Manhood Peninsula Partnership

The Environment Agency has produced a national update of the current water  situation in the UK. Despite being the wettest April on record, the South East of England is still considered to be in a drought due to the lack of rainfall during the last  couple of years. However the situation has eased in other parts of the country with ponds and reservoirs showing a recent improvement, so hopefully we will follow suit in the near future.

For more information see the Environment Agency website by clicking HERE, or Defra’s website HERE.

The Sea Tree is intended to be a floating structure moored out in the water by a cable. Designed by Dutch architect Koen Olthuis from the Waterstudio, the tree is comprised of a series of layers for use as homes by plant and animal species both above and below the water.

The structure would be built using offshore technology similar to oil storage towers, which can be found on open seas and can be designed for specialized locations like rivers, lakes or the ocean. Totally self-sufficient, the structure is designed to support a wide range of flora and fauna including birds, bees, bats and other small animals that will help bring the natural environment to our cities.

The idea is to help protect natural habitats in urban areas, particularly cities. Their hope is that large companies, like oil companies, would donate the Trees to cities as a way of showing their concern for animal habitats.

For more images of Sea Trees click HERE.

The final version of the National Planning Policy Framework for England has now been published. 

The document sets out the Government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. It sets out the Government’s requirements for the planning system only to the extent that it is relevant, proportionate and necessary to do so. It provides a framework within which local people and their accountable councils can produce their own distinctive local and neighbourhood plans, which reflect the needs and priorities of their communities.

To download a copy of the NPPF click HERE

To read what others have said about the document click HERE

Planning permission was granted in February 2012 for a property described by its architect as the UK’s first ‘amphibious’ house. According to Baca Architects, the firm behind the plans, an amphibious house is a building that “rests on the ground on fixed foundations but, whenever a flood occurs, the entire building rises up in its dock and floats there, buoyed by the floodwater”.

The 225sq metre home is to be located on an island in a stretch of the Thames that passes through Marlow, Buckinghamshire. According to the architects, the site is designated as Flood Zone 3b – classified as the functional floodplain – and is in a conservation area. To be built later in 2012, the property will be set 10 metres from the river’s edge and will replace a dilapidated bungalow.

See how the Telegraph is reporting floating houses HERE.

Find out what Baca Architects say about the project HERE.

‘Public Perceptions of Europe’s Seas – A Policy Brief’ is a European survey on what the public values in terms of the marine environment and governance. One of the authors, Dr Tavis Potts, Scottish Association of Marine Science says: ‘The report presents the results and key highlights of a survey of 7000 people across 7 countries including the UK. I think you will find the results quite interesting and useful with a few ‘eye openers’ around trust and governance, support for MPAs, and ocean awareness amongst countries. The research highlights the importance of education and communication in driving ocean citizenship.

To see the full report click HERE

The annual summary of environmental statistics has been published by Defra. This covers a range of summary statistics on the environment in the United Kingdom. The aim is to provide information that can be used by members of the public wanting to monitor the impact of environmental interventions or as a teaching resource. Each topic contains more datasets and links to additional resources, of potential use to academia, lobbying and political groups, and local government.

Click HERE to find more information on the Defra website.

The first Green Investment Bank is now a little closer to becoming a reality now that Business Secretary Vince Cable has published the criteria for deciding where the Bank will be based and what the Bank’s first priorities will be until 2016.

The Green Investment Bank is designed to accelerate private sector investment in the UK’s transition to a green economy.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“There is a great opportunity for British businesses to lead the transition to a green economy and stake a claim on a sector that has massive potential for growth. I’m pleased to see that more than 20 places recognise the impact the Green Investment Bank could make, and are expressing an interest in being its home.

“I want to set up the Bank as soon as possible, so it can start accelerating investments in these key sectors and help British companies take advantage of these opportunities. Setting out the priorities for the Bank and establishing UK Green Investments for April 2012 are a major step forward.

The formal recruitment process for appointments to the Green Investment Bank board and senior management team will begin next month, with the appointment of the Chair being made in spring 2012.

Read more about the Green Investment Bank on their website.

Two pilot maps showing coastal erosion for Northumberland and North Tyneside and the South Downs, have been published by the Environment Agency. The maps were developed in conjunction with local councils and provide information for the public on how coastal erosion could affect where they live over the next 20 years. The maps also show how the coast is being managed and any defences that are in place. The information is freely available from the Environment Agency, who is also gathering feedback about how to improve information in the maps themselves.

For more information see the Environment Agency website HERE.

The Government’s plans to give local communities more say about planning and development passed into law when the Localism Act received Royal Assent on 15th November 2011.

The Localism Act represents the first stage of the Government’s sweeping reforms to the planning regime in England and Wales.

The Act introduces a number of new approaches for local communities, such as the new right for communities to draw up a neighbourhood plan. It also introduces a new requirement for developers to consult local communities before submitting planning applications for certain developments.

So what is in the new Act, and how does it impact upon you? Find out more from the Plain English Guide to the Localism Act published by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Find out more about the all important changes to planning HERE.

Find out more about the key points from the rest of the Act HERE.

Climate change is happening to all of us – and because of us. Here are 10 facts you should know:

1. The first decade of this century was the warmest decade on the instrumental record. Visit the met office website for details
2. In the past 100 years the Earth has warmed by about 0.75°C and the speed at which it is warming is increasing. As a result, the UK spring has begun arriving about 10 days earlier than it did in the 1970s.
3. Arctic sea ice is melting and the September summer minimum extent has shrunk by about 10% every 10 years since the late 1970s.
4. Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere have increased by 38%, to 387ppm, since pre-industrial times.
5. Global sea levels have risen by about 17cm since 1900 as a result of melting ice and warming oceans. This is threatening low-lying countries such as Bangladesh. The global sea level could rise by up to 59cm this century, which in Europe alone would affect more than 20 million people.
6. Severe droughts are now twice as common as they were in 1970 and this is affecting the ability of various crops to grow.
7. Changes in solar radiation could not have caused the rapid warming we have seen in the past fifty years. Since the Industrial Revolution, the effect of additional greenhouse gases on the climate has been about 10 times the effect of changes in the Sun’s output.
8. Even if all greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, we are already locked into a global temperature rise of at least 1.4°C (since 1750).
9. The 2003 heat wave in western Europe, which caused 35,000 deaths (2,000 in the UK), is already twice as likely to happen again. At this rate, those heatwave temperatures will become a standard for Europe by the 2040s – and considered cool by the 2060s.
10. Scientists believe around 20% of species will become extinct with two degrees of warming.

For more information see the Department of Energy & Climate Change website.