mudflats and saltmarsh, which are the most valuable habitats for wintering waders and wildfowl. The research also shows that there is no danger of the mud depositing on oyster beds or other sensitive sub-tidal communities and it will not settle in the navigable channels. The whole trial will be closely monitored by the Conservancy and Hydraulics Research Wallingford Ltd who are the lead consultants. The results of the trial will be published later this year. The research work is being funded by: the Chichester Harbour Conservancy, the Marinas in the harbour, English Nature and the Standing Conference on Problems Associated with the Coast (SCOPAC).
Contact the harbour master for more information, e-mail: harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk.
English Nature will produce its maritime strategy for consultation in spring 2004. This will outline its targets and actions, making close links to other initiatives such as the England Biodiversity Strategy, the Marine Stewardship process and the European Union Marine Strategy. It will also inform the government’s and English Nature’s contribution to developing an ecosystem approach to halting biodiversity loss and achieving recovery in our coasts and seas. Stakeholders will be involved in both the development and implementation of the strategy.
Further information is available from www.english-nature.org.uk.
Information about the state of England’s most important wildlife and geological sites is now available on English Nature’s website (www.english-nature.org.uk). You can find out about the condition of England’s 4,113 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), what threats they face, and what English Nature thinks of the way they are managed. Another recent addition to English Nature’s website is the on-line mapping service ‘Nature on the Map,’ (www.natureonthemap.org.uk) which helps you find an SSSI on an ordnance survey map.
The Mermaid database (www.jncc.gov.uk/mermaid) was developed by JNCC to provide wider access to information on marine sites, habitats and species around Britain and Ireland. This was collected as part of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR) and originally held on the MNCR database. The existing website, launched in 1998, is now limited by the constraints of the technology of the time. There is a need to upgrade the site in terms of its functionality and the data holdings themselves. JNCC has initiated a project to export the MNCR data from a DOS-based ‘Arev’ database to a Microsoft Access version called Marine Recorder (www.jncc.gov.uk/marinerecorder). It is actively promoting this application to encourage the consistent collection and storage of marine biological data and to facilitate its transfer between users (it encourages users to contribute their data to the national marine database). There is a need to make all this data accessible online and Mermaid is a medium to achieve this. JNCC is also updating the MNCR Marine Biotope Dictionary (www.jncc.gov.uk/marinehabitatclassification) and this will be integrated into the new site.
Ask any motorist – you can’t plan a route until you know your starting point. So, when English Nature took up the Government’s challenge to improve England’s best wildlife sites, the agency began a full assessment of their current condition. The survey included over a million hectares of England’s finest locations for wildlife and geology, over half of which are internationally important. On the Isle of Wight, Newtown Harbour was one of almost 60% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) that were already up to standard when the survey results were published last December. Nationally important numbers of wintering wildfowl rely on the extensive mudflats and saltmarsh of this peaceful harbour. The estuary is surrounded by traditional hay meadows and ancient woodland, which are home to red squirrels and dormice. English Nature works closely with the National Trust (which owns the whole area) to provide advice, support and capital grants for grazing and coastal management work. Now, English Nature is aiming to get 95% of England’s SSSIs into good condition for wildlife by 2010.
Further information from English Nature on Tel: 023 8028 6410 or email: hants.iwight@english-nature.org.uk.
Since 1999, the Friends of the Porter’s Garden have been recreating the eighteenth century garden belonging to the Porter, who lived in the Lodge near Victory Gate. They have followed eighteenth century maps and design principles in spacing, grouping and colour. The eighteenth century was a period of increasing naval exploration, which brought many exotic and useful plants through Portsmouth. Contemporary gardeners were fascinated by the new plants, and the dockyard officers were no exception. In June 2001, the garden was officially opened by Portsmouth Lord Mayor, Councillor Elaine Baker, planting cercis siliquastrum. She has very kindly donated a slate plaque marking this event, to be unveiled on Palm Sunday, 4 April at 11 o’clock. The Friends also seek to promote traditional crafts within the Dockyard and commissioned two sets of wrought iron gates, installed in 2002 and 2003, and three granite seats, which will be installed in 2005. The Porter’s Garden is free and open 364 days of the year, from 10am to 5pm.
