Day: July 17, 2018

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News story: Dry weather update – 17th July 2018

The Environment Agency continues to urge people to follow water company advice and use water wisely during these hotter summer months to help manage demand and reduce the impact on the environment. United Utilities has announced a ‘temporary use ban’ which is likely to come into effect in early August for its customers in the North West.

Paul Hickey, head of water resources at the Environment Agency, said:

Over two very dry months, we have seen a rapid decline in reservoir levels in the North West and we support the announcement by United Utilities to manage water supplies by introducing household restrictions.

Across the rest of England, most groundwater supplies are at healthy levels and water companies have enough water to maintain supplies if resources are managed properly.

Many rivers around the country have dropped to lower levels than normal for this time of year, which can be damaging to wildlife. We have robust plans in place to respond to these pressures and have stepped up our incident response as well as regulation of those abstracting water to ensure the environment is protected.

We are meeting with affected groups including farmers to provide practical advice about conserving water and planning for prolonged dry weather. We encourage everyone to use water wisely to conserve supplies and protect the environment.

During hot weather the Environment Agency works with water companies and other organisations to reduce the impacts of the hot weather on the environment. Steps include rescuing fish, responding to incidents, regulating water abstraction, advising businesses and farmers on water usage and monitoring for environmental impacts.

The Environment Agency also takes action to ensure water companies have made robust plans for managing water supplies, although water companies themselves would decide on proposing water restrictions.

If the public see fish gulping for air that could be because of reduced oxygen and river flows, please report it the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

More detail on the current water situation is available on the Environment Agency’s Creating a Better Place blog:
Summer has started – what does that mean for the water situation in England?

Link: News story: Dry weather update – 17th July 2018
Source: Environment Agency

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Press release: FCO statement on the Hong Kong National Party

FCO spokesman said:

We note with concern the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government plans to prohibit the continued operation of the Hong Kong National Party. The rights to stand for election, of free speech and of freedom of association are enshrined in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

The UK does not support Hong Kong independence, but Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and its rights and freedoms, are central to its way of life, and it is important they are fully respected.

Further information

Media enquiries

For journalists

Link: Press release: FCO statement on the Hong Kong National Party
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Expansion of wildlife protection sites in Essex

Two important sites for waterfowl in Essex have been afforded the strongest environmental protections available.

Allfleet’s Marsh and Brandy Hole, part of the Crouch and Roach estuaries, have now been made Special Protection Areas (SPA), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and designated as a Ramsar wetland of international importance.

Environment Minister, Thérèse Coffey said:

This is fantastic news for wildlife and the local community. The designation of this additional land into the existing protected area demonstrates that our management and stewardship of important wildlife habitats is achieving a high standard. We have committed to developing a Nature Recovery Network to protect and restore wildlife in our 25 Year Environment Plan. Through these plans we will be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.

Both sites are now functioning as part of the Crouch & Roach Estuaries system. They support intertidal mudflats and developing saltmarsh and provide suitable habitat for the internationally important wintering water birds such as dark-bellied brent geese, lapwing, shoveler and golden plover amongst many other waterfowl species.

The Crouch and Roach Estuaries are an integral part of a continuous network of designated coastal habitats extending north from the Thames Estuary to the Colne Estuary, known as the Mid-Essex Coast.

Kate Jennings, Head of Site Conservation Policy, RSPB said:

The Essex coast used to be a place full of amazing and abundant wildlife, but over the last 400 years, land claim for agriculture, coastal erosion and rising sea levels have taken their toll. The extended designation recognises the importance of new mudflats and saltmarsh created to offset past losses, and is a major step towards restoring this spectacular place. The designation, protection and management of our finest and most valuable places for wildlife will be key in achieving this Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, and this designation is particularly welcome as it will protect areas immediately adjacent to the RSPB’s Wallasea Island Wild Coast project, where we are working with partners including Defra and the Environment Agency to create more coastal habitat for people and nature.

Approximately 95 per cent of the area of our Sites of Special Scientific Interest and about 60 per cent of the total area of our most important or ‘priority’ wildlife habitats is now in good condition for wildlife or has management in place to restore its condition.

Since 2011 we have established management on approximately 130,000 hectares of land to create new wildlife-rich habitat in the wider countryside.

