TAW TORRIDGE ESTUARY FORUM
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The Taw Torridge Estuary Forum was founded jointly, in 1980, by North
Devon District Council and Torridge District Council, under the Chairmanship of
Captain C.J.A. Johnson, RN. Its role is to act as an independent voice for the
whole of the Taw Torridge Estuary. Captain Johnson retired as Chairman in
January 1995, and he was succeeded by Rose Day.
The Forum now comprises 40 national, regional, county-wide and local member
organisations, made up of the parish and town councils bordering the Estuary,
the recreational and sporting clubs and organisations which use the estuary, the
nature conservation, environmental and historical organisations concerned with
the Estuary, commercial and recreational fishermen, the Ministry of Defence, the
RNLI, the MCA, etc., all of which have an interest in and influence upon the
Estuary.
Member organisations appoint one delegate (in rare cases, two) to represent
their interests on the Forum, and the delegates are expected to report back to
their parent organisations on a regular basis. The minutes of our meetings are
distributed widely, and our meetings are open to the public. Minutes, reports
and information items are also posted on our website.
The role of the Forum is to:
1. act as a consultee body to both District Councils, to Devon County Council,
to the Environment
Agency, and to any other body requiring information about the Estuary
2. comment upon plans, such as the Shoreline Management Plan, Environment Agency
Plans,
Oil Pollution Plans, District Local Plans, County Structure Plans, Minerals and
Waste Plans,
Aggregate Extraction Plans, etc., as required.
3. comment upon planning applications and environmental statements with
relevance to the Estuary
4. represent members' interests on bodies such as the North Devon Areas of
Outstanding Natural
Beauty Partnership, the Braunton Burrows Biosphere Reserve Management Board, the
Environment
Agency Devon Area Environment Group, the Devon Maritime Forum, the North Devon
and
Torridge Local Strategic Partnership Federation, the Devon Estuary Officers'
Group, etc.
5. liaise closely with the Northern Devon Coast & Countryside Service and any
Taw/Torridge Estuary
Officer (when appointed), and assist in the updating of the Taw/Torridge Estuary
Management
Plan.
6. reflect our members' concerns; bringing these concerns to the attention of
the relevant bodies.
7. resolve conflicts between member organisations, and between outside agencies
and our member
organisations.
8. act as a lobby group, where necessary.
9. inform and educate our member organisations concerning Estuary matters and
the rights of other
Estuary users.
10. apply for grant assistance on behalf of member organisations, for work
commissioned by the
Forum.