We consulted on the application to vary the radioactive substances environmental permit for Hinkley Point C Power Station from 18 July 2022 to 14 August 2022. It provided the opportunity for the public, professional bodies, businesses and other stakeholders to provide comments on the application.
We received 41 responses to the consultation from various stakeholders. The responses included various comments and questions which have been summarised in the decision document (found below under ‘Files’).
We assessed the application and the consultation responses were considered as part of determining the application. We issued the permit variation on 6 October 2022. The key changes to the permit are:
The Environment Agency, in partnership with Isle of Wight Council, is developing a coastal defence scheme at Shanklin Esplanade on the Isle of Wight. We sought views on how the coastal frontage along Shanklin Esplanade is used, what is most valued about it, and the perceptions amongst stakeholders of flood and coastal erosion risks both now and in the future. This will help to inform how we engage with stakeholders going forward, and capture any concerns, ideas and opportunities in the shortlist of options that we present to the public in Summer 2023.
We received 44 responses in total. 31 responses were made via the Shanklin Coastal Defence Scheme Citizen Space webpage; the remaining 13 were made via hard copy versions held at Shanklin Library.
The information obtained from the Shanklin Coastal Defence Scheme public realm questionnaire will be used to support the confirmation of a short list of options that could be used to reduce the risk of coastal erosion to the sea wall in Shanklin. These will be presented to the public in June/July 2023, when individuals, businesses, community groups and organisations will be invited to offer their views on the options. We will also be using the responses to plan the format, content and timing of our future engagement and communication activities.
Individuals who wish to follow up their responses, or points made within this document, in more detail are welcome to contact us at IOWFD_schemes@environment-agency.gov.uk.
We asked your views on an application to vary the radioactive substances permit for BAE Systems Marine Ltd, Barrow Shipyards.
We received 2 responses in total to our public consultation. Of these responses, 1 was from an individual and 1 was from an organisation. The responses we received have been summarised in the consultation response document.
We assessed the application and the consultation responses were considered as part of this assessment. We issued the permit variation on 23 August 2022. The key changes to the permit are:
As part of the ongoing work to improve Park Wood, the Environment Agency will be installing new way markers on the footpaths within the wood.
We asked your views on whether the proposed path routes were suitable for regular users of the woodland.
We received 76 responses in total. Of these responses, 72 were from individuals, 3 were from an organisation or group and 1 was from other. The responses we received have been summarised in the consultation response document.
We have reviewed all the responses we received from the consultation. We will:
Individuals who wish to follow up their responses, or points made within this document in more detail, are welcome to contact us at park.wood@environment-agency.gov.uk
On 12 December 2022 the Environment Agency published updated flood risk management plans (FRMPs) for England to cover the period from 2021 - 2027.
FRMPs set out how organisations, stakeholders and communities will work together to manage flood risk in England.
They are strategic plans that set out how to manage flood risk in nationally identified flood risk areas (FRAs) for the period 2021-2027, and are statutory plans required by the Flood Risk Regulations 2009.
We have worked together with Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) and risk management authorities (RMAs) to produce the latest plans and a public consultation of the draft plans was held between October 2021 and January 2022.
We received 255 responses in total to the consultation. The main themes you raised were:
Partnerships – the value of working in partnership to plan and deliver flood risk management solutions.
Engagement – the value of engagement and working in partnership with all organisations and government departments.
Nature-based solutions – support for the implementation of nature-based solutions, including natural flood management techniques, so more biodiversity and environmental benefits can be delivered across the flood and water environment.
Catchment-based approach – support for and a greater emphasis on this for flood risk management.
Alignment - the need to align with other plans and strategies so delivery is effective, for example, local nature recovery strategies, and shoreline management plans.
Land management – the need to consider all land uses, when assessing and managing flood risk, including the benefits of agricultural land.
Climate change and adaptation – the importance of working together across all organisations to adapt and having better information on factors such as the carbon footprint of the measures.
Funding – the need to identify funding and resources for the timely delivery of measures.
Readability – the ability to find information in the plans and within flood plan explorer.
On 18 May 2022 we published a summary of responses.
