Category Archives: Environment (local)

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31 Aug 2016

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Environment (local), Tourism

“THE government has launched a food tourism grant scheme it hopes will boost the rural economy.

http://www.greatbritishfoodcampaign.com

Launched by Defra, the Championing Great British Food Tourism funding scheme seeks to help improve the viability and profile of food businesses and rural tourism.

It is offering grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 to projects that aim to promote “stronger local food identities”.

The government believes the scheme will help to increase the attractiveness of rural destinations to tourists.

It also hopes to encourage greater expenditure within local economies and an extension to the tourism season.

Projects eligible for funding must be in the form of food and drink based attractions.

These could include as trails, festivals, markets or other initiatives providing opportunities to attract visitors at different times of the year.
The scheme follows the launch of an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee inquiry into rural tourism in July.

MPs said that while rural tourism provided around £17bn a year to the English economy, the countryside faced numerous obstacles to tourism growth.
Domestic overnight trips to rural areas fell from 22% to 18% between 2012 and 2014, according to Visit England statistics.

Meanwhile, 50% of international visitor spend is in London.

The scheme has been welcomed by rural leaders – including the Country, Land and Business Association.

CLA eastern region director Ben Underwood said it was important to raise the profiles of the people behind regional food and drink – as well as the aread in which they are based.

“Small-scale producers and rural tourism businesses do an enormous amount to generate revenue and create jobs in local communities,” said Mr Underwood.
“It makes perfect sense to encourage projects promoting an area’s food producing heritage or emerging strength.”

Mr Underwood said there was a “real need” to make rural tourism more effective and profitable.

He added: “It is crucial the government finds ways, such as through the Championing Great British Food Tourism Grant Scheme, to create opportunities for growth, encouraging the viability of rural communities.

“It is important that we get people, from home and abroad, seriously looking at our rural areas as attractive tourism destinations.”

The deadline for applications to the grant scheme is 9am Monday 26 September 2016.

More information regarding eligibility and the application process for the Grant Scheme is available here. For further details, visit

http://www.greatbritishfoodcampaign.com.

A comment on the site mentions the recent food festival in Sidmouth:

“I recently organized a food festival in my rural seaside town of Sidmouth – it was very well attended – by all accounts a massive success! I had funding from the East Devon Sustainable Development fund mainly because it was to promote the move of location of our Sidmouth Farmers Market which has been running once a month for the last 7 years. One stall holder reported that visitors came from Bristol especially for the festival. The funding ensured good promotional coverage which was key!!”

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29 Aug 2016

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Claire Wright, Developers/ Development, Environment (local), West Hill

Now it’s West Hill’s turn to go under siege from developers

“A PIECE of land in the centre of West Hill could be transformed into more than 30 homes, a satellite doctors surgery and a gastro pub.

A coffee shop, pharmacy, bowling club, land for the village’s pre-school, and underground parking may also feature in pending proposals for a two and a half acre site opposite McColls in West Hill Road.

That is what scores of residents have been told by Councillors Claire Wright and Jo Talbot, who fear development of what is known as Copper Trust land could see more than 200 extra vehicle movements in the area a day.

Any such move would come hot on the heels of widely derided Blue Cedar Homes plans to build 50 dwellings on land near Eastfield that have garnered controversy and hundreds of objections.

“Either scheme, if approved, is likely to prompt other developers to submit their own applications, citing these examples as a precedent for their proposals to be accepted,” warned the Ottery town councillors in a letter to Ashley Brake, Elsdon Lane, Ford Lane, Beech Park and West Hill Road householders.”

http://www.eastdevon24.co.uk/news/west_hill_30_home_development_shocker_1_614147

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29 Aug 2016

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Environment (local), Hinkley C

Hinkley and the threat to marine life

“A combination of radioactivity and warming seas could make the waters of the Bristol Channel near the proposed Hinkley Point nuclear power station more dangerous for marine creatures, a new study has found.

EDF, which will build the Somerset power station if Prime Minister Theresa May gives the green light, already has an Environment Agency permit to release water containing tritium into the seawater.

Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen, found naturally in small doses, and at much higher levels in nuclear power stations’ cooling water.” …

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/radioactivity-and-warming-seas-threaten-marine-life-near-somerset-s-hinkley-point/story-29662931-detail/story.html

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23 Aug 2016

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Environment (local)

The big boys want a big slice of the big renewable energy pie – in the US

“You might think the renewables market is dominated by lentil-munching hippies, assembling Heath Robinson contraptions in sheds. That was certainly true a few years ago – and it’s true that many of the people in the industry were activists in their earlier lives. I met one executive from a waste management firm who, in his youth, had literally been dragged out of his bed by the police for some political protest he was involved in.

But nowadays, of course, the industry has become highly professionalised. Some of the biggest and most prestigious firms in the world are heavily involved in renewable energy. One such firm is IBM – often known as “Big Blue”. With a long trading history, and a deep relationship with the largest government and corporate customers, IBM is the epitome of the corporate establishment. If it’s grasping renewables with both hands, you can tell there’s a serious transition going on. …”

Big Blue goes green

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17 Aug 2016

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Andrew Moulding, AONB, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Environment (local), Exmouth, Greater Exeter, Rural communities

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“Greater Exeter” protects the countryside – honestly, that’s what they say!

And it must be true, because Andrew Moulding says so! Now, about Exmouth Splat … And look who the money is coming from: developers!

Teignbridge, East Devon District Councils and Exeter City Council have form a cross-boundary partnership to safeguard three internationally important conservation sites.

The three councils have established the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive committee to off-set the effects of new developments and population growth on the protected sites.

They will work together to protect places such as the Exe Estuary, Dawlish Warren and the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths for future generations to enjoy.
The committee said protecting the sites was important for a number of reasons, including providing safe areas for all users to enjoy and caring for the bird populations they support.

Human activity on or close to the sites can cause disturbance or even death of protected bird species, it warned.

This new Committee is working with partners including Natural England, Clinton Devon Estates, National Trust, RSPB, Exe Estuary Management Partnership and Devon Wildlife Trust.

Funding will come from developer contributions on new residential housing across the three areas and within a 10km “zone of influence” from the protected sites.

Measures and initiatives planned include a patrol boat on the Exe Estuary, a dog project officer, a review of codes of conduct, new and updated visitor publicity and signage.

Two new wardens will educate and engage with the public and ensure byelaws are observed.

East Devon’s deputy leader Andrew Moulding said: “This joint working between our three Councils is a really important step in protecting our beautiful coast and countryside.

“By working together through collective financial decision-making, we can share resources to protect important areas of conservation and improve enjoyment for residents and visitors alike.” …

http://www.rsnonline.org.uk/environment/councils-join-forces-to-protect-countryside

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16 Aug 2016

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Environment (local), Natural England

Natural England: cuts mean too many compromises and conflicts

“England’s nature watchdog is planning to use its legal powers less and risks becoming a weak regulator forced to raise funding from the private companies it is meant to keep in check, leaked documents and sources reveal.

Natural England is duty-bound to defend rare species and protected areas including national parks and England’s 4,000 sites of special scientific interest from potentially environmentally damaging developments.

But the regulator faces a budget cut of 27% and a reduction in headcount of 20% by 2020 due to cuts to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). This means it will have a “significantly reduced national capacity”, it admits,.

A internal document from June, seen by Greenpeace and shared with the Guardian, says the agency will “make more proportionate use of our regulatory powers” and “retain our regulatory powers but will use them more proportionately and more efficiently, while increasingly operating through advice and partnership.”

Internal sources say this amounts to using its powers less and to agreements that “compromise wildlife”. …

… Stephen Trotter, the director of the Wildlife Trusts, a network of 47 local groups, said: “We have for some time seen evidence across the trusts of less engagement with planning issues by Natural England than would have been the case previously. We find that particularly around non-designated but local wildlife sites, it has a reluctance to get involved in defending those sites.”

Other changes to the way the agency operates include providing “advice to government that is politically aware”. The regulator is meant to provide science-based and independent advice. A source at Natural England said the idea was “ridiculous” as its advice was meant to be “based on the science, not on anything else”.

The watchdog’s ecologists will also get out less to see the wildlife and habitats they are meant to protect and understand.

“Fewer ad hoc site visits will be necessary because more information, data and evidence about sites and the local area will be captured remotely and by others,” says the document. Conservationists warned earlier this year that Natural England risked losing its “eyes and ears” after it cut funding for local environmental record centres.

In order to raise more money as its budget is cut £30m by the end of 2020 on 2015-16 levels, the agency also plans to raise more money by charging the private sector, such as water companies, housebuilders and windfarm developers, for its services. It raised £1.43m in 2015-16 by charging £110 an hour for such services, and hopes to increase this to £12m a year by 2020.

