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Severn Estuary Partnership News
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The Latest News from the Severn Estuary Partnership!
Welcome to the February edition of SEP's E-News!
What has the SEP team been up to this month?
Severn Estuary Coastal Group 01/02/2017
Patrick Goodey, Bristol City Council, has recently taken over as Chair of the Severn Estuary Coastal Group (SECG) from Dave Harris, Monmouthshire County Council. SEP provides the secretariat services for the group, who met in Bristol on 1st February to discuss the following:
- Severn Estuary Shoreline Management Plan 2 (SMP2) - has now had the final sign-off by the Environment Agency! The SMP2 was reviewed in 2012 by the SMP Quality Review Group (QRG) and is now approved by the Environment Agency, having received Defra and Welsh Government approval of the Habitats Risk Assessment of the Imperative Reasons for Over-riding Public Interest (IROPI) case
- Tidal lagoon developments
- Habitat creation and coastal defence assets
- SECG website: www.severnestuarycoastalgroup.org.uk
- Coastal group direction and future role
The group also welcomed Nick Hardiman, Environment Agency, who provided a national update on topics such as habitat creation, SMP2 future direction and flood risk management plans.
SEP and SECG would like to take this opportunity to give a huge thanks to Dave Harris for all of his hard work directing the group as Chair, as well as the support he has provided to SEP over the years!
SEP has also been busy attending/working on the following:
- Welsh Government EU Transition Workshop - 07/02/17 - as part of Welsh Government's Wales Marine Strategic Advisory Group (WMSAG), SEP now inputs into the EU Transition Task & Finish Group (Marine and Fisheries)
- Severn Estuary Strategy - we have been busy discussing what you said during the consultation and hope to have something to share with you in the next couple of weeks! Information will be shared through e-news and on the Strategy section of the SEP website
- 2017 Severn Estuary Forum -- we are pleased to announce that the 2017 Forum will be held in Bridgwater! The SEP Forum Subgroup are busy discussing potential dates, themes and presentation topics. As soon as we have confirmed the date, we will publish through e-news and the website.
- Cardiff University Fieldtrip - SEP helped out with a CU fieldtrip to Bristol Port and Steart Marshes fieldtrip earlier this month. Students were given an overview of Port Operations and a tour round the Port estate, before heading to Steart Marshes and meeting up with the Science of Steart project. The project is a 3-month NERC funded project, aimed at engaging people with the science of coastal areas, with a specific focus on Steart and the Managed Realignment project. The project is trialling innovative communication techniques, such as 'Science in the Café/ pub' style events, as well as more traditional communication tools to reach a range of different audiences. For more information, please get in touch at severn@cardiff.ac.uk.
Bristol Port and Steart Marshes Fieldtrip © SEP
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SEP's Photo Of The Month - February 2017
Our "Photo of the Month" winner for February is Flickr user Nick Dallimore! Peter's beautifull photograph is titled "The Holms".
If you have a Severn Estuary-related photo you would like to submit for 'SEP's Photo of the Month' or share on the Severn Estuary Flickr Group click here or contact us by email.
The Holms © Nick Dallimore
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Click the links below to go straight to the relevant newsletter sections.
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Help Us Help The Estuary
The Severn Estuary is dynamic and diverse with huge value to the economy, environment and society. The Severn Estuary Partnership promotes a holistic, estuary-wide perspective for the Severn and encourages everyone to work together to view the estuary as a whole, allowing us to respond in partnership to future risks and opportunities.
If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of Severn Estuary activities and have access to a broad range of statutory, non-statutory, industrial and recreational user groups, join the Severn Estuary Partnership! Membership of SEP will improve your ability to make contact with people who share your interests and meet others with useful information. Over 15 years of knowledge and Estuary-wide contacts will be at your fingertips. Specific benefits of our membership and associated cost can be found here.
The Severn Crossing © Azmath Jaleel
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The Severn Estuary Partnership is neutral and unbiased. The below stories are collated to raise awareness of news and projects regarding the Severn Estuary and do not necessarily represent the views of the Partnership.
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Your Preferences, Interests and Values Towards the Severn Estuary
A final year Cardiff University Student is investigating people's preferences, interests and values towards estuarine environments. As part of the study, a questionnaire has been designed to find out what it is about estuaries that you are particularly interested in. The results of the study will help to inform the Severn Estuary Partnership about what you would like to see in future State of the Estuary reporting methods.
The questionnaire should only take 10-15 minutes to complete and the deadline is the 13th March 2017. Many thanks in advance for taking the time to help with this survey! If you have any queries on the project, please contact Samantha Jeeawock at JeeawockS@cardiff.ac.uk
The Severn Estuary © Severn Estuary Partnership
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Growth in South Wales Ports
ABP South Wales includes a network of ports including Newport, Cardiff, Barry, Port Talbot and Swansea which in 2016, handled over 12 million tonnes of cargo. Continued investment in port warehousing and equipment has seen year-on-year growth in a number of sectors including:
- £4.5 million investment into new warehouses, including the Atlantic Shed and 20 Shed at Newport causing the growth of animal feed and steel sector
- Growth of project cargo including the handling of hundreds of wind turbine components at Swansea
- £2.8 million investment into the refurbishment of five crane across Newport and Swansea increasing the operational efficiency
The Director of ABP South Wales, Matthew Kennerley said “Continued investment in 2016 allowed us to ensure the development of our ports is in keeping with the needs of both new and longstanding port customers and the wider South Wales region. The five ABP South Wales ports represent a unique logistical network that allows businesses to grow while utilising the bespoke services and facilities we can offer.”