Further information from Ann Coats, Tel: 023 92 863 799, or email ann@dockyards.org.
Artefacts from Island ferries and hovercraft are being used to tell the story of the Island’s marine transport at Cowes Maritime Museum. This collection of maritime objects forms a part of the Isle of Wight Council Museum Service’s Social History collections. The exhibition details the history of how people were ferried across the Solent, and the industrial heritage, which created the crafts by which people travelled to and from the island. The ‘Ferries and Hovercrafts’ exhibition will be taking place at Cowes Maritime Museum from 30th January 2004 to 3rd July 2004. Admission is free.
For further information, please contact: Rachel Silverson Tel: 01983 823433 e-mail rachel.silverson@iow.gov.uk.
The Hampshire & Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology is embarking on a re-vamp of its Maritime Heritage Exhibit at Fort Victoria, near Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. The display currently presents underwater archaeological sites and investigations from the Solent region. Thanks to grants from English Heritage, Leader + and the Local Heritage Initiative the display will be remodelled. Further information will be presented on the near by protected wreck sites and submerged landscapes. There will also be an expansion of educational activities based around the exhibit and the Fort. Allied to these improvements, are plans to expand the HWTMA’s diver trail initiatives. During 2004, two diver trails will be designed and installed on the Needles Protected Wreck site and in Alum Bay. These will provide the diver with a guided tour of these historic wreck sites. A driving force behind these changes is the desire to expand the HWTMA’s educational programme. This will bring underwater archaeology alive for all ages, in particular aiming to give non-divers a taste of the experience of the underwater heritage. It is hoped that this will increase wider public awareness of the Solent’s submerged historic resource, and build on Fort Victoria as a regional centre for marine cultural heritage.
Further information from Julie Satchell Tel: 023 8059 3290 email: hwtma@soc.soton.ac.uk.
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) and English Heritage produced a joint publication entitled Marine Aggregate Dredging and the Historic Environment in 2003. This Guidance Note will assist in identifying and understanding issues of archaeological importance when developing areas. Under the National Heritage Act 2002 the remit of English Heritage was extended to include archaeological sites of all types from the low water line to the twelve mile limit around England. The Guidance Note, prepared by Wessex Archaeology on behalf of the two organisations, covers both wrecks and submerged landscapes and follows the English Heritage approach to the management, preservation and protection of marine archaeology. Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage said of the document; “This important partnership has created a mechanism by which archaeological remains underwater can be taken fully into account when assessing the environmental impact of winning marine aggregates. English Heritage strongly endorses this Guidance document, it is part of a commitment by BMAPA and English Heritage to work together on relevant issues. It frames an approach that is effective, practicable and sustainable and will act as a model for other coastal and marine industries.”It is hoped that this work will provide the foundation for continuing to improve the understanding of marine archaeology and minimise the impacts of essential aggregate extraction.
Copies of the Guidance Note are available by contacting BMAPA, contact Richard Griffiths tel: 020 7730 8194 or email bmapa@qpa.org
Defra is to review marine fisheries and environmental enforcement arrangements in England and Wales. The review will examine the arrangement for marine enforcement and other tasks currently undertaken by the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate, Sea Fisheries Committees and other agencies. It is expected to report by 31 March 2004.
Contact James Bradley at e-mail: james.bradley@defra.gsi.gov.uk www.defra.gov.uk/fish/fishindx.htm. Source: Wavelength. Published by Defra
In December, the Crown Estate announced the names of those developers who have successfully bid for new offshore windfarm sites. The sites located in the Thames Estuary, the Greater Wash and off the North West coast of England have a potential combined capacity of between 5.4 GW and 7.2 GW. The successful developers were chosen through a competitive tender offered by The Crown Estate at the request of the Department of Trade and Industry in July of this year. An indicative map of the proposed sites can be viewed at: www.crownestate.co.uk.
For further information please contact Giles French on Tel: 020 7210 4823.