“It’s blurring the vision of what we do,” a source at Natural England said. “It’s commercialising something that’s very hard to commercialise. People find it quite a conflict in what they do. Previously we would prioritise what is important in terms of biodiversity rather than profit, so it’s quite a different mindset.”

The agency tried to allay such fears in another document shared with staff. “There were some concerns that a move towards charging might be perceived as a shift towards ‘supporting development’, with us working for, rather than with, our customers. Thankfully, that criticism has rarely been directed at us,” it said. …”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/16/budget-cuts-threaten-to-weaken-powers-of-englands-nature-watchdog

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16 Aug 2016

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Environment (local), Fracking

“Germany bans fracking forever”

Germany Bans Fracking Forever

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15 Aug 2016

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Consultation, Environment (local), Ottery St Mary

Straitgate Quarry: “environmental sabotage”

“Campaigners have hit out at final proposals for a potential quarry site on Ottery’s outskirts, which have been branded ‘environmental sabotage’.

The inclusion of Straitgate Farm as an earmarked area in the new Devon Minerals Plan (DMP) has received widespread opposition from residents, who are taking the chance to voice their objections as part of a public consultation.

Proposed modifications to the site exclude the stipulation of a one-metre ‘buffer zone’ originally included to safeguard water supplies – something campaigners fear will only increase the potential environmental damage.” …

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/proposals_for_possible_quarry_site_in_ottery_st_mary_branded_environmental_sabotage_1_4653464

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14 Aug 2016

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Environment (local), Hinkley C

“Crown Estate wades in on Hinkley C battle”

“The crown estate has waded into the battle over Hinkley Point, pointing out that offshore windfarms are already being built at cheaper prices than the proposed atomic reactors for Somerset.

While not arguing the £18.5bn nuclear project should be scrapped, the organisation – still legally owned by the Queen – said that the government’s current Hinkley review makes it a good time to consider the advantages of other low carbon technologies.

The crown estate said that windfarms at sea will be on course to meet 10% of the country’s electricity by 2020 while Hinkley Point C is not expected to be constructed till the mid 2020s, to produce 7%.

“The [wind] sector has undergone a sea change over the last few years, driven by rapid advances in technology, cost and the industry’s ability to deliver on time and to budget,” said Huub den Rooijen, the director of energy, minerals and infrastructure at the crown estate.

“In the Netherlands, there has been an even bigger step change. In the busy time around the EU referendum, many people will have missed the publication of their most recent offshore wind tender.

“Although there are differences in terms of regulation, most would agree that the Dutch are now going to be paying the equivalent of about £80/MWh for their 700 megawatt windfarm. That is significantly lower than Hinkley Point at £92.50/MWh.” …

… National Grid estimates that nearly half of all power could be generated from our seabed by 2030 through offshore wind, combined with tidal power lagoons and strong electrical connections to our neighbouring countries.

“We have an inexhaustible supply of reliable and clean power right on our doorstep, and competitively priced offshore wind now offers a mature part of the solution for the UK’s energy mix.”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/14/crown-estate-hinkley-point-nuclear-debate?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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13 Aug 2016

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Developers/ Development, Dorset and Devon National Park, EDDC, Environment (local)

Extended National Park boosts tourism, but NEVER for East Devon

Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and Dorset value their natural environments:

http://rsnonline.org.uk/environment/rural-boost-as-national-parks-extended

East Devon guards its developers and their concrete jungles jealously:

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2016/08/08/control-of-assets-more-important-than-creating-a-national-park-says-eddc/

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11 Aug 2016

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Coastal communities, Environment (local)

Friends of the Earth planning event in Exeter of particular interest to coastal communities

Please advertise this event as widely as possible, particularly to coastal communities – it appears to be free but tickets need to be reserved in advance:

“This is a 3-hour (from 6.30 to 9.30) evening skill-share and Power Up! session designed to better equip you to navigate and influence your local planning and development system – with a focus on coastal towns and communities. The intended outcome of this session is that you will be able to better protect your local communities against unwanted development that will cause environmental and social degredation.

We hope that this event can bring together groups and individuals from the surrounding areas who are either engaged in some way or another with planning concerns or who would like to be.

The evening will be hosted and facilitated by Naomi Luhde-Thompson, Friends of the Earth’s planning specialist.

