19-May-2006 - Now is your chance
to have a say on the Environment Agency’s draft
flood management report for North Essex.
The draft report presents future
scenarios for the North Essex plan area and uses
these to produce draft policies and an action
plan to manage flood risk in North Essex.
A Catchment Flood Management
Plan (CFMP) is being produced for the Stour, Blackwater,
Colne, Chelmer and Holland Brook catchments. People
concerned about flood risk in these catchments
are invited to give their feedback on the draft
report by 28 July 2006. Following this period
of consultation, a final plan will be produced.
The catchments include the towns
of Colchester, Chelmsford, Maldon, Braintree,
Sudbury, Haverhill, Brentwood and the surrounding
areas.
CFMPs are large-scale plans
that explore and identify long-term policies to
manage flood risk for entire river catchments,
taking into account associated environmental issues
such as heritage sites and areas with protected
species or habitats or of special scientific interest.
The Environment Agency works
with other decision-makers to get as much information
as possible from local people to help identify
and agree what those long-term policies might
be.
Steve Wheatley, Regional Flood
Risk Manager, said: ‘Flood risk management is
complex and involves many different interested
parties. Key groups are involved with the preparation
of this CFMP, and together we are developing a
fuller understanding of the current and possible
future flood risk in the North Essex catchments.
To develop the most appropriate plan we can, it
is important that everyone with an interest in
the area gives us their views.’
Members of the public can look
at a copy of the draft CFMP at the following main
libraries: Colchester, Chelmsford, Braintree,
Clacton-on-Sea, Sudbury and Haverhill or on the
website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk You can
also get a copy of the report on CD from the address
below.
The Environment Agency is also
asking other organisations, such as district and
borough councils, water companies and conservation
organisations, for their opinions on the draft
plan.
Responses can be e-mailed to:
nessexcfmp@environment-agency.gov.uk or posted
to: Sue Brown, North Essex CFMP Project Manager,
Environment Agency, Iceni House, Cobham Road,
Ipswich, IP3 9JD.