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) and the Crown Estate have released their first set of zoning information for 2004. The bi-annual series of charts have been produced to define the current active dredge area for eight separate regions. On the reverse of each are the associated co-ordinates for each licence area together with contact details for the operating companies. The new issue of the active dredge area charts (dated 31 January 2004) is available to be downloaded from the websites of both BMAPA (www.bmapa.org) and the Crown Estate (www.crownestate.co.uk). Copies will also be distributed via the established dredging liaison committees on the South and East coast. The charts will be updated biannually with the next issue due at the beginning of July 2004.
Contact for further information: Richard Griffiths, BMAPA, Tel: 020 7730 8194 e-mail: bmapa@qpa.org
Chichester Harbour Conservancy are pleased to announce that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded them a £1.27 million grant for its ‘Rhythms of the Tide’ project. This will provide a total of £1.8 million for more than forty environmental projects over the next three years. ‘Rhythms of the Tide’ will enable the Conservancy to take forward a range of new projects. These include: · Provision of all-terrain wheelchairs and new wheelchair paths; · A cycle route linking Chichester to West Wittering; · A Rambler bus to run at weekends through the Spring and Summer; · A mobile information trailer that will visit harbour communities; · Free field visits to the Harbour for disadvantaged and special needs students; and · Reed bed and woodland creation throughout the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Additionally, there are two flagship projects. A solar powered vessel, the first of its kind in Chichester Harbour, will be brought over from Switzerland. The vessel, which will be used by school groups as a ‘floating classroom,’ will highlight the need for energy saving in a global warming environment. Plans are also underway to start restoring the ‘Terror’, one of the last remaining oyster boats at Emsworth, which dates back to the 1890s.
For more information contact: allie@conservancy.co.uk.
In 1997, the RYA recognised the need for a specific planning and environmental strategy; ‘Recreation on the living Coast’ was the outcome . The strategy was originally developed in response to the growing pressure on coastal resources and the decline of boating facilities. Recently the RYA has recognised that, as new issues and legislation has come to light, much of the strategy has become outdated. It is issuing a revised planning and environmental strategy which is now available as a consultation draft.
The draft can be viewed at www.rya.org.uk/environment/ryaenvironmentalstrategy/
The Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport has won a Heritage Lottery Fund award of nearly £2 million to finance a major expansion costing a total of £3.1 million. The money will be spent on the futuristic new John Fieldhouse Building, honouring the late Admiral of the Fleet, Lord John Fieldhouse of Gosport: the most senior submariner in history. Shaped like a submarine, the exciting modern-design, multi-functional building will house the museum’s growing educational collection and significantly improve the environmental conditions of the displays. It will bring under cover the historic X-craft mini-submarine HMSX24, currently threatened by being open to the elements.
For further information please contact Brian Seeney, Marketing Consultant to the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, on Tel: 023 9235 1920 or e-mail: brian.seeney@media3.co.uk.
At the London International Boatshow in January, the British Marine Federation (BMF) launched a marinas and moorings audit. This is a comprehensive reference document that provides a regional analysis of mooring provision by number, type and ownership across the UK. Key findings included that there are 150,000 moorings around the UK coast and that demand exceeds supply. In the Solent, information is available for the following regions: · Christchurch to Southampton · Southampton to River Hamble · River Hamble to Portsmouth Harbour · Portsmouth Harbour to Bognor Regis · Isle of Wight
Further information is available from Nirixa Patel on Tel: 01784 223615 or e-mail: Npatel@britishmarine.co.uk.
The Isle of Wight Council has approved a byelaw, which will impose fines of up to £1,000 on anti-social users of jet-skis and other powered pleasure craft around the Island. The craft will be restricted to using designated launching and landing areas, which will be marked by buoys. Users will have to observe an eight-knot speed limit while in those channels. Restrictions will not apply once users are in deep water. Byelaws had previously existed in certain areas of the South Wight, but the new byelaw will apply to the whole Island’s shoreline.
For further information, please contact John Fleming on tel: 01983 866318.