We look forward to seeing you on the evening of Friday the 7th October!

Please share this with others in your local community you would like to come: https://www.facebook.com/events/152782855158372/

WHEN
Friday, 7 October 2016 from 18:30 to 21:30 (BST)
WHERE
Exeter Community Centre – 17 Saint Davids Hill, Exeter, EX4 3RG

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/friends-of-the-earth-planning-power-up-exeter-tickets-27045439638?invite=&err=29&referrer=&discount=&affiliate=&eventpassword=

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10 Aug 2016

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Coastal communities, Environment (local)

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South West Water – sewage discharge into sea in Devon and Cornwall worst for 2015

“Raw sewage is being pumped into the sea around Devon and Cornwall after heavy rain overwhelmed drainage systems, water bosses have admitted.
Water quality warnings have been issued on beaches in the county because of the problems, South West Water said.

It said intense rainfall leads to run-off from fields and towns combining and affect bathing water quality.

Andy Cummins, Surfers Against Sewage (Sas), said the drainage infrastructure needed to be upgraded. “We need a sewage infrastructure that can cope with the amount of rainfall we get year on year,” he said.

Raw sewage is being pumped into the sea around Devon and Cornwall after heavy rain overwhelmed drainage systems, water bosses have admitted.
Water quality warnings have been issued on beaches in the county because of the problems, South West Water said.

It said intense rainfall leads to run-off from fields and towns combining and affect bathing water quality.

Andy Cummins, Surfers Against Sewage (Sas), said the drainage infrastructure needed to be upgraded. “We need a sewage infrastructure that can cope with the amount of rainfall we get year on year,” he said. “Our infrastructure needs to be able to cope with everything we put down the loo.”

Sas has previously slammed South West Water’s systems after claiming there had been 40 incidents of raw sewage polluting beaches in one weekend last year.

Mr Cummins said many people were not even aware “raw untreated human sewage” was discharged into the sea when the problem arose.

Tourism groups in the area have complained about the sewage, saying it puts people off going into the sea.

Fatos Fida, on holiday from London, said: “I think it is disgusting. As a tourist I had no idea. It puts me off visiting the beach as it isn’t hygienic.”

A South West Water spokesman said they operate an information system telling people about storm water overflows and the risk of pollution affecting quality.

The firm was the only water and sewerage company of the nine operating mainly in England, to have performed “significantly below target” by the Environment Agency’s (EA) 2015 performance assessment. It had 171 category 1-3 pollution incidents per 10,000 km of sewer, 74 more than the next worst-offending firm, the EA reported.

An Environment Agency spokesman said being rated “poor performance” led to “more visits, scrutiny of incidents we attend and increases the number of audits we carry out”.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-36956165

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9 Aug 2016

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AONB, Environment (local), Post-Brexit Adjustments, Rural communities

Brexit and the countryside

“Brexit has not yet happened; it is likely to be at least two years before we formally withdraw from the EU. But whilst these policy changes will take years for lawyers and policy makers to wrangle over, more immediate effects are already happening on the ground.

Fundamental to these changes is the element of uncertainty. Depending on which blogs you follow and which papers you read, you will see different degrees of doom mongering. But ultimately uncertainty is bad for business, particularly construction. Indeed in the days after the referendum UK house builders lost as much as 40% of their share value.

July data from the global financial services information company Markit shows that the average drop in house building over the past two months has been the most severe for seven years. Together with the International Monetary Fund reducing its UK 2017 predicted growth figures from 2.2% in April to 1.3% the ingredients seem to be coming together to create the perfect storm for another recession.

Sadly here at Link we know all too well the impact that economic downturns can have on the planning system. Since the last recession started in 2008 there has been a drastic policy shift away from sustainable development towards ‘sustainable economic growth’ –the word ‘sustainable’ seems like an afterthought rather than an integral part of the Government’s vision. This has been manifested in government policy such as the National Planning Policy Framework and also through the systematic stripping back of planning guidance, compounded by the continual drive to cut ‘red tape’. If another recession hits this direction of travel may continue – unless we show policy makers what the effects of these changes would be. We are already hearing, anecdotally, that developers are reconsidering the viability of schemes following the Brexit vote. It is our fear that ‘green infrastructure’, such as the provision of wildlife habitats, will be cut as a part of these re-evaluated deals, along with affordable housing and community facilities, and more and more unsuitable sites will be released for new development.