Responses received were analysed to identify actions to take as result of the consultation, and implement any changes needed in the FRMPs and to the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). We have also published the Habitats Regulations Assessment and the SEA Statement of Environmental Particulars.
The consultation feedback was compiled in two documents:
The ‘You said, we did’ document explains how the feedback received from the consultation on the draft FRMPs was integrated into the final FRMPs. It builds on the summary of responses document published in May 2022 and describes the work that the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities are committing to undertake until 2027.
We asked you to give your views on:
Your responses showed us:
We have reflected on your feedback and amended our proposals to create the following actions:
Our revised approach provides a much improved and consistent charging framework and will help to secure the necessary funds to cover the increasing cost of operating our waterways over the next 3 years.
You can find our full summary of your responses in our consultation response document at consultation response documents.
We have also prepared the 2022 boat charging scheme for all waterways which you can find at national navigation (boat registration) charging schemes.
If you have any questions regarding our summary, please email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk or call us on 03708 506 506 (Mon to Fri 8 to 6).
Thank you for taking part in our consultation.
We asked for your opinions and comments on our proposed classification of water stressed areas in England for the purpose of compulsory metering.
We received 54 responses in total. Of these responses, 28 were from individuals, 9 were from water companies, 8 were from environmental groups and charities, 7 were from public or nationally representative bodies and 2 were from businesses. The responses included a range of comments and views which have been summarised in the consultation response document.
Having reviewed the evidence and all consultation responses we carried out some more tests to check the results. We wrote to the Secretary of State with our advice on water stress and he determined the following areas will be classified as areas of serious water stress:
This consultation was for the Transboundary Impact Assessment (TIA) submitted by FCC Recycling (UK) Ltd as part of their application to vary their radioactive substances activity permit for the Lillyhall Landfill site in West Cumbria. The consultation took place from 4 February 2021 to 5 March 2021. It provided the opportunity for the public, professional bodies and stakeholders to provide comments on the TIA.
This was in addition to the consultation on the full application to vary the Lillyhall landfill site permit, which took place from 4 March 2019 to 6 May 2019.
We received zero responses to the TIA consultation. Therefore we have not produced a summary of consultation responses document, as we have done for the consultation on the full application to vary the Lillyhall landfill site permit.
We have now reached our final decision on this application and issued the permit variation on 15 July 2021.
A copy of all the documents relevant to this permit variation, including the permit, variation and decision document, can be found by visiting the original consultation ‘Lillyhall Landfill Site RSA Permit Variation’ - Please see link below.
We consulted on the application to vary the radioactive substances environmental permit for Sizewell B Power Station from 19 August 2020 to 1 October 2020. It provided the opportunity for the public, professional bodies and other stakeholders to provide comments on the application.
We received 16 responses to the consultation from various stakeholders. The responses included various comments and questions which have been summarised in the decision document (found below under ‘Files’).
We assessed the application and the consultation responses were considered as part of determining the application. We issued the permit variation on 1 September 2021. The key changes to the permit are:
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.
The consultation on the application to accept low level radioactive wastes at the Port Clarence landfill site took place from 20 September 2019 to 31 January 2020. It provided the opportunity for the public, professional bodies and stakeholders, to provide comments on the application.
We have received 2329 responses to the consultation from various stakeholders. There were only 13 responses in support of the application. The responses included various comments and questions which have been summarised in the Summary of consultation responses document which can be found below.
We are currently assessing the application and the consultation responses will be considered as part of this assessment. We expect a decision on the application to be made sometime in 2021 and will run a new consultation at that stage.
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:
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:
Our current FRM activities are:
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:
UPDATE: This permit variation (V009) was due to come into effect on 1 April 2020. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Sellafield Ltd was not able to make the changes required to implement the variation (V009) on that date.
As a result, Sellafield Ltd applied for and was issued with another variation (V010) on 27 March 2020 to change the date on which the permit comes into effect to 1 October 2020. The only change was a delay in the effective date.
We withdrew the previous variation (V009) and Sellafield Ltd continued to operate under its existing permit variation (V008) during the interim period.
