TAW TORRIDGE EST= UARY FORUM

NEWSLETTER UPDATE – 24th. APRIL, 2007

Northam Burrows: Erosion - Disused Landfill Site=

· &nbs= p; Appledore Churchfield Slip:

· &nbs= p; Taw Torridge Estuary: Changes to Bar:

· &nbs= p; RNLI Open Meeting: 24th. May, 2007:

· &nbs= p; CoastNET Conference: 22nd. June, 2007:

· &nbs= p; Bideford Harbour Master’s Report:

______________________________

NORTHAM BURROWS:

EROSION OF PEBBLE RIDGE -

DISUSED LANDFILL SITE

O= n 23rd. February 2007, I wrote to all of the key agencies involved in Northam Burrows, expressing our concerns over the e= rosion of the Westward Ho! Pebble Ridge and the potential threat to the disused Landfill Site caused by the recent very high tides and by the winter storms. These concerns were= then discussed at the TTEF meeting, and it was agreed that the reply from the agencies, when received, should be circulated to all members.<= /span>

<= o:p>

I= finally received the reply this morning from Andrew Bell on behalf of all of these key agencies. The text of Andy’s reply is quoted below:

“Thank you for = your reminder regarding the erosion at Northam Bur= rows. As I said last week, I have been awaiting a response from some key organisations so that a collective reply could be made to your request. I apologise on behalf of those concerned for the lateness of the response.<= o:p>

As you are aware, TDC= are the landowners of the Northam Burrows, and have p= owers rather than duties under the coastal protection act to carry out defence works.

Natural England is the non departmental public body that works with land managers and public bodies to protect and enhance protected areas such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and AONB’s. The SSSIs at Northam Burrows includes the pebble ridge, the dunes behind and the Taw-Torridge Estuary.

DCC as the waste auth= ority and the operator of most of the landfill area have liability for any pollution arising from the landfill site under their jurisdiction. There = are other parts of landfill which pre-date the jurisdiction of DCC and theref= ore are the responsibility of the landowner unless a separate agreement states otherwise.

The EA are taking on = a wider role for flood and coastal defence and have responsibilities for enforcem= ent of legislation with r= egard to pollution to the aquatic

t= imetable for this at the moment. We under= take to inform you as soon as we know.

Andrew Bell

Chairman, UK Man and Biosphere Programme
Biosphere Reserve Co-ordinator and Countryside Service Manager
ht= tp://www.unesco.org/mab
http://www.devon.gov.uk/ndccs.htm
http://www.unesco.org.uk/Home2.htm
+44 1237 423655 R= 20;

- End of quote -=

For information, you c= an view an extended series of photographs of the damage to the Pebble Ridge, taken over a period of time, on the following website:

www.northam-devon.co.uk<= /o:p>

APPLEDORE CHURCHFIELDS SLIP:=

Please note that all = of the following information can be found on the home page of the Taw Torridge Estuary Forum’s website:

www.ttef.org.uk

Torridge District Council’s Conditi= ons for the Use of the App= ledore Churchfields Slip
TDC Application Form for a Permit to laun= ch from the Appledore Churchfields Slip
Details of the Free Registration Scheme f= or craft in the Taw Torridge Estuary, administered by the Northern Devon Coast & Countryside Service
Taw Torridge Estuary Users’ Guide, containing the Taw Torridge Estuary Code of Conduct and the map of t= he Zoning System in operation in the Estuary

Taw Torridge Estuary Moorings Code of Pra= ctice

The Taw & Torridge Maritime Volunteer Service will be overseeing launching at the Appledore = Churchfields Slip on behalf of Torridge District Co= uncil during the 2007 summer season. Information concerning the Maritime Volunteer Service can also be found on the TTEF website.

MOUTH OF THE TAW TORRIDGE ESTUARY:<= /span>

CHANGES TO THE BAR AND

TO THE SAFE CHANNELS

Andrew Atkinson (Nort= h Devon Sea Anglers) brought to the attention of the TTEF meeting last week that = the Bar and the safe channels at the mouth of the Estuary are moving, and that anyone crossing the Bar should be very vigilant and take great care. We are very grateful = to Andrew for issuing this warning.