For more information about ABP South Wales, click here.
Arial View of the Port of Newport © Association of British Ports
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Marine Plan Development Workshops for the South West
In February 2017, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) launched the next step into the development of the South West Marine Plan. This is a key stage which offers the first opportunity to see how the issues and evidence gathered in previous consultations are being taken forward.
The MMO would like to hear your views and will be holding a number of consultations for the south west area including:
- Falmouth: Monday 20th March 2017, National Maritime Museum, 5pm to 7pm
- Falmouth: Tuesday 21st March 2017, National Maritime Museum, 9.30am to 4pm
- Plymouth: Wednesday 22nd March 2017, Future Inn, 9.30am to 4pm
- Taunton: Thursday 23rd March 2017, Holiday Inn, 9.30am to 4pm
Make sure you register and participate in order to input to the marine planning process. SEP are pleased to be co-chairing the workshop on 23rd March in Taunton. Look forward to seeing many of you there!
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South West Marine Ecosystems Conference
The 2017 South West Marine Ecosystems Conference (SWME) has been announced (click here). Since 2007, an annual SWME conference has taken place in Plymouth. The objectives of these important conferences as decided by the delegates are:
- Networking- to provide a networking opportunity for a wide variety of people meet, exchange views and build networks on south-west marine ecosystems
- To assess the annual events (ecological and oceanographic) of the previous year - that have impact upon the south west marine ecosystems and create linkages between environmental and biological phenomena
- Ecology of marine species- to explore new research into the ecology of marine species and the ecosystems in which they live
- Management and south west marine ecosystems- To understand the linkages between science and the influence of managing human activities on the marine environment – with a view to supporting and promoting the health of southwest marine ecosystems.
The conference will take place on the 21st April 2017 at the Sherwell Centre in Plymouth University. For more information on the South West Marine Ecosystems conferences, click here.
This year Nigel Phillips, Coast Ambassador for the Somerset Wildlife Trust, will be speaking. SEP will be attending and look forward to seeing many of you there!
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Keep posted on https://www.facebook.com/litterfreesomerset/ for information on clean/meeting location.
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Tidal Energy In The Severn Estuary & Inner Bristol Channel
The Severn Estuary holds the second highest tidal range in the world. The issue of harnessing tidal power in the Severn Estuary never seems to have been far from the headlines for the past three decades or so. At the Severn Estuary Partnership, we aim to keep all of our stakeholders informed of energy developments and proposals that are happening within, or will have an impact on, the Severn Estuary.
Hendry Review of Tidal Lagoons
On 12 January 2017 Charles Hendry, a former Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, published his final report and recommendations of the "Independent Review of tidal lagoons". The Review (click here) aimed to "assess the strategic case for tidal lagoons and whether they could represent value for money for the consumer". Hendry recommended that the Swansea Bay lagoon should be developed as a "pathfinder" project, with time given to understand its full impact and to learn lessons before the lagoon development programme moves forward.
His other key conclusions included the following:
- The consenting process should be informed by a National Policy Statement similar to nuclear new-build, where specific sites are designated by the Government as being suitable for development;
- The current Swansea Bay project should be excluded from this National Policy Statement approach;
- A new body (Tidal Power Authority) should be established at arms-length from Government, with the goal to maximise UK advantage from a tidal lagoon; and
- contracts should be allocated by a competitive tender process for large scale tidal lagoons.
To view some of the responses from a variety of organisations, click on the links below:
What are your thoughts on the Hendry Review? Let us know or send us a link to your article at Severn@cardiff.ac.uk.
To view a summary of the report, click here, or to view the whole report, click here.
What are the Current Tidal Lagoon Projects Relevant to the Severn Estuary?
To stay up-to-date with the latest tidal energy developments within the estuary, check out our web-page Tidal Power Resource Page.
Tim Carter presenting at Coastal Futures January 2017 © Tidal Lagoon Power
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First Outputs for South West Marine Plan Area
The first outputs of the marine planning process for the South West Marine Plan area has been published. The SW Marine Plan area includes over 2000 km of coastline from the River Severn border to the River Dart in Devon. The Plan includes over 84,000 km of sea area, extending from the marine high water spring to the seaward limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The marine area has a wide variety of activities across many sectors and a significant number of environmental designations, including the Severn Estuary Special Area of Conservation, (SAC) Special Conservation Area (SPA) and Ramsar Site.