On 24 September 2020 we issued a further variation (V011) to introduce a limit on the concentration of tritium activity for waste disposals to the Calder Landfill Extension Segregated Area (CLESA) landfill on the Sellafield site. All consignments of waste to CLESA are already subject to a permit limit for activity concentration. This variation allows an activity concentration specifically for tritium that is higher than for other radionuclides. We are satisfied that the contribution of tritium to the total dose is within acceptable levels.
We are permitting this to allow greater flexibility in disposing of waste containing tritium to CLESA which means decommissioning can progress more quickly. High tritium activity items will also be subject to Best Available Technique (BAT) assessments.
This change formed part of the original application in October 2018 and we consulted on it, and determined it, as part of our decision on permit variation V009. The reason we did not implement this change in V009 was that it required further consideration by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in relation to Article 37 of the Euratom treaty. Article 37 requires the UK to provide information on plans for disposal of radioactive waste to the European Commission (EC).
We confirmed with BEIS that Article 37 requires the UK to notify the EC of this change in permitted disposal of radioactive waste, but does not require an opinion from the EC prior to permitting the disposal. We have received confirmation from BEIS that the EC has been formally notified. This means that we are now able to implement this permit variation.
This variation (V011) immediately supersedes V010 as it has the same implementation date of 1 October 2020. There are no other changes between V010 and V011.
For further information on how we regulate the Sellafield site please see: www.gov.uk
The proposed local government reorganisations in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, planned from April 2020, will create new unitary authorities. As a result, the existing Composition of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee will need to be varied to accommodate these changes, as the existing Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) for these areas will no longer exist.
Do you agree with the proposed changes to the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee composition?
Stakeholders agreed with the proposed changes to the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee composition.
The responses to the Consultation were carefully considered and reviewed by the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee at their Meeting on the 10th July 2019. Details of the Meeting are located here.
The Committee agreed to the Proposals to the Variation to the Composition of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee that was to be submitted in two parts (Phase 1 and Phase 2) for Ministerial approval.
Proposals
• No changes to the number of EA or LLFA Members or to the LLFAs sharing seats.
• Given the near 50:50 split of tax base across the two new unitary authorities in Northamptonshire within the Anglian (Northern) RFCC area, the existing three seats for Northamptonshire are proposed to be split. Each new authority will have their own seat and they will also share a third seat between themselves.
All stakeholders who responded agreed that the Anglian (Northern) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee should divide the allocation of the three voting seats in Northamptonshire as follows: Each new unitary authority to have their own voting seat and the third will be shared between the unitary authorities.
Options for sharing the third seat:
Option 1 - Third seat rotates on an annual basis between the two unitary authorities: 2 out of the 4 responses.
Option 2 - Third voting seat is appointed by, or on behalf of, the two unitary authorities: 1 out of the 4 responses.
Option 3 - Other: 1 out of the 4 responses.
Summary of relevant key points raised:
• This is consistent with the system used to rotate the voting seat shared between Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.
• It should be up to all councils who have shared seats to make this decision.
The local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire was postponed from April 2020 to April 2021.
The responses to the Consultation will be carefully considered and reviewed by the Anglian (Northern) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee in 2020. The Committees decision on the Variation to the Composition of the Anglian (Northern) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee will then be submitted for approval by the Environment Agency FCRM Committee and subsequently submitted to the Minister of State for consideration and approval before 1st December 2020. Enactment of the approved Variation to the Composition will be from 1st April 2021.
The consultation focussed on two main areas:
• Two options for the Variation to the Composition of the Anglian (Central) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
• Proposed name change form Anglian (Central) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee to Anglian (Great Ouse) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
The majority of stakeholders were in favour of better reflecting spread of Tax Base across Lead Local Flood Authorities, and that the Anglian (Central) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee should change the shared seats to a Partnership approach. There was also very strong support for the new title for the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
The responses to the Consultation were carefully considered and reviewed by the Anglian (Central) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee at their Meeting on the 18th July 2019. Details of the Meeting are located here.
Composition of the RFCC
The Committee decided that 'Better reflecting spread of Tax Base across Lead Local Flood Authorities' would be submitted in two parts (Phase 1 and Phase 2) for Ministerial approval.