Defra has commissioned Atkins to produce a guide for maritime local authorities to assist coastal managers in the implementation of coastal byelaws and voluntary coastal management initiatives. It presents a number of different tools, which can be used such as zoning, vessel registration, codes of practice, self-regulatory partnerships and volunteer wardens. It will be published shortly.
Further information from Sue Toland at e-mail: sue.toland@defra.gsi.gov.uk.
In accordance with the Port Marine Safety Code and best practice described in the recently published guide ‘Managing Personal Watercraft (Jet Skis)’, the Langstone Harbour Board is advising all Personal Water Craft operators that, from the start of the 2004 season, there will be a requirement for third party insurance in respect of injury to persons or property in the sum of at least £1,000,000 per claim. All users will need to declare on a permit they sign before launching, that they have the required insurance. A minimum age of twelve years for riders of Personal Water Craft has also been introduced.
Further information from www.langstoneharbour.org.uk.
In January, the Isle of Wight Council’s Executive Committee endorsed the first statutory Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Management Plan. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act, 2000 requires all local authorities to formulate, adopt and publish a plan outlining their policies for the conservation and enhancement of AONBs within their administrative area. Jointly funded by the Isle of Wight Council and the Countryside Agency, the Isle of Wight AONB Partnership was formed in 2002 to undertake this task on behalf of the Council. The Plan has been developed over the last eighteen months with the involvement of over ninety local, regional and national organisations who make up the AONB Partnership. It sets out the vision for the future of the Island’s finest landscapes and the actions that will be undertaken over the next five years to help turn the vision into reality.
Further information is available from the AONB Officer, John Brownscombe. Tel: (01983) 823855 or e-mail: unit@wightaonb.org.uk.
The Marine Consents and Environment Unit (MCEU) has launched a marine consents geographical Information system (GIS) which is freely accessible to all through the MCEU’s website. This facility is designed primarily to provide information about applications to undertake works in the sea and other tidal waters around England & Wales and the associated licences and consents issued by the Unit. The system aims to offer: · Ready access to integrated consents data represented in a geographical and temporal context; · Information about potential environmental sensitivities & socioeconomic inter-actions to underpin the policy of sustainable marine development; and · Data to assist the assessment of cumulative environmental effects (Habitats/EIA Directives).
The site address is www.mceu.gov.uk and you can contact Geoff Bowles for further information at e-mail: www.mceu.gov.uk. Source: Wavelength. Published by Defra.
In October, Defra co-sponsored a key stakeholder conference to examine the aims and objectives of marine spatial planning (MSP) and how it might be put into practice. MSP has the potential to offer a means of managing potentially conflicting uses of the sea and the cumulative effects of human activities. It could also provide an opportunity to deliver greater integration, better management and regulation. Defra is organising further workshops to examine some of the issues raised at the conference in more detail. It is also looking into a pilot scheme for testing MSP on a voluntary basis.
For further information contact Chris Vivian at e-mail: c.m.g.vivian@cefas.co.uk RobertCanning at robert.canning@defra.gsi.gov.uk. Source: Wavelength. Published by Defra.
Atkins Consultants have been carrying out this stocktake on commission from Defra. The work is now coming to an end and it is hoped that the final report will be published in March 2004. It will be available to download from the project website.
Contact the project manager, Jonathan McCue, at iczm2@atkinsglobal.com for more information.
The South East is England’s largest region with a population of around 8 million. It comprises the nine counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey. Preparation of a new Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) has been officially started by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA). The work includes studies of ten sub-regions in the South East, each of which will look at options for development. Three of these cover parts of Hampshire: · Eastern Dorset/South Hampshire/Isle of Wight · Blackwater Valley · Western Corridor (which includes Basingstoke town, part of Hart · District and Rushmoor Borough). These will build on the study work already completed in South Hampshire and the Blackwater Valley. Each study will help SEERA decide if a sub-regional strategy needs to be prepared for that area.