Whatever happens to the European Directives or the economy, over the next months and years the UK is signed up to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The planning system has a central role in delivering on these goals, particularly goals 11 and 15 – ‘Sustainable cities and communities’ and ‘Life on land’.

So, in these uncertain times whilst continually pushing to maintain robust environmental legislation, we must also be continuing to make the case for nature and the countryside, and the value they add to everyone’s lives, including as part of development projects.

http://www.wcl.org.uk/brexit-promises-more-change-for-the-planning-system.asp

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1 Aug 2016

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EDDC, Environment (local)

Message to Clyst St Mary villagers

“Just a short update regarding the Anaerobic Digester Planning Application for the proposed ‘Extensions’ and ‘Increase in capacity’. As you are no doubt aware, we have now had a year of foul odours coming from this piece of equipment throughout Clyst St Mary, so the outcome of this Application will be of interest to all village residents. It is due to be heard (and decided) by East Devon District Council’s Development Management Committee this Tuesday 2nd August. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10am at the Knowle in Sidmouth. We have a number of residents from Clyst St Mary who have kindly volunteered to speak against the Application. It would be smashing if other residents could come and show their support – you simply need to turn up on the day. Should you need a lift, please email me as soon as possible I and will try and co-ordinate this.
Best wishes
Gaeron”

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25 Jul 2016

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AONB, Developers/ Development, Environment (local), Land Supply, Planning System

Taxpayers Alliance wants most planning rules to be abolished

“The government should scrap stamp duty and ease planning restrictions to address the worsening housing crisis, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has said today.

In a new report, the group called for “real reform” to tackle the housing shortage accusing successive governments of merely tinkering around the edges instead of dealing with underlying issues facing the sector. …

… the fundamental problem with housing markets in Britain is overly tight planning restrictions, the group suggests. The alliance urges the government to declassify swathes of green-belt land to tackle the chronic lack of new house building. For example, it estimates that allowing just 5% of the greenbelt around London to be built on will enable the city to grow by one sixth.

Taller, denser housing construction should be also encouraged, as well as more infilling, despite the likely increased pressure on traffic systems and public services.

The alliance cites the work of groups such as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Victorian Society, and the “thousands” of local groups who successfully protect the character of communities.

However, protecting land from development restricts the supply of new properties and inevitably raises the cost of housing, the alliance argues. It says: “The political fact is that housing cannot become more affordable unless it becomes cheaper and easier to build more of it in the places where … groups object.”

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “For decades politicians have failed to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis: a chronic lack of supply. What’s more, stamp duty is still punitively high and gimmicky tweaks to the tax system will ultimately end up penalising tenants and increasing rents.”

Isaby is urging new chancellor Phillip Hammond to seize the opportunity “to drastically simplify and reduce property taxes, while removing planning restrictions which prevent huge swathes of land from being built on for no good reason at all”.

http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2016/07/abolish-stamp-duty-and-ease-planning-restrictions-urges-taxpayers-alliance

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20 Jul 2016

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AONB, Budleigh Salterton, Consultation, Cranbrook, Environment (local), Infrastructure, Natural England, Rural communities, Transport (local)

Budleigh Salterton – onshore cable consultation to 5 September 2016 – questions to be answered

Here is the consultation letter and, below it, the maps showing the two possible routes that it might follow onshore.  Also details of where and when representatives of the project will be available for questioning.

Several points spring to mind:

How wide will trenches be?
Will roads need to be closed and, if so, for how long?
How big is the converter station?
Why are some of the cables put in fields, yet others are embedded in roads? Roads particularly affected are the B3178 disrupting Budleigh Salterton, East Budleigh and Colaton Raleigh and the B3184 to the airport, Many other key strategic routes will also be cut across and possibly interrupted, including the A30 and also the railway line.
The two routes out of Budleigh Salterton are very sensitive environmental areas – moleing underground was originally mentioned but seems to have been dropped

The consultation letter (followed by maps of alternative routes included with the letter)

I am writing to invite you to take part a public consultation on proposals to build a 220 kilometre underground and subsea electricity interconnector and converter station which will see power flowing between France, the Channel Island of Alderney, and East Devon.

