DRAFT proposal for a joint Environment Agency and Durham County Council Opportunities Mapping Workshop for the Lower Wear Pilot
Background
Between now and 2012, the Environment Agency is piloting projects in 10 river catchment areas to improve the water environment. This follows an announcement made on 22 March 2011 by Richard Benyon, Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries, committing to a catchment-based approach to understanding water issues, sharing information, involving local communities, and making the case for true partnership working.
In the North East, the pilot catchment chosen is the Lower Wear – centred around Durham.
The whole of the River Wear is divided into 68 areas to enable us to better manage the catchment. The Lower Wear pilot contains 15 of these areas which includes a mix of urban and agricultural land and former mining areas, all with multiple problems to tackle.
Over the next 10 months we will be working together with other interested organisations to develop a shared plan that will tell the story of lower River Wear and set out ‘what’ activity is needed, by ‘when’ and by ‘who’ to improve improving and protecting water quality.
Following a recent discussion between Durham County Council and the Environment Agency it was agreed there is a need to engage DCC service departments more actively with the Lower Wear pilot. It was agreed this would best be done initially via a joint workshop.
Purpose of the workshop
To determine opportunities to work collaboratively to improve water quality in the pilot area and influence how resources can be better used and targeted to inform the pilot ‘Catchment plan’.
Aims
- Reach a shared understanding of the issues and priorities for improving water quality & ecology in the pilot area;
- Exchange information about relevant activities/projects being undertaken in the pilot area to see what opportunities there are to deliver WFD objectives and other multiple benefits;
- Share WFD information the EA holds about what is causing water bodies in the area to fail to meet Good Ecological Status / Potential in order to;
-influence strategic plans to deliver multiple benefits (e.g. County Durham Plan, Green Infrastructure Strategy, Surface Water Management Plans)
-influence current policies (e.g. SuDS & housing allocations)
-identify realistic site specific actions to improve river water quality & ecology (e.g. on land owned by DCC).
Participants
Team members from relevant Environment Agency departments to attend. Suggested this includes representatives from: Area Environment Planning; Environmental Management (CountyDurham); Development & Flood Risk / Planning Liaison; Data Information & Assessment; Fisheries & Biodiversity; Groundwater & ContaminatedLand.
DCC to inform and invite relevant service departments and team members.
Date & Location
Location TBC.
Proposed dates:
- Jul – 26th
- Aug – 2nd (AM only); 8th (AM only); 9th
Time:
- 10am to 1pm with buffet lunch served from 1pm
Structure for day (1/2 day workshop)
- Start off with what we know already
State of the Wear Catchment - issues/pressures highlighted through our monitoring & WFD evidence & investigations we are undertaking.
Use maps to help explain this and make sure they show other organisations boundaries (i.e. LA, Parish, designated areas etc…).
- Identify common ground and shared outcomes
Brainstorm common ground – their interests, our interests and common ground.
Divide into groups to discuss opportunities for collaborative working.
- What pressures/issue we are already addressing?
- What do we want to address together?
- What are the outcomes related to these?
- Appraisal
Have we got some agreed actions to take forward and consensus that we need to, or there is benefit, in working together on them through the pilot?
Aims:
- Identify and agree actions to include in the Wear catchment plan against each of the ‘aims’ – need ownership from Council that these will take place and agree who is responsible for them from EA and Council
- Identify where we have shared objectives
- Identify geographical areas where there are opportunities tio work together in
- Identify 3rd party organisation who can help with delivery
- Identify early win actions