RNLI OPEN MEETING:

THURSDAY, 24th. MAY, 2007

Wendy Dale (RNLI) has written, on behalf of Richard Stone, the Chairman of the Apple= dore Lifeboat Management Group, to invite all members of the TTEF to attend the 4th. Annual Open Meeting of the Lifeboat Management Group at Appledore, w= hich will take place at Skern Lodge on Thursday, 2= 4th. May 2007 at 7.30 p.m. by

courtesy of Andy Milne and John Watson. The guest speaker is David Graham of ATTURM, Instow, and he

e= nvironment in this instance.

NDCCS is a partnershi= p that co-ordinates work in the Biosphere Reserve. It holds no statutory duties = other than the management of the South West Coast Path in this regard and has collaborated with the above to produce this response.

All public bodies hav= e duties under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) to protect the special interest of SSSIs.<= /p>

Regarding the threat = posed by coastal change to the landfill site and the images you have brought to our attention, you are aware that we are working on a long term evolution and modelling study to assess the risks posed by the erosion of Northam Burrows to the wider environment.

DCC monitor erosion around the landfill site with monthly re= cord of photographs. Under the newly launched Plymouth Coastal Observatory, th= ere will be a regular monitoring programme put in place for most of the coast around the south west, supported by the North Devo= n and Somerset Coastal Authorities Group. TDC have been monitoring the accretion and movement of cobbles along the ridge with a regard to the sediment recharge practices. Torridge District Council, have consent from Natural England to mo= ve sediment/pebbles from the far end of the ridge to Westward Ho! The practi= ce of patching has not proven to be effective in the way it was carried out. However we are keen to ensure that any future management of the ridge is based on a thorough understanding of the coastal processes operating at the site to avoid any unforeseen or unacceptable social, economic or environmental costs.<= /o:p>

It is for these reasons we have instigated the study which will b= e a proper scientific approach as to how the site is best managed for the long term. The strength of this approach is to have the agreed practice embedd= ed in the Shoreline Management Plan so that there will be a firm policy that will be enacted by those responsible in the coastal group.

Although the images y= ou provided may appear alarming, these are normal coastal processes and are = the way in which features such as pebble ridges and sand dunes adapt to waves= and storms. It is our view that= the threat to that actual landfill site is not imminent. What the images do n= ot depict are the wider effects of these events, such as increase sediment entering the estuary and moving onto Airy Point, which may have wider benefits in the estuary system as a whole.

It is for these reaso= ns why the collective authorities will work on a scientific basis to achieve the best value for the site and the community.

The officer group ove= rseeing the study have received the first draft of the report from the consultants and have very recently made comments for clarification. When we are satis= fied with the report, it will be presented to the public including the estuary forum. Before the public event there is a procedure to go through with the coastal group and the local authorities, therefore we can not give a prec= ise

will= be talking about activi= ties undertaken at Arromanches Camp and on the Estuary. It is hoped that Geoffrey Cox MP will also be attending.

If you would like to attend, please r= eply by:

e-mail: <= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>appledore@rnli.org.uk

telephone: (01237) 473969<= /span>

A licensed bar will be open from 7.00= p.m. onwards

COASTNET CONFERENCE:

A VERY VISIBLE TRUTH - CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE COAST

22nd. JUNE, 2007 AT CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

Coa= stNET and Cardiff Universit= y are organising this conference under the EU Interreg= Programme COREPOINT.

The Conference will commence at 9.30 = a.m. for registration and will close at 4.30 p.m.

Full details, including the programme= and registration forms, can be obtained from:

the CoastNET website: www.coastnet.org.uk<= o:p>

e-mail: <= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>Theresa.redding@coastnet.org.uk

telephone: +44 (0)1206 728644

BIDEFORD HARBOUR MASTER’S REPORT:

Captain Roger Hoad has been away on holiday, and was unable to attend the recent TTEF meeting. He has been in touch since his r= eturn, and will be putting together his usual quarterly report. As soon as this is received, it = will be placed on the TTEF website:

w= ww.ttef.org.uk

DATES OF FORTHCOMING TTEF MEETINGS:

Monday, 16th July 2007 at Bidef= ord Town Hall<= span lang=3DEN-GB style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>

Monday, 15th October 2007 at Barnstaple Civic = Centre

Monday, 21st January 2008 at Bi= deford Town Hall

All meetings to commence at 7.00 p.m

Rose Day

Chairma= n

Taw Tor= ridge Estuary Forum

The Crow’s Nest

Marine = Parade

INSTOW<= o:p>

Bidefor= d,

North = Devon. EX39 4JN

Telephone: (01271) 860686

e-mail: Geoff.Rose.Day@ukgateway.= net

website: www.ttef.org.uk