The Project Plan for this regional and sub-regional work can be seen on SEERA’s web site at: www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/regional_policies/planning/rss/index.html or can be obtained by telephoning SEERA on 01483 555200
In January, a new agreement was signed between industry and a leading wildlife organisation, which should help to save marine wildlife in UK seas. The agreement is between The Wildlife Trusts, and BMAPA, the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association. It takes the form of a Memorandum of Understanding that commits both parties to working together to increase their knowledge of the marine environment in order to help conserve it. The agreement commits the two partnerships to collaborate and work together wherever possible in the areas of: promoting the aims of Marine Stewardship; participation in appropriate research of mutual benefit; sharing relevant knowledge; joint dissemination of information; and promotion of best practice.
Further information is available from Richard Griffiths (Marine Aggregates Officer) for BMAPA on Tel: 020 7730 8194 or e-mail bmapa@qpa.org.
Landfill tax for 2003/04 is currently £14 / tonne, a cost that is passed on to you by your waste contractor. From April 2005 it will increase by £3 / tonne / year until it reaches £35 / tonne (source: Budget Report 2003). Money could be saved by reducing, reusing and recycling wastes because they do not incur the cost of landfill tax. The Environment Centre (tEC)’s project – the Solent Resource Efficiency Hub – is aimed at helping businesses across the Solent save money by identifying opportunities for waste prevention and new recycling schemes. You will receive a free environmental audit that will help you minimise waste arising and divert waste from landfill. Although the project focuses on waste, it can also help you tackle other resource efficiency measures such as energy and water efficiency, green purchasing and travel plans. You will also benefit from one year’s free membership to SIEnA, their ‘environmental business club’, and a series of free networking breakfast seminars that will help you to improve your resource efficiency.
If you are a company within a mile of the Hampshire Solent coast and would like a free environmental audit please contact Matt Topsfield on 023 8033 6199 e-mail matthew.topsfield@environmentcentre.com.
The Environment Agency’s Hampshire and Isle of Wight Flood Defence Committee, have approved a budget of £7.25 million for the forthcoming year, an increase of £250k from last year. Members overwhelmingly supported the raising of a £566,000 local levy under new funding arrangements. The levy is the full amount that the Agency asked for and will allow it to maintain its flood investment programme.
Further information is available from the Environment Agency, Tel: 01962 713267.
The planning of the UK’s flood defences is to get a helping hand from a 3D virtual world-based computer game. FloodRanger, set in a fictional region over a 100-year period, helps planners and engineers work out strategies to cope with real-life flooding. As in other virtual world games, like SimCity, players have God-like control, so social, economic and environmental decisions have knock-on effects. It was developed as part of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Foresight flood defence project
The coastline of the southeast supports a wide range of coastal habitats, including inter-tidal mudflats, coastal grazing marsh, sand dunes, salt marsh, vegetated shingle and saline lagoons. Indeed, vegetated shingle along the southern coastline forms approximately 68% of the UK resource, as well as a sizeable proportion of the global total. In this context, it is important that we ensure that it is protected and wherever feasible, enhanced. The southeast coastline’s habitats are under threat from sea-level rise, increased storminess, development pressure and coastal defence works. Despite the range of habitats and the importance of biodiversity, there is currently no systematic, regional mapping or monitoring of habitat location, extent and condition. The project is seeking to redress this lack of information by providing, for the first time, a region-wide baseline assessment of biodiversity from the Isle of Portland to the Thames estuary. However, coastal habitat depends crucially on both local geomorphology and the coastal processes acting upon it and therefore it is essential that ecological information is combined with other coastal data. Accordingly, English Nature, working with the Environment Agency, has commissioned a scoping study by the Channel Coast Observatory (CCO) to develop an accurate, repeatable and cost effective mapping programme. The project will also develop standard techniques for monitoring coastal biodiversity, which can be applied elsewhere.
For further information on the coastal biodiversity mapping project, please contact: Andy.Bradbury, e-mail Andy.Bradbury @soc.soton.ac.uk at the CCO, www.channelcoast.org
The sea fisheries of South East England are extremely diverse in scale and character. The region is home to some 750 fishing vessels, fishing from around 35 ports from Keyhaven to the Isle of Sheppey. More than 90% of the region’s vessels are under 10 metres in length, so are largely restricted to fishing in inshore waters (usually no more than 6 nautical miles from the coast). What these vessels lack in size and range, however, they make up for in versatility: fishermen are opportunists by necessity and have adapted their vessels to carry different gear for different species and seasons, in order to maximise the value of their catch at any one time.
