agency plan WEAVER/DANE ACTION PLAN MAY 1998 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE HEAD OFFICE Rio House, Waterside Drive, Aztec West, Almondsbury. ▼ Bristol BS32 4UD T ▼ Key Details General Plan Area 1423 sqkm Population c.500,000 Conservation Total number of Sites of Special Scientific Importance (SSSI) 81 Total number of Sites of Biological Importance (SBI) 412 Water Resources Average Annual Rainfall for the Area 716mm Flood Protection Length of Main River 61 9.4km Waste Regulation Licensed Waste Management operations in the area 63 Integrated Pollution Control/ Radioactive Substances Total number of authorised IPC processes within the Area 49 Total number of RAS permissions 40 Contacting the Environment Agency The South Area Office is located at: "M irw ell" Carrington Lane Sale Cheshire M33 5NL Tel: 0161 973 2237 Enquiries about the Weaver/Dane LEAP should be directed to: Samantha Jarvis/Victoria Hames Environment Planner Foreword This Weaver/Dane Local Environment Agency Action Plan provides the opportunity for the Agency to address the important environmental issues in the area. We have consulted widely with the local community to make sure your views are heard and to help us to focus our efforts on improving the environment. This Plan will help to strengthen and build partnerships with other local groups and organisations so that we can all work together to achieve a better environment for present and future generations. The issues which are highlighted in this Plan have developed from those raised in the Weaver/Dane LEAP Consultation Report and work is timetabled over the next five years. Annual reviews will provide a chance to review and add new issues and monitor the progress made towards our goals. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the consultation process. Issues will take time to resolve and new issues will come to our attention during the lifetime of this Plan. However we now have in place an agenda of integrated action which can achieve real benefits for the whole community. George Ager Area Manager South DATE DUE GAYLORD PRINTED IN U A A . ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 077333 View of Frodsham from Frodsham Hill Contents Page The Environment Agency's Vision for the Weaver/Dane Area Map of the Area Key Details Foreword IV Contents Introduction 1.1 The Environment Agency 1.2 The Local Environment Agency Plan Process 1.3 Biodiversity Review of Consultation Process 2.1 Summary of Public Consultation 2.2 Informal Consultation 2.3 Summary of Responses 2.4 Future Action Overview of the Area 3.1 Brief Description of the Area Uses and Resources Activity Plans 4.1 Implementation 14 4.2 Issues 14 Protection through Partnership 5.1 Introduction 48 Contents 5.2 Development 48 5.3 Partnerships 48 Future Review and Monitoring 51 Appendix 1 List of Respondents 52 Appendix 2 Erratum 54 Appendix 3 Environment Agency leaflets and information 55 Appendix 4 Glossary 59 1 1 Introduction The Agency is committed to a programme of Local Environment Agency Plans (LEAPs) 1.1 The Environment Agency in order to produce a local agenda of integrated action for environmental The Environment Agency has a wide range improvement. of duties and powers relating to different aspects of environmental management. It The Agency's aims are to: is required and guided by Government to use these duties and powers in order to • achieve major and continuous help achieve the objective of sustainable improvements in the quality of air, development. The Brundtland Commission land, and water. defined sustainable development as '.... development that meets the needs of the • encourage the conservation of present without compromising the ability of natural resources, animals and future generations to meet their own needs'. plants. At the heart of sustainable development is • make the most of pollution control the integration of human needs and the and river-basin management. environment within which we live. Indeed the creation of the Agency itself was in part • provide effective defences and a recognition of the need to take a more warning systems to protect people integrated and longer-term view of and property against flooding from environmental management at a national rivers and the sea. level. The Agency therefore has to reflect this in the way it works and in the decisions • reduce the amount of waste by it makes. encouraging people to re-use and recycle their waste. Taking a long-term perspective will require the Agency to anticipate risks and • improve standards of waste disposal encourage precaution, particularly where impacts on the environment may have • manage water resources to achieve long-term effects, or when the effects are the proper balance between the not reversible. The Agency must also communities needs and the develop its role to educate and inform environment. society as a whole, as well as carrying out its prevention and enforcement activities, • work with other organisations to in order to ensure continuing protection reclaim contaminated land. and enhancement of the environment. • improve and develop salmon and Although the Agency only has duties and freshwater fisheries. powers to protect some environmental resources, it will need to contribute to other • conserve and improve river aspects of environmental management navigation. even if these are, in the first instance, the responsibility of others. The Agency can • tell people about environmental only do this effectively by working in issues by educating and informing. partnership with and through others in order to set common goals and to achieve • set priorities and work out solutions agreed objectives. that society can afford. 2 To achieve these aims, the Agency must • The Local Environment Agency Plan work with, or seek to influence central five year Action Plan. government, local government, industry, commerce, farming, environmental • The Annual Review. organisations, riparian owners and the general public. Consultation Report Successful management of the The Consultation Report for this LEAP was environment requires consideration of a published in October 1997. This report wide range of interests and requirements highlighted the local issues that we had which may sometimes be in conflict. The identified and suggested options to address Agency will manage the environment them. This document was circulated to a through our main functions, which are: wide variety of people and groups who have an interest in the area, to allow them • pollution prevention and control; to comment on the issues and options raised. • waste minimisation; Consultation • management of water resources; The formal three month consultation • flood defence; period finished on the 2nd February 1998 and incorporated a public launch of the • improvement of salmon and fresh LEAP and a set of consultative workshops. water fisheries; The Agency is also required by law to • conservation; consult committees on all aspects of its work in order to ensure openess and • navigation; accountability. The Northwest Region is served by three statutory committees: • use of inland and coastal waters for recreation. • Regional Environment Protection Advisory Committee (REPAC) 1.2 The Local Environment Agency Plan Process • Regional Flood Defence Committee (RFDC) A Local Environment Agency Plan or LEAP is the Environment Agency's integrated • Regional Fisheries Advisory local management plan, for identifying Committee (RFAC). and assessing, prioritising and solving local environmental issues related to the The South Area of the North West Region is Agency's functions, taking into account the served by its own advisory, non statutory, views of the Agency's local customers. Area Environment Croup (AEG). Membership consists of 22 local people A LEAP is produced in three stages: who live and work in the area and who represent a wide range of interests and act • The Local Environment Agency Plan as a link between the local community, the Consultation Report. Agency and its statutory committees. These include Local Authorities, industries, agriculture, conservation, fishing, amenity 3 and recreational interests. This group changes in the area. advises the Agency on LEAPs while a specific sub-group has allowed a more • Consideration of the need to update detailed input into the Weaver/Dane LEAP. the LEAP. Action Plan Updating of the LEAP will usually be carried out every five years although this is This plan contains actions to be carried out dependant on the particular needs of the within the area over the next five years area. Key organisations and individuals which incorporate the comments raised forwarding comments will receive the through the consultation process. The plan annual review to inform them of action details the nature of each action, costs, plan progress. including external costs where possible, timescales and responsible organisations. Constraints The Agency will be seeking commitment to planned actions by others wherever To ensure improvements and overcome the possible. problems in the area, actions which in many cases are the responsibility of other Annual Review organisations and individuals, will be necessary. Where the Agency does not The Agency will be jointly responsible, with have the powers to make the necessary other identified organisations and changes, it will endeavour to use its individuals, for implementing the Action influence, to gain environmental Consultation with key external groups Implementation iiia ^ Annual reviews Full Review of LEAP The Leap Process Plan. Progress