This initial document from the planning process highlights the objectives of the Marine Policy Statement which will be delivered by the SW Marine Plan, addressing issues through marine plan policies. Issues related to the SW Marine Plan area have been collated into an easy to use issues list and, as the plan develops further, additional issues that arise will be added. The documents provides an outline of draft policies, which will be developed in the marine plan, these include:
- Climate Change
- Environment
- Cables
- Energy
- Tourism and recreation
The document uses a new digital and more interactive format which provides links to the Marine Information System, an online tool which allows easy access to marine policy documents and England's marine plan areas.
To view the first outputs of the SW Marine Plan, click here.
South West Marine Plan © Marine Management Organisation
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‘Strength from the Depths’ – Tenth Annual Sustainable Development Report for the British Marine Aggregate Industry
The British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) have published their tenth annual Sustainable Development Report which covers the year 2015 (click here). The report builds upon the wider sustainable development initiative established by their parent organisation, the Minerals Product Association (click here) and contributes to BMAPA’s 2006 sustainable development strategy (click here).
The report, using a wide range of data, provides a comprehensive account for the sustainable development performance of the marine aggregate sector. The growing demand for products reported in 2014 has continued into 2015 with an increase of marine aggregate production of nearly 13%.
Key areas of growth included:
- London and South East of England – landings increased by 12%
- Beach nourishment and contract fill projects – 4 million tonnes used including 1.7 million tonnes used to support Liverpool2 Port development resulting in a 62.7% increase from 2014
- 19.5 million tonnes dredged in 2015 – an increase of 12.9% from 2014
- 10% of primary aggregates consumed in England and Wales now comes from marine sources.
Strength from the Depths Report © British Marine Aggregate Producers Association
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Consultation Results for the Inquiry into the Management of Marine Protected Areas in Wales
The consultation responses to the inquiry into the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Wales have now been published (click here). The inquiry was carried out by the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee in order to:
- assess the management of Welsh marine protected areas with a view to identifying opportunities to maximise the economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits that can be derived from them.
- understand what the implications of leaving the European Union will be for marine protected areas and to identify any issues that will need to be addressed during the exit process.
During a consultation period running from the 16th December 2016 to the 10th February 2017, the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee asked for evidence to support the inquiry. Key questions included:
- Has the management of Welsh seas received sufficient resource and strategic direction to enable sustainable management that supports the well-being of current and future generations?
- How should Area Statements, to be developed by Natural Resources Wales, cover Welsh seas?
- How well are Wales’ MPAs currently being managed?
To watch the video evidence , click here, or to see the final published results of the consultation and further information, click here.
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The Most Beautiful Coastal Walks in Wales Have Been Mapped on Google Street View
Natural Resources Wales has teamed up with Google Street View to map out the most beautiful coastal walks in Wales. Google Street View has already put a number of walks and trails from countrysides around England and Wales onto Google maps, but now its time for the coastal walks.
One of the walks you will be able to view in 360 degree images is the Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve (click here). This amazing nature reserve is made up of a diverse range of habitats such as grassland, saltmarsh, reed beds and saline lagoons, making it a fantastic area for watching birds and other wildlife.
For more information or to see some of the other walks you can view, click here.
Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve © Google Street View 2017
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Policy Updates and Newsletters
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March 2017
April 2017
May 2017
June 2017
Severn Bore – the following website provides spectators and surfers with everything they need to know about the Severn Bore including times, dates, star ratings and viewing locations. http://www.thesevernbore.co.uk/
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Consultation Closing Dates for the Diary
- 31st March 2017 - Marine Planning Iteration 1 Engagement (NE/NW/SE/SW)
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Marine Planning Iteration 1 Engagement (NE/NW/SE/SW)
The Marine Management Organisation are asking for feedback on the first outputs from the development of the north east, north west, south east and south west marine plans. They ask for anyone who uses these marine areas to complete a short questionnaire (click here) which includes questions on:
- Issues and supporting evidence
- Proposed draft policies
- How you will use the marine plans
- Proposed new format for marine plans
The questionnaire is part of an 8 week programme, which includes a series of workshops (click here), aimed at understanding how stakeholders feel the marine planning is progressing in these areas. Furthermore, the questionnaire will mark the end of the first year of developing these marine plans and it will provide an opportunity to see how the issues raised from previous workshops are being taken forward.
For more information on this consultation, click here, or to view the consulation, click here. This consultation ends on the 31st March 2017.
Severn Estuary Partnership Consultations
If you know of any relevant consultation that is not highlighted through our consultation page please email us.
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Call for Articles
If you have any information or news that you think should be included in our next E-News then please get in touch: Severn@cardiff.ac.uk. We are always on the lookout for information for our monthly E-News as well as being able to publicise it through our Twitter and Facebook accounts. We’d be particularly keen to hear about news in your area including:
- Development proposals and planning updates,
- Local Community projects,
- Upcoming community events,
- Opportunities to volunteer around the Estuary.
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You have received this newsletter as you have been identified as an interested party of the Severn Estuary Partnership. If you do not want to wish to continue to receive details of Severn Estuary news and events please click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.
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