Demersal fish (those that live on or near the seabed), including cod, plaice and sole are targeted with mobile gear such as beam trawls or static gear such as fixed gill nets. Pelagic fish (those species living higher in the water column) include mackerel, herring and sprat, and these are caught with gear such as trawls, drift nets and long-lines. Dredges are used for scallops, oysters, cockles and mussels, while pots are set for lobster, brown crab, spider crab, whelk and cuttlefish. Cuttlefish pots are baited with a female cuttlefish, a mirror or a shiny CD to attract the males! Whiteweed (the hydroid mentioned above) supports a small fishery in the Thames estuary and is harvested using a towed rake. The ‘weed’ is then dried, dyed and sold for decoration to the floral and aquarium trade.
Fishing activity is regulated under the European Common Fisheries Policy and UK law. The bodies with statutory responsibility to manage fisheries are the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and, in inshore waters, the Sea Fisheries Committees and the Environment Agency. Three Sea Fisheries Committees: Kent and Essex, Sussex and Southern are responsible for the management and conservation of inshore fisheries within our region. The combined value of the South East’s commercial fisheries is estimated at £14 million at first landing, though this is likely to be an under-estimate due to under-recording of the inshore fleet’s catch. Even so, the figures are dwarfed by the scale of recreational sea angling, which has an estimated 255,000 participants in the South East with an annual spend of around £250 million.
It is clearly in the interests of the South East’s fishing industry to ensure a sustainable future, with management that satisfies social, economic and environmental objectives…but that’s easier said than done. The common skate is commercially extinct (i.e. not worth pursuing) as a result of over-fishing, and cod and certain herring stocks are ‘outside safe biological limits’ due to fishing pressure both within and, perhaps more significantly, beyond our region. Bottom trawling and dredging can cause severe damage to sensitive seabed habitats and species over vast areas. Moreover, both static and mobile fishing methods can result in unsustainable levels of bycatch – the incidental capture of non-target species – whether fish, mammals, birds or other species. On a positive note, however, the Thames Herring is a good example of a sustainable fishery, and is one of only a handful of fisheries worldwide that have been certified as such by the Marine Stewardship Council.
The Wildlife Trusts are working with the fishing industry on a number of levels. On a UK and European level, we’re lobbying for action to reduce dolphin bycatch, and for fisheries management to be integrated with the management of other marine industries. On a regional level, we’re beginning to work with the Sea Fisheries Committees and other interested parties in the South East to identify common ground and address the key issues. We’re also actively supporting a number of partnership projects, including the development of a display about inshore fisheries, a survey of mantis shrimps involving Isle of Wight fishermen, and a Solent shark survey by recreational sea anglers. Look out for more information about these projects in the next issue.
Further information from Lisa Browning, Tel: 023 8068 8936 or email: LisaB@hwt.org.uk
A free exhibition has been set up, timed to coincide with the arrival in Southampton of the new Cunard liner, Queen Mary 2, to celebrate her illustrious predecessor. The original RMS Queen Mary was a familiar sight on Southampton’s waterfront, from the 1930s to her final departure for California in 1967. A new exhibition, ‘Queen Mary: Launch into the Future’, at Southampton’s Maritime Museum on Town Quay, explores both Queens through unique images, sound recordings and fascinating objects from the city’s maritime collection. The Maritime Museum houses the original Queen Mary builder’s model, which is one of its largest exhibits. Details of her construction can be discovered in unique ‘fit out’ books, which are on display for the first time. Recordings from the city council’s oral history archive feature in the Queen Mary Voices part of the exhibition. Using the taped memories of everyone from a bellboy to the ship’s captain, they tell the story of the ‘Mary’ from her maiden voyage in 1936 until her departure for Long Beach in 1967. The exhibition will run into the middle of 2004.
