Archived decisions

AIM

TARGET

STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED

General

1. Core steering group to continue into the future to monitor implementation of the Hampshire Water Strategy.

1) Continue to meet every 3 months

2) First annual monitoring report to be published in March 2004.

3) Review of action plan to be published in 2005/2006.

HWS Steering Group (ie Bryant Homes / EA / HAPTC / HCC / HWT / NFDC / NFU / SCC / Southern Water / WaterVoice Southern)

2. Establish a countywide network of organisations with an interest in water to share information and to develop and strengthen partnerships.

1) Establish group by end 2003.

2) Hold meetings of the network as required.

3) Establish an email bulletin network by December 2003.

HWS Steering Group + range of public, private and voluntary sector orgs

3. Create or work with existing sub-groups of county-wide network to progress specific issues, and ensure links are made with other Hampshire initiatives.

1) Audit existing relevant groups (e.g., Hampshire Biodiversity Partnership) by autumn 2003.

2) Identify new sub-groups needed by end 2003.

3) Ensure water is covered other relevant countywide partnerships, eg the Hampshire Community Strategy.

4) Liaise with the Hampshire Natural Resources Initiative.

HWS Steering Group

4. Develop partnerships with local communities to promote understanding of the link between our actions and the consequences they have for water resources and quality.

1) Establish a lead advocate / champion for each river catchment wholly or partly in Hampshire by summer 2003.

2) Establish a water advocate / champion for each town and parish in Hampshire by end 2003.

3) Investigate the feasibility of running linked workshops and short courses from 2004/05.

4) Give four talks on the HWS at public meetings each year.

HWS Steering Group / LAs / NGOs

5. Forge stronger links with water interests at regional, national and international levels to raise profile of HWS and to influence policy.

1) Present HWS experiences to the full membership of the South East Water Resources Forum by end 2003.

2) Present HWS experiences to DEFRA by end 2003.

3) Ensure contacts at South East England House in Brussels are fully briefed by on the HWS by end 2003.

HWS Steering Group / LAs

6. Pilot a Hampshire Water Market/Festival to help engage thousands of people who live and work in Hampshire in the issues facing the county's water environment.

1) Hold a one-day event in the summer of 2003.

2) By end 2003, analyse success of the event and decide whether to hold similar events at different locations across the county from 2004 onwards.

HWS Steering Group / NGOs / local District Council / Common Ground

7. Develop the Hampshire Water website to ensure all relevant information as widely available as possible.

1) Update the site monthly.

2) Develop a marketing campaign for the site by spring 2003.

HWS Steering Group

8. Develop a non-technical bi-annual electronic newsletter to update all partners with progress on the Hampshire Water project.

1) Establish a distribution list by summer 2003.

2) First edition out by summer 2003; second by end 2003.

HWS Steering Group

9. Raise awareness of the importance and vulnerability of groundwater to the public and to the Hampshire environment.

1) Develop education programme regards groundwater quality and levels.

2) Reduce the number of groundwater pollution incidents.

Agriculture

10. Actively promote good agricultural practice at every opportunity when dealing with farmers and other land managers to ensure minimal adverse impact is made on the county's water environment.

1) Use the MAFF Code of Good Agricultural Practice to promote a responsible approach to water issues.

2) Code to be relaunched as DEFRA publication by mid-2004.

3) Encourage DEFRA to work towards integrating more good practice into agri-environment schemes, especially the proposed broad and shallow scheme recommended by the Policy Commission report on The Future of Farming and Food.

4) Promote the Environment Agency's Best Farming Practice guidelines.

NFU / EA / FWAG

11. Implement the Landcare Project in the Test and Itchen catchment to improve the sustainable management of natural resources through best land management practices.

1) Landcare project advisor to deliver advice and develop practical solutions to alleviate problems cause by diffuse pollution and soil erosion.

EA / HCC / HWT / EN / NFU / FWAG

12. Set up a Hampshire Abstractors Group to liaise with the water companies and Environment Agency to establish best practice in water abstraction and use.