Name of the RFCC
The Anglian (Central) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee recommended a change of name of the RFCC to Anglian (Great Ouse) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. The Environment Agency agreed to apply Regulation 5 of The Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 and the name was changed from October 2019.
The consultation on the application to vary the Lillyhall landfill site permit took place from 4 March 2019 to 6 May 2019. It provided the opportunity for the public, professional bodies and stakeholders to provide comments on the application.
We ran a second consultation for this application, specifically for the Transboundary Impact Assessment (TIA). The consultation took place from 4 February 2021 to 5 March 2021.
We have received eight responses to the first consultation from various stakeholders. There was one objection and one in support of the application. The remainder of the responses included various comments and questions which have been summarised in the Lillyhall variation: Summary of consultation responses document (found below under ‘Files’).
We received zero responses to the second consultation.
We assessed the application and the consultation responses were considered as part of this assessment. We issued the permit variation on 15 July 2021. The key changes to the permit are:
Given interest in the river coarse fish close season, the Environment Agency ran a public consultation from 14 January 2019 for 12 weeks to gather any further evidence to help determine if there was a case for changing the byelaw and to understand stakeholder concerns around three options: to retain, amend or remove the close season.
The consultation generated 13,680 responses.
No additional substantive evidence emerged from the consultation. Fifty percent of respondents support removing the close season; 39% support retaining the current close season; and 9% support retaining a close season, but with different dates (four weeks later and two weeks shorter). Those national representative organisations that responded, along with Natural England, supported retaining the close season (The Angling Trust responded, but adopted a neutral position).
Please read the full report on the consultation feedback by clicking on the link below.
Coarse fishing close season on English rivers - public consultation report - Dec 2019, 2.1 MB (PDF document)
The Environment Agency will retain the coarse fishing close season on English rivers.
The existing evidence indicates that removing the close season would pose risk to at least some coarse fish species in some locations.
The Environment Agency will continue to consider new information on the close season as and when it becomes available.
For a variety of stakeholders including local interest groups, industry and academia to comment on consultation documents relating to a second remediation notice for groundwater pollution from Contaminated Land at St Leonard's Court, Sandridge, Hertfordshire.
Following the consultation, we amended the draft remediation notice. In July 2019 we served a second remediation notice. Both parties appealed and requested the matter be heard at a public inquiry. The Planning Inspectorate, Environment Agency, Crest, and Redland have agreed a period of abeyance to discuss a voluntary scheme of remediation. Crest and Redland continue to carry out the ‘Scavenge Pumping’ during these discussions.
The consultation on the draft North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Business Plan 2019 – 2022 took place from 7th December 2018 to 8th February 2019.
The consultation provided the opportunity for the public, professional bodies, stakeholders, and current and potential partners to provide feedback to help shape the final Business Plan to be published in Summer 2019.
The results of the public consultation indicated there was overwhelming support for the North West RFCC and the proposals laid out in the Business Plan.
Consultation responses are available on the Floodhub and by clicking here.
We reviewed the responses to the consultation and used these to shape the final Business Plan, which was reworked to take account of the responses received as far as is felt appropriate and feasible. Below is a summary of enhancements:
The Business Plan was formally approved by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee at the meeting on 19th July 2019. The final plan is now available on the Floodhub, which can be viewed by clicking here.
This consultation on the shortlist of options for the new Saltfleet to Gibraltar Point Strategy took place in 2018 and is now closed.
A new consultation on the draft strategy takes place between 3 June and 25 August 2019.
You can find more information on this consultation as well as an online survey to submit your views through by visiting https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/lincolnshire-and-northamptonshire/sgp/
Your responses will go towards shaping a strategy that will be implemented in 2021.
The results of the public consultation indicated that sand nourishment and a combination of sand nourishment and rock structures, were the preferred approaches. Coarser sand, shingle or pebbles was the least preferred option.
Your responses, along with the results of the Strategic Environmental Assessment and our own analysis, have helped us to deliver a draft strategy. This will be going out to public consultation in 2019.