Further information is available from Nicky Stecker, Exhibition Officer on Tel: 023 8063 5904 e-mail: historic.sites@southampton.gov.uk
In this edition our is Dr Simon Young from Newtown Estuary, National Trust.
Newtown is always an exciting place to be. Out on the estuary large flocks of Brent Geese feed. Some geese have already left for their breeding grounds in Northern Siberia, some 3000 miles away. Hundreds of Wigeon,Teal, some Pintail and Goldeneye are still here, ready to fly back to Russia. It makes you realise birds are International and Newtown Estuary is like an international airport with birds coming and going to fly many thousands of miles to other countries around the world. The Newtown Education Warden over this winter has spent 5 weeks in Russia helping Russian teachers and school pupils to help protect their marshes, rivers and woodlands –explaining our global responsibility to wildlife. A female Hen Harrier and a Short-eared Owl have been hunting over the marsh. The Black-tailed Godwit are slowly turning into their summer plumage ready for their long journey to Iceland, A thousand or more Dunlin swirl around in huge flocks while Golden Plover and Grey Plover flock together. Already 30 or more Mediterranean Gulls have arrived, several finding breeding sites amongst the Black-headed Gull colony opposite the main Bird Hide. A few interesting mammals have been seen locally such as Grey Atlantic Seals and sadly a dead Common Porpoise with what looked like fishing net damage over its head and fins. A Great Skua was also washed up with a ring on its leg. It was covered in oil but had been ringed in the Shetlands in June 2001 and must have spent the last few weeks in the Atlantic. Already a Swallow has been seen and lots of migrant Painted Lady butterflies, so Spring is on its way. Soon local boat owners will be mooring their boats in the estuary. Some local sailors will be getting their boats ready for the annual National Trust Scow Regatta in August. The Volunteer Wardens will be manning the bird hides to greet visitors and schools will be arriving to carry out their National Curriculum Field Studies. In April, Dr.Roger Bamber of the Natural History Museum will be helping organise a Saline Lagoon Training Day at Newtown looking at some of the rare invertebrates that are found there.
ABP launches ENVIRONMENT website Associated British Ports (ABP) has launched a website dedicated to promoting its environmental policies, activities and objectives. Visitors to http://environment.abports.co.uk can learn about ABP’s environmental responsibilities, the initiatives it has undertaken to improve its environmental practices and the targets it has set itself..
OceanNET online Data Catalogues are available on the OceanNET website www.oceannet.org which provides a series of easy to use online search interfaces for the various catalogues and inventories maintained by the UK Marine Environmental Data Network
The ESPACE Project website is now online www.espace-project.org.
See www.wfduk.org for the latest information on the Water Framework Directive
New Chair for RYA Southern Region In October, Paul King was elected Chairman of the Region for the coming year. He is a member of the International Sailing Federation Offshore Committee, RYA Council, RYA Racing Committee, and RORC Committee and a keen cruiser and racer, both locally and further afield
New Face at Environment Centre The Environment Centre has a new Business Advisor, Jason Taylor. Jason has previous experience in the environmental/energy field and has also carried out numerous projects related to energy, waste and environmental management. Coming initially from a conservation and environmental science background (gaining a BSc (Hons) Environmental Protection), Jason has widened his knowledge through participation in local business and through his previous employer (Business Link Wessex) has gained a thorough grounding in the issues facing business.
Climate Change Officer Appointed in Southampton The UK’s first full-time Climate Change Officer post has been appointed in Southampton: the officer will focus on coastal defence, flood mapping, renewable energy, air quality and climate change. Candice Collier has been appointed by Southampton City Council to write the council’s ‘Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy and Action Plan’. These important issues are intrinsically linked and an action plan will be developed to meet local, national and international emission targets. Candice’s background is a degree in Coastal and Environmental Management and three years at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight environmental charity, the Environment Centre. To implement the work being undertaken, the city council is also working with European partners on three national projects, CONCERTO, ESPACE and New EPOC.
For more information contact Candice Collier on Tel: 023 8083 4649 or e-mail candice.collier@southampton.gov.uk.
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.