1) Establish group by summer 2003.

2) Present initial findings of the Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS) at the group's first meeting.

NFU / EA / Water Companies

13. Investigate ways to facilitate the on-farm storage of water.

1) Encourage DEFRA to consider simple schemes for funding on-farm water storage projects.

2) Investigate the possibility of reducing charges for water collected and stored on farm.

3) Establish local guidelines for acceptable planning/ landscape features of on-farm water storage installations and standards for their ongoing management.

NFU / EA / Water Companies / HCC / FWAG

14. Liaise with large food retailers to ensure that the irrigation requirements of their quality assurance schemes are reasonable and sustainable.

1) ... to be completed by NFU ...

NFU

Biodiversity

15. Develop stronger protection for Hampshire's wetland habitats.

1) Review criteria for wetland SINCs by 2004.

2) Ensure all sites meeting criteria are designated by 2005.

3) Promote protection of non-designated sites through LBAP and Local Plan processes.

HCC / HWT / EA / EN / LAs

16. Ensure existing designated wetland sites in favourable condition are managed to maintain condition and are protected from degradation.

1) Ensure statutory bodies fulfil their duties to maintain and protect existing designated wetland sites.

EN / EA / HCC / LAs / HWT

17. Identify degraded wetlands in need of restoration and initiate appropriate management to improve them.

1) Identify degraded wetlands by ....

2) Ensure all designated wetland sites are brought into favourable condition by 2015

3) Seek to restore wetland SINCs to favourable condition by 2015.

EN / EA / HCC / LAs / HWT

18. Seek to expand wetland habitats to reduce effects of fragmentation and isolation.

1) Targeted SINC and wider countryside advice in strategic areas to achieve BAP targets.

2) Funding via agri-environment schemes targeted towards wetland habitats.

3) Ensure at least one wetland scheme is created through each EA catchment flood management strategy.

HCC / HWT / EA / EN / LAs / DEFRA / NFU

19. Seek to eradicate or control invasive alien wetland species where these adversely affect native species.

1) Pursue project to eradicate Crassula helmsii from the New Forest by 2010.

2) Promote and implement a countywide alien species control policy.

HCC / HWT / EA / EN / LAs / DEFRA / NFU

20. Pursue stronger conservation of biodiversity in water and planning policy planning.

1) Review policy in development plans to strengthen conservation of wetland biodiversity.

2) Ensure wetland biodiversity is incorporated into the heart of all water policy, e.g., water-resources strategies and flood management.

HWT / HCC / EA / EN / LAs

21. Collect and disseminate better information on the status of Hampshire's wetlands.

1) Establish database on the condition and status of wetland habitats and species by ....

2) Disseminate to policy makers and land managers on a ........ basis.

3) Initiate a programme of survey and monitoring by ......

HBIC / HCC / HWT / EA / EN

Demand Management / Water Conservation

22. Raise public awareness of water conservation issues.

1) Work with the local media to develop a campaign to get key messages across.

2) see Action 6.

HCC / SCC / PCC / District councils / Parish councils / Water Companies / EA

23. Supply water to rising Hampshire population via a sustainable growth in abstraction.

1) Assess the impact of abstraction on the local environment via the CAMS process.

EA / Water companies

24. Improve water conservation in Hampshire existing building stock.

1) Launch an award scheme to recognise Hampshire's most water efficient buildings by end 2003.

2) Use Watermark standards to help reduce water consumption in the public sector.

3) All Hampshire Parish water champions/advocates (see Action 4) to promote ways of conserving water in the home.

4) Inform industry and businesses of the cost benefits of water conservation by .....

LAs / EA / Water Companies / Developers

25. Improved the water efficiency standards in building design.

1) Encourage the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to implement changes to building regulations.

LAs / Developers

26. Ensure the best use of existing water supplies is made before developing new water resources.

1) Review water resources strategy for Hampshire by 2006/7 [if EA Strategy].

2) Identify the studies required and seek funding for them in the 2003 OFWAT Periodic Review of Prices.