The FAB Project has the approval of the UK energy regulator Ofgem to build the interconnector, linking the British electricity grid from the existing National Grid substation at Broadclyst to the French grid to help ensure the security of supply to both the UK and the continent. Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) and Transmission Investment LLP formed a joint venture company, FAB Link, and FAB Link is working with the French grid company RTE – Reseau de Transport d’Electricite – to develop the FAB Project.

The project also intends to take advantage of proposed tidal generators in Alderney to provide reliable, sustainable and low-carbon electricity for consumers on both sides of the Channel, hence the FAB name, which stands for France-Alderney-Britain. It is also our intention to increase competition in electricity markets, cutting prices for consumers.

As shown in the enclosed maps, the cables would come ashore in Britain at Budleigh Salterton and thereafter would run underground between the coast and a new above-ground converter station.

The interconnector cables would run completely underground between the coast and a new above-ground converter station to be built near Exeter International Airport. From the converter station the high-voltage DC electricity transmitted through the interconnector would be converted to or from high-voltage AC current used by the National Grid. Further underground cables would then link up with the grid at Broadclyst. There will be no pylons associated with the FAB Project, and our intention is that we will leave the environment along the route exactly as we found it.

We are holding three public consultation events in East Devon and one public consultation event in Alderney where we will be able to explain our project in more detail. Each of the events is open to the public from 2pm to 8pm. They are:
• Tuesday, 26th July, 2016: Temple Methodist Church Hall, Budleigh Salterton;
• Wednesday, 27th July, 2016: Younghayes Centre, Cranbrook;
• Thursday, 28th July 2016: Woodbury Park Hotel, Woodbury;

The events will provide you with opportunities to express your views on the project. The opinions of all stakeholders will help to inform our proposals for the route of the interconnector and the construction of the converter station before the relevant planning applications are submitted to the relevant authorities at the end of 2016.

If you are not able to attend one of the events, please visit our website to learn more. Copies of the detailed plans, technical reports and environmental appraisals of the onshore and offshore proposals available at the public consultation events will also be available online at http://www.fablink.net from 25th July, and there will be opportunities to express your opinions via the website, phone or by post. The consultation will run until 5th September 2016.

If you do not have access to the internet the information will also be available to view at Budleigh Salterton Library in Station Road, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6RH, from 25th July to 5th September during normal library opening hours, which are currently 09.30-18.00 on Mondays, 09.30-13.00 on Wednesdays, 09.30-17.30 on Thursdays, and 09.30-13.00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Please note the library is not open on Tuesdays or Sundays.

Route 1

8 x 10 in. (1)

Route 2:

8 x 10 in. (1)

 

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19 Jul 2016

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AONB, Clinton Devon Estates, Environment (local)

Pebblebed heath: 350 endangered species found

“He said: “It is wonderful that the Pebblebed Heaths are enjoyed for recreation and provide a place to experience nature. However, the intensity of use of the Pebblebed Heaths can cause significant disturbance to wildlife, with adverse impacts of people and pets including predation of ground nesting birds, trampling and erosion of paths and tracks, along with nutrient enrichment through dog mess.”

http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/endangered_species_found_in_east_devon_pebblebed_heaths_1_4623169

Owl worries that it sounds as if Clinton Devon Estates would really like to ban or restrict people and dogs in the area.

And what about the quarrying that is being expanded around the heath and its impact?

And what happens when Mrs Leadsom decides that they are not being ” productive”?

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19 Jul 2016

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Accountability, AONB, Environment (local), Flooding, Rural communities

The price of nature or the value of nature: Leadsom to decide

“Ministers must deliver on a manifesto pledge for a 25-year plan to boost nature and cut the costs of environmental damage, it has been urged.

Harm caused by floods, air pollution, water pollution and chemicals in the atmosphere are adding billions of pounds a year to bills, insurance premiums and costs for businesses, farms and households, environmentalists warn.

But after the Brexit vote, there is uncertainty whether environmental protections provided by the European Union will be maintained.

And the promised 25-year plan for the environment has been delayed, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) said.

Air pollution costs the UK an estimated £15-20bn a year, flood damage £1.4bn, water pollution can add up to 17% on consumer bills, £129m is spent cleaning farm run-off from water supplies and farmers incur an extra £180m in growing costs a year due to chemicals in the air.

But efforts to protect nature would deliver significant economic and social benefits, a report by WWT said.

For example, creating 100,000 hectares of new wetlands from restoring upland peat and coastal salt marshes to creating “pocket ponds” in cities could reduce flooding, purify water, save money and improve mental health.

