The Environment Agency
in the South West has supported the first
phase of a scheme to obtain permission to
sink a ship that can be used as an artificial
reef for divers
to the east of Weymouth and Portland.
Weymouth and Portland
Wreck to Reef is the non-profit community
group behind the scheme.
The group feel the decline
within the diving industry has been exacerbated
in Weymouth by the sinking of HMS Scylla
in Plymouth, the building of an accessible
launching facility in West-Bay at Bridport,
and a ban on diving the HMS Hood in Portland
Harbour, for safety reasons.
‘The lack of premiere
diving venues in the South West was a key
finding of the recent Enjoying Water strategy,
led by the Environment Agency. We are keen
to encourage more people to use our coasts
and inland water for recreation in a sustainable
manner, said Stephen Russell for the Environment
Agency.
‘Research shows that
provided the obstacles used for artificial
reefs are environmentally clean, and are
heavy enough not to migrate from where they
are placed, then the biodiversity of that
area will increase dramatically.’
The aim is for the ‘Wreck
to Reef’ project to be finished in time
for the Olympics in 2012, and thereby contributing
towards the Olympic legacy and presence
in Weymouth and Portland. It also looks
to achieve numerous biodiversity benefits
by playing host to a thriving marine community.
The first phase of the
Wreck to Reef will concentrate on commissioning
independent experts to produce a series
of surveys necessary to progress the project
in a sustainable way. The Environment Agency
has contributed £8,000 towards a marine
survey of the proposed site at Ringstead
Bay, an environmental impact assessment
of sinking a vessel and a comprehensive
business plan.
Stephen Russell added
the Agency’s involvement did not pre-empt
any waste licences or planning consents.
Once completed these
surveys will allow the project to progress
to the next phase of achieving relevant
licences and permissions, acquiring a vessel
and undertaking the painstaking preparation
of a vessel so that it is free from any
contaminants.
+ More
Environment Agency revs
up for Surrey snow rescue!
Six Environment Agency
4 x 4 vehicles and drivers are working with
the Surrey Resilience Forum to help the
local community during this extreme weather.
Last week four members
of the Environment Agency's Operations Delivery
team, which normally helps protect people
and the environment from the threat of flooding,
picked up District nurses who had to visit
terminally ill patients based at home.
Operations delivery
manager Martin Bryan said: “It’s so important
that we all pull together to help people
out and I am pleased that I have been able
to help. Although the main roads were mainly
gritted and passable, many of the back roads
and hilly areas were not suitable for normal
vehicles making our 4 x 4 vehicles ideal
for this terrain.”
The Environment Agency
staff assisted the nurses in attending house
calls in the Ewell, Banstead, Leatherhead
and the Epson areas, arriving home around
midnight.
Weather conditions for
the area are set to improve over the coming
days with a suspected slow rather than rapid
thaw.
Ian Tomes, Flood Risk
Manager for the Thames region South East
area, offered advice for local residents
and businesses.
He said: “Its great
that we have been able to assist the Local
Resilience Forum in this way, which demonstrates
how we are all able to collaborate when
needed for the benefit of the residents
of Surrey.
“People have now started
to ask about the impact of the thaw on flood
risk. Broadly speaking the risk of flooding
is dependent on two things: the depth of
snow and the rapidity of the thaw. As a
rule of thumb, ten per cent of the snow
depth equates to the amount of rain that
has fallen so even with a rapid thaw we
are not expecting any property flooding
to result and it will appear that the thaw
is likely to be gradual.”
Planning inspectorate
backs Environment Agency
Appeal against Environment
Agency decision is dismissed
The Planning Inspectorate
has today (19 January, 2010) backed the
Environment Agency’s decision to refuse
a permit to tip waste at Birks Quarry, Oldham.
In his final decision, the Planning Inspector,
Mr Jenkins, has dismissed the appeal brought
by Opengoal Ltd.
Within his determination Mr Jenkins has
taken full account of the unique nature
of this site. He agrees with the Environment
Agency’s opinion that the applicant would
not be able to prevent mud being deposited
on the road. Mr Jenkins backs the view that
at this site, any mud on the road is an
unacceptable risk.
He states, "It is likely that mud arising
from site activities would be deposited
on the highway in sufficient quantities
to cause more than mere discolouration,
and it would pose a serious risk to human
health, contrary to the aims of the landfill
directive."
Mr Jenkins felt that
Opengoal Ltd would not be able to operate
the landfill site without mud getting on
the road.
In addition, Mr Jenkins
stated that the relatively small number
of serious incidents with regard to mud
on the road "promotes confidence in
the.... risk based approach followed by
the Environment Agency."
Keith Ashcroft, Area
Manager at the Environment Agency said,
“In a situation like this there is no easy
decision. We took extra time to make sure
we understood all of the views and opinions
around this application. We believe we made
the right decision, and the planning inspectorate
has supported this view.”