Link: Press release: Expansion of wildlife protection sites in Essex
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Advisory Committee on Business Appointments publishes Annual Report

The independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has today published its annual report for
2017-2018. The report records advice that the Committee gave on outside appointments which were advised on in 2017-2018 by former Ministers and senior Crown servants under the Government’s Business Appointments Rules.

The report shows that the Committee considered 93 applications from former Ministers and 137 applications from former Crown servants during the reporting period.

The report is available here.

All appointments listed in the report are published on the Committee’s website.

Notes to Editors

  1. Media enquiries about the work of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
  2. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is a non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Cabinet Office. Members are appointed by the Prime Minister.
  3. The Committee provides advice on applications from Ministers, Permanent Secretaries (and their equivalents) Directors-General (and their equivalents) for any new paid or unpaid appointment within 2 years of leaving ministerial office or Crown service. Applications from all other levels of Crown servant are handled by their employing departments.
  4. Advice given by the Committee on appointments taken up or announced by former Ministers or Crown servants is published on the Committee’s website.
  5. More information about the work of the Committee is available on its website.
  6. The current members of the Committee are Baroness (Angela) Browning (Chair), Sir Alex Allan, Jonathan Baume, Lord (Michael) German, Terence Jagger, Dr Susan Liautaud, Baroness (Helen) Liddell, Richard Thomas and John Wood.

Link: Press release: Advisory Committee on Business Appointments publishes Annual Report
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Further consultation launched on proposed changes to A303 Stonehenge upgrade

Taking on feedback from a consultation earlier this year Highways England has adjusted some of the design detail of the planned £1.6bn scheme which will improve journeys on the busy route and create a much-needed bypass for Winterbourne Stoke while preserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.

The changes, which seek to further enhance the famous landscape and reconnect the two halves of the 6,500-acre World Heritage site (WHS), include:

  • removing the previously proposed link between Byways 11 and 12 in the Stonehenge WHS to avoid affecting the setting of the Normanton Down barrow group and tranquillity of the site in this area
  • widening the green bridge proposed near the existing Longbarrow roundabout to improve the physical and visual connection between the northern and southern parts of the WHS
  • moving the proposed modification of Rollestone crossroads to provide a more compact layout

Derek Parody, Highways England Project Director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, said:

We had a great response to our earlier consultation and have acted on the feedback. We now want to get people’s views on our proposed changes to our original consultation.

The further feedback we get will allow us to make sure we have got the best scheme before we make our application later this year to build the scheme.

Meanwhile we continue to work with heritage groups including Historic England, English Heritage, the National Trust, and experts in the field, including the Stonehenge Scientific Committee – a body of leading independent archaeologists – to ensure a new route is built sensitively to the World Heritage site.

Highways England received more than 5,000 responses to consultation on improving the A303 route past Stonehenge, between Amesbury and Berwick Down, which includes a tunnel at least 1.8 miles long, a free-flowing dual carriageway and a much-needed bypass north of Winterbourne Stoke.

Consultation will run from 17 July to 14 August, with two public information events (details available on the consultation page).

During the consultation, Highways England will also clarify its public rights of way proposals accompanying the scheme, which will help people explore and enjoy the World Heritage site and enable them to walk or cycle unobstructed between Amesbury and Winterbourne Stoke.

As part of its £15 billion road strategy – the biggest investment in roads in a generation – the Government is committed to upgrading all remaining single carriageway sections of the A303/A358 between the M3 and M5 to dual carriageway standard.

The A303 at Stonehenge, the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester, and the A358 between the M5 Taunton and the Southfields Roundabout on the A303 are the first three schemes in that strategy.

The A303 Stonehenge upgrade will deliver major benefits to the World Heritage Site by reuniting the landscape and restoring tranquillity to the setting of one of our most famous cultural icons. At the heart of many of Highways England’s proposed refinements to the scheme is the protection of the WHS and its Outstanding Universal Value.

The scheme will also support a major boost to the South West economy, currently lagging 24% behind the national economy, by providing an effective transport link, and reducing the traffic blight on local communities.

Further details of the proposed changes will be available during the supplementary consultation and in the meantime, anyone wanting further information on the scheme or anyone who wants to respond to the consultation visit the consultation page or the scheme web page, where they can sign up for updates about the scheme.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Link: Press release: Further consultation launched on proposed changes to A303 Stonehenge upgrade
Source: Gov Press Releases