The report urges the government to deliver on the 25-year plan, and to make itself accountable to parliament by producing an annual budget statement on the value of nature alongside the value of the economy.

Ministers should also ensure UK environmental protection is as strong or stronger after Brexit and appoint “catchment commissioners” to co-ordinate a joined-up approach in each area and reward action across the landscape, it said.

WWT is also calling for ministers to establish guidance and accreditation for organisations providing “green prescriptions” which give access to nature to deliver affordable benefits to physical and mental health.

Opposition parties have backed the call for the government to keep its promise for a 25-year plan for the environment.

They urged ministers to commit to consulting on a plan which sets out strong policies, with long term legally-binding targets to improve the environment, maintains protection after Brexit, and ensures international co-operation on the issue.

In a joint statement, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, shadow environment secretary Rachael Maskell and Green party MP Caroline Lucas warned “our environment must not be a victim of short-term political unrest”.

WWT chief executive, Martin Spray, said: “We all end up paying for environmental damage through higher prices and taxes, as well as the social and health costs of Britain being a less healthy place to live.

“Our recommendation is remarkably simple. Make the government accountable to parliament for the value of the environment as well as the economy. Transparency will drive improvement.

He added: “This is a key early test for the new prime minister.

“Will she deliver a manifesto commitment to value our environment? And in a post-Brexit Britain she has another question to answer: Will she commit to environmental protection improving on – or at least being equal to – that provided by the EU?”

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokeswoman said: “Developing a 25-year plan for the environment is a Conservative manifesto commitment and a priority for this department.

“While the precise nature of the plan may change now the UK has decided to leave the EU, we will seize this opportunity to consider our long-term vision for the environment and work with a range of interests to determine and deliver it.”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/19/uk-government-must-deliver-on-25-year-environmental-pledge?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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15 Jul 2016

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Environment (local), Neil Parish

Something for Leadsom and Parish to chew on

“… In Defra’s case, the National Audit Office found that £65.8m of penalties were imposed by the European Commission over failure to properly administer Common Agricultural Policy payments. Of these penalties, most (£38.6m) related to the Single Payment Scheme, with £13.3m from Rural Development, £9.9m in cross compliance penalties and £4.0m from other schemes.

One particular problem the department has is ensuring the details submitted by farmers are kept up-to-date. Where there is a mismatch in information, Defra withholds a proportion of the payment. More than £25m in outstanding payments is estimated to be owing.

Auditor general Amyas Morse said: “The department continues to struggle with managing the complex CAP scheme in a way that ensures accurate, timely payments to farmers. As a result, it has incurred EU penalties of £65.8m related to the CAP scheme in 2015-16, and estimates that it owes 13,000 farmers a total of at least £25.3m.

“Exit from the European Union will not, in the short term, reduce these penalties. The department therefore needs to ensure its strategy for tackling these challenges is effective.”

A Defra spokeswoman said: “We are taking action to tackle the causes of disallowance and are making a significant investment in our mapping data. This will be used to better administer CAP payments.”

http://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2016/07/defra-and-mod-accounts-qualified

With new agriculture Minister Mrs Leadstrom on record as having said that UK farmers should not be relying on EU payments, Farmer Parish may be in for a bit of a tough time as piggy-in-the-middle.

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6 Jul 2016

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Developers/ Development, Environment (local), Planning System

Brexit and the environment

“… Boris Johnson was careful to say that deregulation “will not come in any great rush”. However, since the 2010 election, the Government has already shown some eagerness to disengage from the environmental agenda:

In December 2012 Eric Pickles made a statement to Parliament on the emerging new EIA Directive criticising the ‘regulatory creep’ of the European Union
In June 2013 the Environmental Audit Committee report on the UN Rio+20 Earth Summit noted that: ‘the Treasury appears to view the environment as a block to economic development.’

The Technical Consultation on planning carried out in 2014 stated that there was ‘over-implementation’ of environmental assessments;

In March 2015, the Code for Sustainable Homes was removed, and only partially reinstated into Building Regulations;

In July 2015, the Government announced it would no longer proceed with regulations to make all new homes carbon neutral.”

http://localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27567%3Adontleave-me-this-way&catid=63&Itemid=31

And that is only the tip of the iceberg. The current government has always wanted to reduce the environmental load on developers and now, with developers on the back foot, they will be inclined to put their interests first.