Welcome to the Environment Agency’s online consultation hub

We asked for your opinions and comments on the potential options to extend the beach netting fishing for sea trout in Yorkshire and the North East.

We received 562 online responses to the consultation. 93% opposed an extension of the current netting season and 7% were in favour.

Having reviewed the evidence and all consultation responses we find it is not appropriate to recommend an extension to the sea trout netting season at this time. 

We are planning to have stopped all our flood risk management (FRM) activities between Pallingham Weir and Pulborough in the Arun Valley, West Sussex by the end of 2021

We asked for your views on:

• what impact our stopping our FRM activities has on you
• what you regard as a reasonable notice period in order to make alternative FRM arrangements
• options for FRM activities when we stop our flood risk management activities in this area
• any other issues or concerns you have in relation to this plan.

You said it would be difficult to bring so many different landowners together and provide the ongoing required maintenance that we currently provide.

You challenged the cost benefit of stopping inspection and maintenance.  You suggested we should ‘do minimum’ rather than ‘do nothing’.

You were concerned that stopping maintenance will have an adverse effect downstream and will increase the risk of flooding.

You said it was essential that a statutory management system for the whole of the tidal river from Pulborough to Littlehampton be put in place, and not just sections of the river.

You recommended that implementing ‘do nothing’ be put on hold whilst we reappraise the flood risks associated with SU1.

You said that 12 to 24 months was a reasonable notice period to allow for alternative arrangements to be put in place.

As a result of the feedback from the online consultation:

Whilst stopping our FRM activities in SU1 remains our objective, we are no longer aiming to stop them by the end of 2021.

We will now:

• carry out an assessment of any possible impacts stopping our FRM activities could have on the designated sites and features in the Arun Valley sites and implement appropriate mitigation measures agreed with Natural England. In doing so we will consult with Natural England and all affected and interested parties.
• undertake more detailed investigations of specific FRM activities and will continue the activity at particular locations if it is confirmed as economic at those locations.
• continue to work with those affected to ensure plans are in place to resolve outstanding issues before or during the notice period.
• continue to engage with the community through the Arun Valley Vision Group.
• issue all riparian landowners/tenants with a formal letter giving at least 12 months’ notice of the date after which our FRM activities will stop and inform other interested parties.

Our current FRM activities are:

• removing fallen trees and blockages in the channel that could increase flood risk. We also clear any vegetation that builds up at Stopham Bridge which may restrict river flow.
• inspecting all riverbanks and FRM structures in accordance with Environment  Agency asset inspection guidelines (for example low risk sites every 5 years).
• maintaining Stopham Sluice, an outfall on the River Arun 195m south of the Pulborough Garden Centre and A283 Stopham Road.
• carrying out public safety and health and safety inspections of Stopham sluice and a further privately maintained outfall on a public footpath just downstream of the Stopham Sluice.
• referring any FRM concerns with regard to all other riverbanks and FRM structures which fail the asset inspection to riparian landowners/tenants for their action
• referring any concerns with regard to flood risk caused by 6 bridges and 1 aqueduct built on the riverbanks to West Sussex County Council or Southern Water Services Limited respectively for their action.

In October 2018, Sellafield Ltd applied for a number of changes to its Radioactive Substances Activities environmental permit, mainly to reflect the operator's forecast reductions in radioactive discharges and changing focus from reprocessing to decommissioning. We consulted on Sellafield Ltd’s application from 26 October to 21 December 2018. We took those responses into account in our determination of the application. We then consulted on a draft decision and draft permit from 7 October to 1 December 2019.

The consultation responses from professional partners were positive regarding changes to Sellafield Ltd’s radioactive substances permit. Some stakeholders raised issues of concern; these are fully addressed in our final decision document, which can be found under "Files" below.

We have varied Sellafield Ltd’s radioactive substances permit, to implement all of the changes as detailed in our final decision document. The key changes to the permit are:

• Significantly reducing site discharge limits and introducing a 2-tier (upper and lower) site discharge limit structure
• Removing some site discharge limits where discharges have fallen below significant levels and they do not meet our criteria for setting limits
• Replacing plant discharge limits with plant notification levels so that Sellafield Ltd can make most effective use of the available discharge routes and treatment plants
• Removing discharge limits related to the rate of fuel reprocessing (throughput) to reflect the end of reprocessing operations.

UPDATE: Please be aware this permit variation (V009) was due to come into effect on 1 April 2020. As a result of the Covid-19 situation, Sellafield Ltd is not able to make the changes required to implement the variation (V009) on 1 April 2020. Sellafield Ltd has applied for another variation (V010) to change the date in which the permit comes into effect to 1 October 2020. We have accepted this variation application and issued another variation (V010) to the permit on 27 March 2020, which will come into effect on 1 October 2020. The only change is a delay in the effective date. We have withdrawn the variation (V009) that was due to come into effect on 1 April 2020. In the meantime Sellafield Ltd will operate under its existing permit variation (V008).

For further information on how we regulate the Sellafield site please see: www.gov.uk