EA / Water Companies

27. Increase the number of metered properties in Hampshire to help reduce overall water consumption.

1) 20% of Hampshire households to be metered by end 2005.

EA / Water Companies

Development Planning

28. Minimise the risk of flood damage to existing buildings.

1) Make owners of buildings in flood risk aware of what can be done and of their responsibility to protect themselves.

2) Ensure that drainage from buildings can operate under flood conditions.

EA / LAs

29. Use the experience of the groundwater flooding events of 2000/01 in Hampshire villages and rural areas when planning local development to reduce flood risks to people and property.

1) No new development to experience groundwater flooding or to exacerbate current risks of flooding.

LAs / Developers / EA / HAPTC

30.Minimise the impact of development on surface and groundwater quality.

1) ... to be finalised by EA ...

EA / Developers

31. Significantly raise the profile of water in all Development Plans relating to Hampshire.

1) Disseminate a comprehensive set of model water planning policies to all Local Authority planning sections by mid 2004.

LAs / EA / Water Companies

32. Ensure key stakeholders get early notice of development plans and proposals in order to plan any infrastructure investment.

1) Hampshire county, unitary and district councils to take unilateral steps to make water companies statutory consultees.

2) Widen membership of the Hampshire Water Consultative Group to include District Councils and developers.

3) Encourage ODPM to make legislative changes and to update guidance (eg publish a PPG on water)

Developers / LAs / Water Companies / EA

33. Coordinate local resource availability and phasing of development with water and wastewater investment programmes.

1) Synchronise planning horizons with infrastructure investment.

Water Companies / LAs

Sustainable Drainage

34. Ensure better national guidance on SuDS to help make local implementation more likely.

1) Support the work of the National Working Group in development of legislation on the adoption and maintenance of SUDS.

Water Companies / EA / LAs / Developers / NGOs

35. Develop advice on the practicality and adoption of SuDS in Hampshire in accordance with national design standards and guidelines.

1) Publish SuDS in Hampshire document by Summer 2003.

HCC / Water Companies / EA / Developers

36. Develop ways of promoting SuDS and water efficiency measures in more new developments in Hampshire (especially Major Development Areas) in appropriate locations.

1) Ensure all development briefs fully encompass the means of drainage, including maintenance, and promote water efficiency measures.

2) Introduce incentives into the planning process.

LAs / EA / Water Companies / Developers

Land and River Management

37. Reduce the risk of urban and rural flooding.

1) In towns and cities pursue appropriate policies of urban forestry, porous paving, green spaces, and wetlands designed to help store flood water.

LAs / EA / Developers

38. Promote the recycling of water resources within catchments (ie the linkages between water sources and wastewater discharges).

1) ... to be finalised by the EA ...

LAs / Developers / EA / Water companies

39. Ensure aquatic habitats are sensitively integrated into developments and are seen as an amenity for people and wildlife.

1) Develop an aquatic enhancement policy by 200? (HWT to specify) and promote to key stakeholders.

2) Rivers and wetlands to form part of planning briefs and local consultations.

LAs / Developers / EA / EN / HWT

40. Restore degraded rivers and wetlands to enhance the urban environment.

1) Prepare a list of priority rivers and wetlands across Hampshire (eg, The Monks Brook in Eastleigh and The Hermitage Stream in Havant) by end 2003.

2) Implement restoration programme by 200? (EA to specify).

LAs/Developers/EA

41. Use agri-environmental schemes and conservation advisory projects to encourage land use and management that will maintain and restore Hampshire's water environment.

1) Address diffuse pollution issues in the Test and Itchen catchments via the Landcare Project.

2) Land management advisors to incorporate river and wetland issues into their advice.

DEFRA / LAs / NFU / HWT / FWAG / HCC / EA

42. Improve recreational access to the water environment.

1) Assess possibility of a multi-agency bid for major funding for the Itchen Navigation towpath by end 2003.

2) Audit other rivers in Hampshire that need improvements by end 2003.

LAs / EA / English Heritage